What no one has ever questioned is that Equianos Interesting Narrative is extremely accurate in its depiction of the way that the eighteenth-century slave system worked, the horrors of the middle passage, and the constant threats to their freedom and well-being experienced by free people of color, particularly in the American colonies. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Equianos diverse and eclectic experiences as a slave and then a freeman allow to him a certain liberty of decision in who he is and who he wanted to be. (2021) 'Equianos Influence and Narrative'. I was sensible of the invisible hand of God, which guided and protected me, when in truth I knew it not: still the Lord pursued me. Equiano is walking a careful balance between arguing that there are insoluble contradictions to the slave trade, and acknowledging that there are different levels of inhumanity. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African Illustrated/Authors. Upon learning this, Equiano protested, arguing that Pascal had no right to sell him because he had been baptized; and by the laws of the land no man has a right to sell me. Unfortunately for Equiano, there was no law; he once more had to swallow the bitter pill of slavery in the Atlantic World. New York: Viking, 2007. LitCharts Teacher Editions. ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empires Slaves. From there he went to Virginia, where he was enslaved by a sea captain, Michael Henry Pascal, who gave him the name Gustavus Vassa and with whom he traveled widely. If such cruelty had been limited to a certain place or set of places, one could argue that these were aberrations and that slavery could continue simply by weeding out the worst examples of it. In this situation, Equiano was a persona that lent his visibility to show a broader picture of those that could not express it to the people that were unable to see otherwise. His constantly evolving views on Christianity paired with varied interactions with Europeans changed his perception of the new culture he found himself thrust into and played an important role in the development of Equianos self identification as an ex-slave or an Englishman. But this level of detail is a vital element of the narrative, because it prevents readers from continuing to shut their eyes to the realities of the slave trade by thinking human beings cant possibly be as treated so horrifically. It is possible that Equiano decided to change some facts about his early life in order to create a life story that would be more appealing to the general audience. At the turn of the 21st century, the scholar Vincent Carretta discovered documents that, he argued, suggested Equiano may have been born in North America, and he raised questions about whether Equianos accounts of Africa and the Middle Passage were based on memory, reading, or a combination of the two. As he began to ascertain more of the culture he soon began to want to imitate and even imbibe their spirit.[8] This change in opinion often went from negative to positive, and vice versa, as Equiano experienced the harsh conditions slaves were subjected to in the West Indies and then the freedoms and racial tolerance of Europe. It is possible, then, that Equiano is misrepresenting his place of birth, perhaps because he believed that his story would be more compelling if he were able to describe himself as a native-born African. Religion may arguably be viewed as one of the . Equiano wrote, I have seen a negro man staked to the ground, and cut most shockingly another negro man was half hanged and then burnt, bringing the attention of people to the tortures that black people had to endure because of their origin (5). The fact that Equianos life may be seen as a template for a slave narrative is not accidental. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005. Because so many white people consider slaves as less than humanan assumption encoded into the law itselfthey can get away with treating slaves violently and with total impunity. From there he was traded between a number of different masters and participated in the French and Indian wars, events that he recounts at length in his autobiography, before finally purchasing his freedom. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Complete your free account to request a guide. Olaudah Equiano was a seaman, writer, an ex-slave, and a merchant. Such medallions were sold to support the Societys efforts, and the emblem was widely distributed in print as well. Excerpts from the book now appear in every anthology and on any website covering American, African American, British, and Caribbean history and literature of the 18th century. Drummond tersely responded that answering was a thing for another world, but his action prevented the slave and others from running away. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man. This act passed in large part thanks to agitations by Equiano and others. This Christian was a previously enslaved man known as Gustavus Vassa, who, through writing his own life story, became the founder of a literary movement known as slave narratives. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This charisma developed from his faithfulness in Christianity proved useful in gaining friends and allies such as Captain Doran who eventually aided his purchase of his freedom and return to Europe. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. At the age of eleven, Equiano was kidnapped and sold to slave traders headed for the West Indies. Teachers and parents! PDF The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Why is Equiano's narrative important? Pascal brought Equiano to London in 1754, and for the next eight years, Equiano saw military action with Pascal during the Seven Years War. [11] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 165. From his experiences as a slave for both Captain Pascal and Mr. King, Equiano developed a strong sense of European culture which effected him very much in his actions, and once freed, led to his return to Europe in search of greater meaning for his life. Equiano's narrative plays a key role in such a narrative, and so his birth takes on special importance. Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Olaudah Equiano's The Life of Olaudah Equiano. Equiano makes the plight of slavery more vivid and relatable to his readers by talking about slaves not as property (like the slave traders do), but as human beings subject to exhaustion and able to be creative and strategic within the bounds of their dire circumstances. Required fields are marked *. Within a few weeks, he says, he was brought to Virginia. His famous autobiography can be considered to be one of the causes of the success of a British movement that wanted to end the slave trade. However, the fact that some of these aspects might have been untrue for Equiano does not mean that these elements have been false for every slave. Rather, they focused on ending the slave trade, arguing that if slave owners were unable to purchase new slaves kidnapped and transported from Africa, they would be forced to be more benevolent to their own slaves, and the institution would be forced to reform itself. These two positions are incompatible. Equiano, according to his Narrative, was born into an Igbo community in what is now Nigeria. I envied them the freedom they enjoyed, and as often wished I could change my condition for theirs. two cultures name their children in light of an important event or a notable . Theme: Newsup by Themeansar. Yet the seeds he planted eventually bore fruit when Great Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Through the cultural worldview he had learned as a child, Equiano found God at work in his life when he been enslaved and when he had been rescued from near-death experiences. He was a man who managed to overcome tremendous odds to achieve success and make a difference in the world. Olaudah Equiano: Creating An Identity Through Christianity Due to this frequent change of opinions, Equiano had issues with what he identified; as an African ex-slave or a European. This produced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died, thus falling victims to the improvident avarice, as I may call it, of their purchasers. Equianos turn to Christianity can be see here, in part, as resulting from his resignation to the lack of justice available on earth. Equiano confronted his action, asking Drummond how he would answer to God, and how did that accord with the Golden Rule. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, first published in 1789 in London, is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano.The narrative is argued to represent a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel narrative, and spiritual narrative. Olaudah Equiano is an important figure in American literature for a number of reasons. Every bit of information that he presented to his readers was seen as an illustration of a slaves life (Jaros 17). Slavery, as Equianos description of his own African village implies, had existed in some form for thousands of years, but it was the age of exploration that institutionalized a particular kind of slavery, bolstered by a growing set of arguments among Europeans about the ethical and intellectual inferiority of non-white races. Equiano represented many people that were unable to tell their stories to the world as he could. They can only justify these actions by considering black people as less than human. Original content on this site created by its authors is licensed under a Once, a Creole man, who worked as a servant in Montserrat, told. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Jaros, Peter. Olaudah Equianos story is unique to history because he was one of the first Africans to be enslaved in the Americas. They had several children, but only one survived into adulthood. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Much of the power of Equianos narrative stems from the fact that it is a first-person testimony of what he has witnessed and experienced, but he also uses his narrative as a means of recording a wide variety of non-personal experiences associated with the slave trade. Later he settled in England and began to spend a great deal of time involved in the abolitionist movement as part of the Sons of Africa, a group of prominent African men in London. We will write a custom Essay on Equianos Influence and Narrative specifically for you for only 11.00 9.35/page. Carey, Bryan. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. We utilize security vendors that protect and This medallion was designed to be the emblem of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. To Tell a Free Story: The First Century of Afro-American Autobiography, 17601865. 1. In it Equiano expresses a strong abolitionist stance and provides firsthand testimony of the transatlantic slave trade as well as a detailed description of life in what is present-day Nigeria. He wrote an influential autobiography documenting his experiences as a slave, which helped raise awareness of the horrors of the institution. 1, 2013, pp. 1-23. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. 1 Why are Olaudah Equiano writings important? [6] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 57. Once a freeman, Equiano then has the liberty to take his experiences and make something new out of them in creating his own identity. The Quakers were a potent example of a group vocally opposed to slavery, though, of course, slaves themselves had protested and revolted against their condition for hundreds of years. student. Equiano travelled widely to promote the book, and became wealthy from its royalties. According to his Interesting Narrative, the author was born in what is now eastern Nigeria, in Igboland, in 1745. The book describes Equiano's time spent in enslavement, and documents his attempts at becoming an . Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. -Graham S. Though King is kind to Equiano, he continues to participate in the slave trade himself, enriching himself off the labor of others. He became an outspoken opponent of the transatlantic slave trade during the 1780s, first in letters and book reviews in London newspapers, and then in his autobiography. An enslaved man who bought his freedom and wrote compellingly about his experiences, Olaudah Equiano (c. 17451797) was an extraordinary man who became a prominent figure associated with the campaign to abolish the slave trade. Devotes a chapter to Equianos account of the Middle Passage, noting the controversy about whether he experienced it himself. Equiano also tells the story of his life as a free man of color; after he was finally able to purchase his freedom in 1766, he was a merchant, a seaman, a musician, a barber, a civil servant, and, finally, a writer who took to the pages of London newspapers to argue on behalf of his fellow Afro-Britons before publishing this account of his life. As Equiano later recorded in his writings, this was a place where slave women were raped and where one slave was punished by being staked to the ground and having hot wax poured on his back. In his narrative, Equiano detailed his experiences as a slave, both in Africa and in the Americas, and also spoke out against the slave trade. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Equiano initially worked on his owners small ship, traveling to different Caribbean ports to sell fruit, tumblers, and other items to Europeans. A critical edition of The Interesting Narrative, edited by Werner Sollorswhich includes an extensive introduction, selected variants of the several editions, contextual documents, and analytical essayswas published in 2001. Equiano later recounted a conversation he had with a Mr. Drummond who boasted of selling 41,000 Africans into slavery. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Politics, Music, and Literature Enthusiast. He briefly was commissary to Sierra Leone for the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor; he was replaced after he expressed his concerns for settlerssome 500 to 600 formerly enslaved peopleand how they were poorly treated before their journey to Sierra Leone. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Please subscribe or login. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Fordham University, 2013. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Image: Painting by William Denton / Colorized by Rick Szuecs. 54, no. A resident of London during the 1780s, Equiano became involved in British abolitionism and was a vocal opponent of the slave trade and slavery until his death in 1797. Equiano was now accustomed to his new life, especially given the kind treatment by Pascal, which allowed his fear to ebb. 2 Why should Olaudah Equiano be remembered? These particular parts might have been the center of attention among abolitionists, who based their vision on the firm belief in equality. ", "One of the key problems today is that politics is such a disgrace, good people don't go into government.". Omissions? During this wreck, Equiano is the sole reason that no men were lost in this accident. Fryer, Peter. In his memoir, he writes that he grew to the point where he yearned for death. In grabbing the rowdy indian governor, he then tells him the wrath of god will strike him down for his behavior. While Europeans often sought to cheat him out of his money, Equiano nevertheless soon amassed enough money to purchase his freedom in 1766. His famous autobiography can be considered to be one of the causes of the success of a British movement that wanted to end the slave trade. By the end of the eighteenth century, this triangular trade was thriving, and yet, for the first time, many more people than ever before began to object to slavery as a moral atrocity. I: Electronic Edition. Reading Time: 3 Min. The fact that Equiano was owned largely by benevolent men assures him of God's presence. Instant PDF downloads. Historians, literary critics, and the general public have over the past fifty years increasingly recognized the author of The Interesting Narrative as one of the most accomplished writers of his time, and unquestionably the most accomplished author of African descent. Why should Olaudah Equiano be remembered? His work was published under his birth name: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. But neither Olaudah or Susannah was able to enjoy their married life for very long. In 1773, Equiano returned to London after a harrowing voyage during which he almost died. (2021, May 24). My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Andrews 1986 and Bruce 2001 discuss Equianos place and significance in literary history. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. He had survived these things to be able to finally receive the grace offered to him by Christ. After living on the confines of Navy vessels in the Atlantic during the Seven Years War, Equiano was sold to a Quaker who transported goods and enslaved people throughout the Caribbean and in North America. Social . The first autobiography written by a former slave, Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is also one of the most widely-read and well-regarded of the slave narrative genre. Social scientists begin with Equiano. . His autobiography was published when he was 44 years old and became an international bestseller, reissued in nine different editions and highly influential in the American abolitionist movement. Proudly powered by WordPress [10] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 160. It is one of the earliest books published by a black African writer and helped influence British parliament to abolish the trade through the Slave Trade Act of 1807. These experiences thus affirmed Equianos faith in his attempted conversion of the indian prince in their journey to his home and then the cementing of his past nations culture in which the Musquito tribe resembled. Equiano was miserable after this news. Equiano's Narrative is one of the best primary sources for what slavery was like for both slave and master. Olaudah Equiano | Biography, Book, Autobiography, & Facts The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Equiano lent his voice and his pen to the cause of suppressing Britains role in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Teachers and parents! The scope of slavery and the slave trade surpasses one person by millions and millions of individuals. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Under the ownership of Pascal, Equiano traveled to England, was baptized into the Church of England in 1759, and learned that his baptized state afforded him his freedom. Often did I think many of the inhabitants of the deep much more happy than myself. In every discipline, you study Equiano. Required fields are marked *. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. While he did not record any harsh thoughts he had about his African masters and mistresses, Equiano had choice words for African slave catchers and called them uncircumcised.. must. Olaudah equiano why is he important for american literature, Olaudah Equiano American Literature Oxford Bibliographies, Olaudah Equiano | Biography, Book, Autobiography, & Facts, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Olaudah Equiano Slavery and Remembrance, Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) Georgetown University, The Interesting Narrative of theLife of Olaudah Equiano. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. What has the author Olaudah Equiano written? "Headnote for Olaudah Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Written by Himself, became a best-seller both in England and America, and fueled the beginnings of an anti-slavery movement. The narrative of Olaudah Equiano gives a captivating account of a young African male kidnapped from his homeland, forced into slavery, and how he overcame this oppression and regained his freedom. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. His growing affection for Christianity is developed after his baptism at the request of the Miss Guerins, whom are friends of Equianos master at the time, Michael Henry Pascal. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is the first example in English of the slave narrative, the autobiography written by one of the millions of persons from Africa or of African descent who were enslaved in the Atlantic world between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries. IvyPanda. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Indeed, it is difficult to think of any historical account of the Middle Passage that does not quote his eyewitness description of its horrors as primary evidence (Rediker 2007). J.E. Olaudah Equiano's autobiography, The interesting life of Olaudah Equiano, is a complex, historical piece of literature that enables the reader to see Equiano's own personal experiences.Apart from being a historical piece of literature, Equiano's narrative serves as a spiritual autobiography illustrating his conversions to Christianity. What does thunder in summer symbolize in literature? Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. With the culture shock of being ripped from his home nation of Essaka[9] and thrown onto a ship of slavers who considered him as property to be handled, his first impressions were definitely not pro-European. The most frequently excerpted sections are the early chapters on his life in Africa and his experience on the Middle Passage crossing the Atlantic to America. Though he spent a brief period in the state of Virginia, much of Equiano's time in slavery was spent serving the captains of slave ships and British navy vessels. Thus, the implications that one individual lied to influence the process that helped to free many people do not change the seriousness of the issue. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. [4] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 203. Jesus Brought Relief. He also turns to the Bible, citing Acts 17:26: God who hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth., Equiano was 11 years old when Igbo-speaking slave catchers stole him and his sister away from their home. [5] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 208. Written by Himself. Equianos Interesting Narrative is one of the most absorbing, indeed interesting first-person stories of the entire century, a work that both narrates a remarkable set of experiences and shrewdly shapes it through the forms available to its author to make the case for the abolition of the slave trade. Reading/Discussion Questions for Equiano's Narrative Considers Equiano the first political leader of Britains black community (p. 102). However, Equiano's narrative also acknowledges the contradictions in English nationality and expresses that he's able to hold both the African and English identities at once. However, the credibility of this author was undermined by various scholars, who started to argue that Equianos place of birth was not Africa, as the author wrote but South Carolina. Equiano's is an extraordinary memoir, telling the author's life story from his birth in west . 2. Subscribe to CT Equianos autobiography was so popular that it ran through nine English editions and one printing in the United States and was translated into Dutch, German, and Russian during his lifetime. Although some of the facts of the story might have been fabricated, the purpose of every point is understandable as they all were targeted towards appealing to the audience. 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