The Life of Olaudah Equiano Essays The Comfort in Communication: An Analysis of the use of Language in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African, Written by Himself Anonymous College The Life of Olaudah Equiano Language connects people in a way that nothing else blogger.comted Reading Time: 1 min Jan 02, · Olaudah Equiano Essay Example His elevated diction consists of words such as “improvident,” “copious,” “pestilential,” and “avarice” (45). This word choice enforces and strengthens the meaning of his sentences allowing them to convey to the reader at a higher blogger.comted Reading Time: 7 mins Essays for The Life of Olaudah Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano. Abolition, Ethnicity, and Identity in The Interesting NarrativeEstimated Reading Time: 8 mins
Olaudah Equiano Essays: Examples, Topics, Titles, & Outlines
What evidence does Equiano provide to support his claim that free blacks had more difficulties than slaves did? Several times in the NarrativeEquiano presents his belief that free blacks often suffered worse than slaves. In the West Indies, he met a free black named Joseph Clipson whose story formed the basis for his realization. Clipson was free, but was accosted by a Bermuda captain who claimed Clipson was a slave and that he had orders to take him to Jamaica.
Clipson protested virulently but was given no hearing and was forced onto the captain's ship despite his physical evidence of freedom. Equiano wrote that "hitherto Olaudah equiano essay had thought only slavery dreadful; but the state of a free negro appeared to me now equally so at least" Their freedom was only nominal, and they lived in fear of re-enslavement or constant abuses to their person and liberty.
There were no courts that would hear them, and no law enforcement that would protect their assets. When Equiano achieves the status of a free black, he encounters the same thing. When white olaudah equiano essay refused to pay him for the goods they purchased of him, there was no way to find redress. In Georgia, a Mr. Read wanted to punish Equiano for getting into a fight with his slave; Equiano was shocked that the man did not respect his status as an independent individual, and that he was to be "flogged round the town, without judge or jury" Free blacks lived in a precarious middle ground between slavery and freedom.
How does Equiano depict his African brethren? What is the reason for this depiction? Equiano paints a very positive portrait of the Eboe people of whom he claims to be descended. He calls attention to their morals and their simple, unassuming manners. They only enslaved criminals or prisoners of war. They had strict gender roles that created social order. Their government was a council that decided things in a democratic fashion. The arts and music were important to them. Luxuries and decadence were eschewed.
Olaudah equiano essay most conspicuous trait of these Africans was their emphasis on cleanliness. This lifestyle produced healthy and hearty individuals, and "cheerfulness and affability are two of the leading characteristics of our nation" They even believed in one Creator, although they countenanced the spirit world more than Europeans did, olaudah equiano essay.
Equiano is also keen to compare them to the Jews, thus 'legitimizing' them in the eyes of his European readers. Indeed, olaudah equiano essay, these Europeans are whom Equiano is subtly contrasting his African brethren with; after comparing the heroic and moral Eboe with the bloodthirsty and power-hungry Europeans, it is no question which of olaudah equiano essay two is olaudah equiano essay more civilized. What role does Equiano's religion play in his life?
How do his beliefs shift throughout his life? Religion is central to Equiano's life and construction of identity. He explains what his African olaudah equiano essay believed, but came to embrace the idea of the Christian God after hearing about that faith while still a youth. Until he was converted, he believed that good works were most important, and so he was diligent in keeping the Commandments, only really failing to avoiding blasphemy.
This God watched over mankind, and Equiano believed the the good things that happened to him were God's praise, while the bad things were rebukes to be learned from, olaudah equiano essay.
Equiano spoke often of being favored by Providence. He also called himself a predestinarian, explaining that he believed that his life's course was already ordained, and so it was his responsibility to accept this. After a deadly and dangerous voyage to the Olaudah equiano essay Pole, Equiano feels convicted and searches for faith on a deeper level, olaudah equiano essay.
He eventually embraces Methodism and the idea of the free gift of salvation as central to the Christian message. This faith shapes and molds his life from then on. He has difficulty working with men who are irreligious, and makes ardent efforts to convert men who were not Christian. His religion allows him to enter into the European culture and establish his credentials for his readers.
In essence, he makes himself more familiar and less 'other' by his embrace of Christianity. Thus, his religion is deep and personal, but it is also a way for him to become part of the cultural mainstream and more effectively disseminate his abolitionist views. Equiano is actually given multiple names throughout the course of his life, which is a testament to the power of slaveowners, and the nature of the system to tear down any sense of personal identity that a slave might possess.
Even their names were not their olaudah equiano essay. When the young Equiano arrives in Virginia, olaudah equiano essay, his name was Jacob, olaudah equiano essay, but "on board the African snow I was called Michael" When Michael Henry Pascal purchases him, he was named Gustavus Vassa. Equiano remembered, olaudah equiano essay, "I at that time began to understand him a little, and refused to be called so, and told him as well as I could that I would be called Jacob; but he said I should not, and still called me Gustavus; and when I refused to answer to my new name, which at first I did, olaudah equiano essay, it gained me many a cuff; so at length I submitted, and by which I have been known ever since" The slaveowner's ability to change a slave's name whenever he wanted olaudah equiano essay the fact that the slave was property.
The slave had no autonomy and no identity. It was not surprising that many slaves, once freed, changed their names back to old ones or choose new ones that were not part of their slave life.
For Equiano, who kept his slaveowner name, it was perhaps more important to keep this badge of European-ness with its connotations of greatness, olaudah equiano essay, especially as he was a public citizen and was olaudah equiano essay in the abolitionist movement.
Further, the recognizable name - Vasa had been a great Swedish leader known for inspiring freedom - would have helped him achieve his political purpose by appealing to his olaudah equiano essay. In what ways does Equiano both condemn and exalt the British people and their morals, values, and culture? Equiano is a Briton and an African, and has a particularly complicated relationship with his adopted country, which had been responsible for his enslavement.
He condemns Britons by calling attention to their complicity in the slave trade. He details: the cruel slave traders on the Middle Passage; the laxity and perversion of Christianity; the terrible conditions for slaves in the West Indies; the destruction of virtue and morality; and, of course, the fact that one as intelligent and heroic as himself had languished in bondage.
This was all meant to strike the consciences of his readers. However, he also praises British society, and adopted its religion, manners, morals, and customs. In the last chapter, he lauds the country for liberty, dignity, olaudah equiano essay, and nobility. He praises the British government, hoping they will agree to abolish the slave trade, olaudah equiano essay.
Since he is effectively a Briton himself and expects his Narrative to be influential in securing abolition, it is no surprise that he expresses acclaim for the British government and people.
However, it appears that he honestly admires his adopted country, and that his love for olaudah equiano essay reflects his complicated character.
How is Equiano able to conjure the horrors of slavery? Be specific with details. Equiano's Narrative is one of the best primary sources for what slavery was like for both slave and master. He does not shy away from cataloging the horrors of the "peculiar institution," starting with his own kidnapping, and his severance from his family.
He details the terrible conditions of the Middle Passage, dwelling on the loathsome smells, mournful cries, and fetid climate of the ship's hull.
He describes how many slaves tried to throw themselves into the ocean, but were prevented from doing so by the crew and then beaten mercilessly. In Virgina, Equiano meets an elderly slave woman who actually had to wear an iron muzzle on her face. In the West Indies, olaudah equiano essay, he saw how women were raped, olaudah equiano essay, and how pregnant women were treated olaudah equiano essay. Slaves were beaten for nonexistent reasons, never knowing when their overseer might take offense to their behavior.
They were forced to build their huts on unhealthy land, and contracted diseases. Their property was taken from them. They could be sold at a moment's notice and thus be deprived of friends and family. They were kept in ignorance, and only exposed to vice and depravity; thus, their own minds and consciences were adversely molded by the slave system. What defines his work as much as anything is the detail he uses in depicting slavery.
What are the most salient characteristics of Equiano's personality? Do a character analysis for him. After completing Equiano's autobiography, the reader has an understanding of the mind, character, and abilities of the former slave. His narrative voice is strong and articulate; his prose is lucid. Except for a few rhetorical flourishes, olaudah equiano essay, it is straightforward and allows the work to flow olaudah equiano essay. He comes across as a highly intelligent and thoughtful man, albeit a rather emotional one.
He is prone to explaining his state of mind just as often as the state of affairs, olaudah equiano essay, giving readers a very personal insight into how he was affected by his trials, olaudah equiano essay.
He expresses righteous indignation on multiple occasions, olaudah equiano essay, which reveals his passion. It was this quality that made him an effective abolitionist later in life. He experiences religion in a very personal, intimate way, and seems to verge on the dramatic in regard to this aspect of his life.
For example, when he is onboard a ship where the men blaspheme and carouse, he nearly commits suicide in his despair. He also shows a touch of hubris, tending to inflate the importance of his actions, and to fashion episodes in the book around his own heroic deeds and character. By the end of the work, it appears that he has done just that - he is assured in an identity that is fully his own, and not beholden to any particular creed, olaudah equiano essay.
The most interesting aspect of Equiano's character is that he is both a mainstream citizen of Britain, and an outsider to it, olaudah equiano essay. Equiano was born in Africa although recent scholarship suggests he was born in South Carolina, he is still of African descentbut considered himself a Londoner. After all, he spent most of olaudah equiano essay adult life in the British empire. He retained a sense of his African heritage, culture, history, and value system but wholeheartedly embraced those of the Britons as well.
He even converted to Christianity, and joined the Methodist church. He was a slave for many years, but earned his manumission by committing to capitalist ideals of business. While free, he even took the position of overseer on a Jamaica plantation, a position that implicitly supports slavery.
However, his race precluded his full immersion into European society, and denied him a true identity. Throughout his narrative, he asserts his multicultural voice and perspective, olaudah equiano essay embraces both of those sides.
He takes pains to avoid insulting or too harshly criticizing his readers, but makes sure they are aware of the true horrors in which they are complicit.
World Lit II Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano
, time: 56:43Olaudah Equiano Free Essay Sample
Jan 02, · Olaudah Equiano Essay Example His elevated diction consists of words such as “improvident,” “copious,” “pestilential,” and “avarice” (45). This word choice enforces and strengthens the meaning of his sentences allowing them to convey to the reader at a higher blogger.comted Reading Time: 7 mins Aug 27, · August 27, by Essay Writer Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography “The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano: or Gustavus Vassa, the African,” presents a created identity of the “enlightened slave,” as a means of appealing to the pathos of the British and American people regarding the trans-Atlantic slave trade May 05, · May 5, by Essay Writer To begin with, this narrative of Olaudah Equiano is extremely powerful and inspirational. Not only does it illustrate his own narrative, but some key details such as: how he bought his freedom, what he did with his freedom, and how he became an abolitionist and public speaker
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