Virtue was a key Enlightenment-era attribute in European society, and Equiano uses it now against Europeans themselves. He was born in the Kingdom of Benin. In his attempted conversion of the indian prince he comments; I was well pleased at this, and took great delight in him, and used much supplication to God for his conversion.[4] His work with the indian prince assured him of Gods will and his faith was then strengthened by his own actions. Sign up for our newsletter: 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. Equianos turn to Christianity can be see here, in part, as resulting from his resignation to the lack of justice available on earth. . We utilize security vendors that protect and Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006. The scope of slavery and the slave trade surpasses one person by millions and millions of individuals. 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. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. He does not shy away from cataloging the horrors of the "peculiar institution," starting with his own kidnapping, and his severance from his family. What was the purpose of the naturalist movement in literature? While Europeans often sought to cheat him out of his money, Equiano nevertheless soon amassed enough money to purchase his freedom in 1766. Unlike accounts of enslaved people that begin in the Western Hemisphere, Equiano introduces his readers to his homeland and people and focuses on the type of government established in his Igbo village, as well as his communitys marriage customs, arts, and agriculture. Beauty and Monstrosity: Race in Early English Literature | Synaptic "Headnote for Olaudah Equiano. Refine any search. IvyPanda. Andrews 1986 and Bruce 2001 discuss Equianos place and significance in literary history. Because of this, revolt and violence on slaves part can hardly be surprising, he argues. The fact that Equianos life may be seen as a template for a slave narrative is not accidental. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Life of Gustavus Vassa. It is a compilation of stories that surrounded him and other slaves for many years. A planter in Virginia sold him to Michael Henry Pascal, an officer in the British Royal Navy. They can only justify these actions by considering black people as less than human. Pascal renamed him Gustavus Vassa, which remained his legal name for the rest of his life. 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. Equiano died in London in 1797, but the location of his grave is no longer known. Olaudah Equiano: The Problem of Identity The relevance and meaning of these documents have been disputed, and some scholars have also argued that The Interesting Narrative is like any other autobiography in its complex relationship to its authors memory and knowledge. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Equiano's Christianity plays an important role here, for it would have recommended . The Life of Olaudah Equiano: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis 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. Thomas Jefferson vs. James Madison on the Constitution, Donald Trumps Level of Success as President: Americas Future. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. It is important to note, however, that in the last two decades, scholars have raised doubts about the truth of some parts of Equianos Interesting Narrative. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. What does moses symbolize african american literature? 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. [10] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 160. First of all, there can be no doubt that many people were taken from their home countries, brought to Europe and colonies to serve, and treated as objects rather than people. See pp. The Interesting Narrative is an essential work because of Equianos vivid rendering of enslaved peoples experience of the slave trade, his picture of 18th-century Africa as a model of social harmony defiled by greed, and his eloquent argument in support of abolition. The truth about the place and date of his birth may never be known. Equiano (also called Gustavus Vassa) spent much of his adult life on seas, enslaved to an officer in the British Royal Navy, and then later, after he purchased his own freedom, as a free Black deckhand and sailor in numerous voyages . The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. 1 Why are Olaudah Equiano writings important? Equiano was born in an African village and kidnapped into slavery at the age of eleven. Refine any search. Finally, Equianos opinion began to settle on a resolution of white men in the West (Americas) being harsher and more barbaric than the civilized men of Europe. Slavery in the United States continued until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. [1] Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings (New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2003), 78. 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. This paper aims to investigate the possible outcomes of the fact that Equianos information of his place of birth is incorrect and discuss the effect it may have on peoples perceptions of large-slave events connected to slavery and the slave trade. 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. (including. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Copyright information regarding third party material is noted in context wherever possible. A very readable account that relies heavily on Equianos autobiography, rather than offering new biographical information. Equiano is clearly familiar with the genre of the spiritual autobiography, the Puritan form of self-examination and life writing that shaped works such as Defoes Robinson Crusoe, and he also cites English poets such as John Milton and Alexander Pope, demonstrating his mastery of the canon of great English literature. Equiano does, though, signal another contradiction in white peoples thinking: that black people are both incompetent and inferior, but also vital to the functioning of plantations, such that the abolition of slavery would lead to economic devastation. Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, American Magazines, Early 20th-Century Popular, Dune and the Dune Series, Frank Herberts, New England Pilgrim and Puritan Cultures. Analysis. His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, was published in 1791 . Pascal shocked Equiano at the end of the war in 1762 when he refused to grant him his freedom, instead selling him into the horrors of West Indian slavery. Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa (b. The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative - Brendan Hufnagel The immense value of his writings encompasses the feeling of the burden that slavery brought to the people that suffered from it. Identifies Equiano as one of the early Afro-British writers who greatly influenced the development of African American literature (p. 63). Vol. During this wreck, Equiano is the sole reason that no men were lost in this accident. The question of where Equiano was born will probably remain unresolved until better documentary evidence or new ways of understanding the evidence that we already have become available. 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. The life of Olaudah Equiano, otherwise known as Gustavus Vassa, is interesting for a number of reasons. IvyPanda. Though he admired England and its people and was a committed Christian, he was still an Igbo whom God had chosen. 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. Why are Olaudah Equiano writings important? - TeachersCollegesj He was also one of the first to escape from slavery and tell his story to the world. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Equiano confronted his action, asking Drummond how he would answer to God, and how did that accord with the Golden Rule. During his lifetime, he was mostly known as Gustavus Vassa. Equiano refers to his treatment by European slave traders in the Middle Passage as a new refinement in cruelty and paints a picture of a harrowing journey on board a slave ship. According to his own account, Equiano was captured in his Igbo village at age 11, sold into slavery, and taken to the West Indies. His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, was published in 1791 and was an instant success. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides. 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. Equianos Influence and Narrative. May 24, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/equianos-influence-and-narrative/. [13] Without his exposure to Christianity early into his service with his first master, Equiano would not be the man we now know him as today; faithful, honest, reputable, and a man with an important story to tell.
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