The Interesting Narrtative
of the Life of Olaudah
Equiano
By Ricardo Gonzalez, Tyler Hulsey, Jomar Angeles, Pamela
Gonzalez
Summary
•
Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped when he was eleven, along with his sister and forced to travel for several days. During this time, he got separated from his sister and was
traded several times over a span of six or seven months. He was eventually taken to the west coast of Africa and saw the slave ship waiting at the port for him. He was put
onto the ship by white men that spoke an unrecognizable language.
When he was forced on the boat, he looked around and saw that it was packed with a lot of slaves that were chained together. When he looked at this horror and couldn't
take it in anymore, he passed out on the deck. When he awoke, other blacks came to his aid and gave him his first drink of liquor from the white men.
When he got put under-deck, he experienced the sadness and grief of everyone else. There were always crying, a terrible stench, and almost no sunlight. When Olaudah
refused to eat for the first time, his hands and ankles were bounded, and he was flogged him severely. This grief and pain wished him for death to come. He would've jumped
over bored, but the netting and the hawk-eyed guards made sure that no one was jumping. Those who tried were severely cut and flogged.
As if this couldn't get any worse, a new fear struck them all. One time when the slaves were permitted to by upper-deck, they saw a white man get flogged unmercifully to the
point of death. They tossed his dead body overboard just as they would for any blacks. Not even seem of the whites were able to escape the ruthless behavior of the ones in
charge.
Almost everyone preferred death over living this misery. But even through the terrible hardships, stenches, and starvation, they arrived at Barbados and were herded in
merchant yards. Once the signal was given, groups of white men went over to see which parcel was worth. Those who came close on the ships, were bound to never see each
other again.
Olaudah Equiano's Biography
• Olaudah Equiano was born in Nigeria in 1745, in
which at that time was known as Eboe. As a child,
Equiano was kidnapped from his home country
and was sold as a slave. After buying his freedom,
he "became part of the abolition movement." He
was an activist and a journalist. "The Interesting
Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" was an
autobiography by Equiano, which was successfully
published in 1789.
Cultural Practices, Values, and Perspectives
• "I was now persuaded that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits, and that they
were going to kill me." (84, 5)
• "I now wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me" (86, 35)
• "They gave me to understand, we were to be carried to these white people's country
to work for them." (86, 48)
• "For I had never seen among any people such instances of brutal cruelty;" (87, 51)
• "Are relations and friends separated, most of them never to see each other again."
(88, 112)
Bibliography
•
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/olaudah-equiano-39207>.
•
"Summary of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself. Vol. I."
Summary of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself. Vol. I. Web. 15
Sept. 2015. <http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/equiano1/summary.html>.
•
"Understanding Slavery - Learning Adventures." Understanding Slavery - Learning Adventures. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
<http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/slavery/equiano.html>.
•
PBS. PBS. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1h310.html>.
•
"Slavery." Southern Colonies. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://ujhssoutherncolonies.weebly.com/slavery.html>.