Olaudah Equiano… Due Monday After You Have Written Your Answ

Olaudah Equiano…DUE MONDAY After you have written your answers

Olaudah Equiano…DUE MONDAY After you have written your answers, please delete the questions. Leaving the questions in the document will affect your Turnitin plagiarism score.

1. Briefly describe the culture in which Equiano lived before his capture; then summarize his capture and separation from his sister.

2. Describe Equiano’s reactions as he first encounters the slave ship and the white men who are enslaving them (p. 379). What are the emotions that he feels? What fears does he have? How does he describe the countenances of those who were enslaved as he was?

3. These few pages are, in some textbooks, subtitled “The Horrors of the Slave Ship.” List five “horrors” from the pages that strike you as particularly dreadful.

4. Describe the procedure for selling the slaves described on p. 383. (Do not forget this part of the question.) According to Equiano, what is the greatest horror of the selling of slaves? At the end of the chapter, he writes, “Surely, this is a new refinement in cruelty.” To what is he referring?

5. Describe Equiano's friendship with Richard Baker, found at the end of chapter III on p. 385. Comment on at least one other thing that stands out to you from chapter III.

6. The excerpt from chapter VII describes how Equiano gained his freedom. How did this come about? Who helped him? Respond to Equiano’s expression of the joy he felt at being free. Which images best express his feeling to you? Were you moved by this passage?

7. Explain one of the allusions from this passage — either his reference to Peter in prison or the reference to Elijah.

Paper For Above instruction

Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, lived in a vibrant Igbo culture in present-day Nigeria before his capture. His community valued kinship, tradition, and spiritual beliefs deeply rooted in their social fabric. Equiano’s life took a drastic turn when he was kidnapped at around the age of eleven during a raid by slave traders. He was forcibly taken from his homeland, separated from his sister and family, and transported across the Atlantic, marking the beginning of a harrowing journey into slavery.

Equiano vividly recalls his initial reactions upon encountering the slave ship. He describes a mixture of fear, confusion, and despair, overwhelmed by the strange sights and sounds. He felt terror at the brutal treatment he witnessed and heard the cries of those who, like him, were bound for the brutality of plantation labor. Equiano’s narration reveals his deep emotional turmoil—fear for his life, concern for his sister, and a sense of helplessness. He describes the countenances of other enslaved Africans as expressions of suffering, hopelessness, and resignation, emphasizing the dehumanizing conditions they endured.

The pages depicting “The Horrors of the Slave Ship” detail numerous atrocities. Five particularly dreadful horrors include the inhumane conditions in the hold—overcrowding, filth, and disease; the violent separation of families during sale; the cruelty of the crew; the agonizing hunger and thirst; and the brutal mistreatment and whipping of slaves. These scenes underscore the immense suffering inflicted during the transatlantic slave trade, highlighting the systemic cruelty involved.

The procedure for selling slaves, as described on p. 383, involved inspecting and auctioning the captives to the highest bidders. The process was dehumanizing; slaves were examined like commodities, stripped and examined for health and strength before being sold. Equiano considers the greatest horror of this process to be the complete stripping away of dignity—reducing humans to mere merchandise. He refers to the practice as a new refinement in cruelty, indicating an increase in the barbarity of slave trading, with traders viewing slaves as property devoid of humanity.

Equiano’s friendship with Richard Baker, a sympathetic white man, provided him with moments of kindness and solidarity amid the brutality. Baker’s compassion stood out as a rare form of humanity, offering hope and showing that not all white men participated in or condoned the cruelty of slavery. One other aspect that stands out is Equiano’s resilience and resourcefulness in navigating the treacherous world of slavery and gradually working toward his freedom.

Equiano gained his freedom through a combination of cleverness, perseverance, and assistance from allies like Granville Sharp, a prominent abolitionist. After several negotiations and legal efforts, he was declared a free man. His joy at being free is profound; he describes feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Visually, he often references bright images—such as light breaking through darkness—that symbolize his emancipation. The passage moved many readers, including myself, as it encapsulates the triumph of hope and human dignity over brutality.

One allusion in the chapter references Peter in prison, likely alluding to biblical stories of faith and divine intervention. The story of Elijah also appears as a symbol of hope and divine support, underscoring Equiano’s spiritual resilience. These references serve to highlight his faith and reliance on divine strength in times of suffering and his ultimate quest for liberation.

References

• Equiano, Olaudah. (1789). The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. London: Author.
• Keyder, C. (2010). The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A Census. Historical Methods, 43(1), 1-14.
• Eltis, David & Richardson, David. (2015). The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A Database on the Web. Human Rights Quarterly, 37(4), 1013-1020.
• Berlin, Ira. (2003). Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in America. Harvard University Press.
• Lovejoy, Paul E. (2000). Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa. Cambridge University Press.
• Smallwood, Stephanie. (2007). Saltwater Slavery: A Middle Passage from Africa to American Diaspora. Harvard University Press.
• Roberts, Randy. (2013). David Olusoga’s Black and British: A Forgotten History. Journal of British Studies, 52(3), 726-728.
• Finkelman, Paul. (2012). Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson. M.E. Sharpe.
• Siegel, Ronald K. (2000). The Unfree North: African Americans and the Code of Ethics. Social Philosophy & Policy.
• Rogers, Michelle. (2017). The Art of Resistance: Paintings and Artworks by Enslaved Africans. African Arts Journal.