Middle Passage Olaudah Equiano

Words: 933

Pages: 4

Open Document

Olaudah Equiano also known as Gustavus Vassa, was born in Benin, West Africa in 1745. According to his biography, at an early age of ten years old he was kidnapped by Africans and sold into slavery which he documented – “The next day proved a day of greater sorrow than I had yet experienced; for my sister and I were then separated, while we lay clasped in each other's arms. It was in vain that we besought them not to part us; she was tom from me, and immediately carried away, while I was left in a state of distraction not to be described” (Abrams et al., 2013, p. 1388). After being sold numerous times, he ended up in Barbados. Olaudah Equiano used his biography, as a vehicle to share his brutal and horrific experiences of his journey through …show more content…
The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable” (Abrams et al., 2013, p. 1388). The conditions on the ships were so horrific that many would rather take their own lives than endure their present conditions and this Equiano expressed clearly when he mentioned, “One day, when we had a smooth sea and moderate wind, two of my wearied countrymen who were chained together (I was near them at the time), preferring death to such a life of misery, somehow made through the nettings and jumped into the sea” (Abrams et al., 2013, p. 1388). Fresh air and food were in short supply, and the white crew were so cruel they would fish and eat until they were filled and according to Equiano “when they had killed and satisfied themselves with as many as they thought fit, to our astonishment who were on deck, rather than give any of them to us to eat, as we expected, they tossed the remaining fish into the sea again.” (Abrams et al., 2013, p. 1388). It was as though the crew did this to further provoke and humiliate the Africans even

Middle Passage Olaudah Equiano

The life and actions of Olaudah Equiano made him a crusader for the abolishment of slavery. From his strong testimony from the Middle Passage to the purchase of his own freedom, Equiano’s entire life is a protestation against slavery. Equiano wrote his narrative as an argument for the abolition of slavery, using his personal experiences to back his ideas. Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745, in a province of Africa called Eboe. Equiano began his narrative with several letters from influential people…

Words 1822 - Pages 8

Olaudah Equiano Essay

for the stories past down from generation to generation or the documentations in historical books, the history of the twelve million African slaves that traveled the “Middle Passage” in miserable conditions would not exist. Olaudah Equiano contributes to this horrid history with The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Through this narrative, the appalling personal experience of each slave is depicted. He accomplishes his rhetorical purpose of informing the world of the slave experience…

Words 1234 - Pages 5

Olaudah Equiano Analysis

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Written by Himself is a historical document that's necessary when looking at the institution of slavery. Because not many slaves during his time were literate, written pieces documenting the reality of slavery through the eyes of slaves are rare. Equiano’s documentation of his experiences brings a whole new perspective to the institution, making it at a prominent part of African American history. In his memoir, he touches on various topics…

Words 852 - Pages 4

XINYI XIEHST1034109202014Tracey JaffeA Human Instead Of Essay

of the present they value. Though reading Olaudah Equiano’s biography, people can understand Europeans need to value the Africans as humans instead of chattel. In the book, Olaudah Equiano developed himself from his hometown Eboe, his voyage at sea, his conversion to Christianity, and his Abolitionist movement. He offered people a good opportunity to understand how a no identify African salve transform to black European. The sadness of Olaudah Equiano began while he and his sister were kidnapped…

Words 1234 - Pages 5

Olaudah Equiano's Eventful Life Essay

goods; this is how Olaudah Equiano made his way to Barbados in the mid-1700s. On his journey to the Americas, Equiano encountered some of the same hardships as the Pilgrims had years prior. However, Equiano also experienced a few different obstacles along the way. Olaudah Equiano had a very eventful life, though it wasn’t what he would’ve ever pictured it being. He grew up in a family of seven children in a part of West Africa that is now Nigeria. Those children included Equiano and his sister…

Words 2050 - Pages 9

Olaudah Equiano Analysis

Caroline Myers History and Storytelling Equiano, Olaudah. ""Is It Not Enough That We Are Torn From Our Country and Friends?": Olaudah Equiano Describes the Horrors of the Middle Passage, 1780s." Many Pasts. History Matters, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. . One In Twelve Million On what appeared to be an otherwise normal day in Africa, 11 year-old Olaudah Equiano’s life was changed forever. Whether eagerly led or taken by brute force, Equiano approached the coastal shoreline with absolutely no idea…

Words 1030 - Pages 5

Middle Passage Essay example

the practice of legal slave trading and ownership during the days of the Atlantic-Slave Trade. The enforced migration of Africans to the Americas in conditions of slavery lasted from the middle of the sixteenth century until the 1860s and constituted the largest movement of people across the Atlantic until the middle of the nineteenth century. 1The repercussions of this practice are still felt to this day. Although slavery has been abolished it still exists today in underground forms of human trafficking…

Words 1059 - Pages 5

Compare And Contrast Plymouth Plantation And Olaudah Equiano

Bradford, an English Separatist, and Olaudah Equiano, a slave, shared different accounts on their Atlantic crossing and reasons for migration, but also paralleled each other in several ways. While not entirely smooth, the English settlers at Plymouth experienced conditions that were pleasant when compared to that of the slaves. Bradford details the various plights throughout the trip in his journal Of Plymouth Plantation. During their two months at…

Words 484 - Pages 2

Document Analysis Assignment I: The Middle Passage

Assignment I: "The Middle Passage", from Olaudah Equiano's Interesting Narrative By: Naiké Owens What type of document is it? What is the title of the document? The document that I choose to write about is apart of a slave narrative from Olaudah Equiano’s book called The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa. What date was the document written? This document from Olaudah’ s book talks about his experience during the voyage to America in 1755. Olaudah was 44 years old…

Words 573 - Pages 3

Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano: The Brutal “Middle Passage” The story of Olaudah was one the amazing and touchable story for being a slavery, in childhood especially for the young children’s. I think that Olaudah Equiano parents were from Igboland, and he was born in South Caroline. I personally believed that Olaudah was a name given by his parents which, is Igbo name because I am from Igbo land in Nigeria. There is an Igbo proverb says that “Obara ndi Igbo anayi ato na Mba” that means that Igbo blood will not…

Words 661 - Pages 3