Equiano narrative middle passage book

It is a compelling and wellwritten source which describes the middle passage the terrible. In 1756 equiano and his sister were kidnapped by aro peoples. The book was a bestseller and equiano even went on book tours throughout europe to promote his work and the abolitionist cause. Equianos life story exposed the cruelty of the slave trade and made. Nevertheless, his book was a very important part of the campaign to abolish slavery in. Pdf teaching guide to the interesting narrative of the.

At the end of his account of the middle passage, equiano pauses his narrative and addresses the reader. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, first. In this harrowing description of the middle passage, olaudah equiano described the terror of the transatlantic slave trade. Equiano passage is between west africa and the caribbean island of barbados, at that time a common voyage as the british plantation island was among the most easterly of the caribbean islands. Might not an african ask you, learned you this from your god, who says unto you, do. Equiano, 58 equiano s writing on the middle passage is the section of the work most likely to end up in anthologies for history and literature classes.

A teaching guide from the antislavery literature project, with a crosscultural study guide coauthored by shi penglu. Although equiano s pages on the middle passage and the horrors of west indian slavery are searing, he knew that most of his audience had by now heard such stories. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of. Because only a native african would have experienced the middle passage, the abolitionist movement needed an african. They were separated, and equiano was sold to various masters in africa. Olaudah equianos narrative museum of american history. Equianos autobiographical account of his passage into slavery. This definitive biography tells the story of the former slave olaudah equiano. Equiano eventually purchased his freedom and lived in london where he advocated for abolition. Olaudah equiano, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself london. His pioneering narrative of the journey from slavery to freedom, a bestseller first. The book describes equianos time spent in enslavement, and documents his attempts at becoming an. In 1789, a middleaged africanborn man in london published the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, laying the foundations for new genres of literature and new ways of understanding the experiences of enslaved people. An analysis of olaudah equianos the middle passage.

The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable. The freed slave whose epic book tour taught britain about. Upon the release of his memoir, equiano was an instant success and is remembered today as the first slave narrative to detail the middle passage. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Courtesy of the historic maps division, department of rare books and. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage 1789 olaudah equiano 1745. An analysis of olaudah equianos the middle passage 1019 words 4 pages middle passage by olaudah equiano one of the most interesting arguments that modern apologists makes for the practice of racebased slavery in the americas is the fact that slavery existed in africa during that time period and that africans were complicit in the transatlantic slave trade. The story of his passage into slavery arrived just at a moment when the. Olaudah equianos argument against slavery was his life. When he was about ten years old, he was kidnapped by africans known as aros and sold into slavery. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavas vassa, the african. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano wikipedia. Equiano is sold to the owner of a slave ship bound for the west indies, and he goes on to describe the middle passagethe journey across the atlantic ocean.