“The Interesting Narrative of
the Life of Olaudah Equiano”
by: Olaudah Equiano
English III CP
CHS
C. Edge
American Narrative Tradition
• One of four traditional types of early
American narratives
• Slave Narratives – an autobiographical
account of the life of an enslaved person
• These narratives supported the abolitionist
cause by revealing the horrors of slavery.
Quickwrite, p. 82
Think about the last time you read or saw
something—an article, a news report, or a
documentary—that upset you and moved
you to action. What made the message
effective? If you wanted to bring about
great change in the world, what would you
write to spread the word and persuade
others to act?
Literary Focus, p. 83
• historical narrative – an account of a
significant event in history
Reading Focus, p. 83
• inference – an educated guess based on
what you already know and what you learn
from reading a text.
– Look beyond what the author states directly.
– Think about what is hinted, or implied.
Vocabulary, p. 83
copious
avarice
render
procured
nominal
copious
• Adj. More than enough; plentiful
• Synonyms: ample, bountiful, plentiful
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/copious
avarice
• n. greed; desire for wealth
• Synonyms: greediness, covetousness,
stinginess
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/avarice
render
• v. cause to become; make
• Synonyms: make
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/render
procured
• v. brought about; caused
• Synonyms: induce
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/procured
nominal
• adj.: existing in name only; not real
• Synonyms: honorary, professed
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nominal
Literary Focus, p. 84
Historical Narrative
• How does this narrative differ from an
article written for a history textbook?
• It is written in the first person and is
something that happened to the author.
Reading Focus, p. 84
Making Inferences
• Why do you think Equiano fainted?
• He thought he would be killed in the
furnace. He says he “no longer doubted of
[his] fate.”
Reading Focus, p. 85
Making Inferences
• Why were Equiano and the other prisoners
whipped for refusing to eat?
• They were considered property. If a
captive died of starvation, the slave
traders lost money because they could not
sell him or her.
Reading Focus, p. 85
Making Inferences
• Why might Equiano imagine that the slave
traders have no country of their own?
• He thinks the traders live on the ship.
Literary Focus, p. 85
Historical Narrative
• Why does Equiano call the ship “the
hollow place”? What does this tell you
about Equiano’s understanding of what is
happening to him?
• He has never seen a ship and does not
know what one is. He is not quite sure
what is happening to him.
Reading Focus, p. 85
Making Inferences
• Why might Equiano believe that his
captors are spirits rather than human
beings?
• They seem like spirits to him because of
the “magic” they worked by making the
boat move.
Literary Focus, p. 86
Historical Narrative
• Why do you think Equiano included the
detail that “the strangers also shook hands
with us black people”?
• He wants to show that the strangers were
kinder to them than the crew members
were.
Literary Focus, p. 86
Historical Narrative
• Why didn’t the crew want the slaves to see
how they managed the ship? How does
this detail add to your understanding of the
way slave traders viewed slaves?
• It was in their interest to keep the slaves
ignorant so that they would be scared of
the sailors and afraid to mutiny.
Reading Focus, p. 87
Making Inferences
• What does Equiano mean when he says
that he envies “the inhabitants of the
deep”?
• The deceased “inhabitants of the deep”
were free from the bonds and limitations of
slavery, unlike the slaves on the ship.
Literary Focus, p. 88
Historical Narrative
• Based on this selection, describe the
conditions aboard an eighteenth-century
slave ship.
• Conditions were crowded and filthy, with
unclean air leading to the death of slaves.
Cruelty reigned, and the slaves were
hungry and scared.
Reading Focus, p. 89
Making Inferences
• At first, Equiano is shocked to see men on
horseback. How does his attitude change
after he speaks to other Africans?
• He finds out that other Africans have seen
and done this before, so it no longer
seems strange to him.
Literary Focus, p. 89
Historical Narrative
• Equiano writes, “we were all pent up
together like so many sheep in a fold
without regard to sex or age.” What does
this comparison reveal about people’s
perspectives toward Africans at the time?
• It reveals that the slavers believed that the
Africans were no better than animals and
treated them the same as animals.
Reading Focus, p. 89
Making Inferences
• In the final paragraph, what do you think
Equiano is trying to convince his readers
to believe or do? How can you tell?
• He wants to persuade readers that slavery
and the slave trade are unnecessarily
cruel and contrary to the teachings of their
religion.
Applying Your Skills, p. 90
1. Who is Olaudah Equiano? From where does he
come? To where is he taken?
2. What does Equiano see when he first looks
around the ship? How does he react?
3. Why wasn’t Equiano chained up during the
journey, as many of the other prisoners were?
4. Which of Equiano’s reactions to his
experiences as a slave did you find surprising
or unexpected? Why?
5. While you read, you recorded major events in
the narrative and Equiano’s reactions to them.
Add another column to your chart, and write
inferences about Equiano’s beliefs. Think
about how inferring the author’s beliefs,
thoughts, and emotions enhances your
comprehension.
7. Analyze Equiano uses the words amazed and
astonishment several times. What effect do
these words have on the mood of the
narrative?
8. Interpret Paraphrase the last sentence of the
selection, in which Equiano responds to the
forced separation of enslaved families. What
motive does he see in this cruel practice?
8. Extend How did reading about historical
events in the form of a personal narrative
help you understand the events? What
insights did you gain from Equiano’s
perspective that you might not have
gained from an encyclopedia article on
the treatment of slaves? Explain.
9. Analyze The process by which a writer
reveals the personality of a character is
characterization. Think about the
character Equiano, not Equiano the
writer, in the narrative. What do his
actions and thoughts tell you about his
perspective on life? What words would
you use to describe him?
TOTD
What Do You Think Now?, p. 90
• How do you think the slave trade shaped
the beliefs of those who were enslaved?
How did it shape the beliefs of those who
captured, bought, and sold slaves?