Honors English 10Regular English 10

Mrs. Shantazio

“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”

by: Olaudah Equiano

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?

Write at least two paragraphs.

T.A.G. the question.

Quickwrite, p. 82

Equiano’s Life and Background Author of The Interesting

Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African

Born in 'Eboe' in Guinea to the chief of the tribe; Ibo (or Igbo) language of present day Nigeria

Kidnapped at age 11 and sold to African masters

Endured the Middle Passage (the journey between Africa and the New World)

Sold to Michael Pascal, a British naval officer while in the West Indies

Pascal renames him Gustavus Vassa showing his dominion over his “possession”

Gustavus Vassa was a 16th century nobleman who led the Swedes out of slavery

Learned to read and write while attending school in London

Fought for the British in the Seven Years War with France; a gunpowder carrier

Equiano’s Life After the war, he is sold to a sea

captain who travels to Montserrat where Equiano witnessed unimaginable slave terrors

Next, he was sold to Robert King, a Quaker merchant who trained Equiano as a gauger (quality control inspector)

In 1766, he saved up £40 to buy his own freedom and moves back to London

In the late 1770s, Equiano converted to Christianity and joined the antislavery movement

He was trying to help his friend John Annis, a former slave who was kidnapped by his former owner

Equiano meets Granville Sharp, the first British abolitionist while trying to free Annis

In 1775, he works to establish a new colony in present-day Nicaragua**a Christian missionary**a slave owner/ameliorationist

“[I did] 'every thing I could to comfort the poor creatures, and render their condition easy‘”.

Equiano’s Life Published his slave narrative as the

antislavery debate was beginning in Britain

Traveled the British Isles promoting his book (a financial success)

Transformed his entire life into a sort of anti-slavery document

In 1792 he married an Englishwoman, Susanna Cullen and had two daughters; one of whom survived to inherit a substantial estate of £950 from her father (equivalent to about £100,000 or $160,000 today)

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.

American Narrative Tradition

3 part structure1) Sin2) conversion3) Spiritual rebirth

Reproduced in slave narrative4) Slavery5) Escape6) Freedom

Equiano goes from innocence in Edenic Africa to cruel experience of slavery in the West.

The Spiritual Autobiography

Equiano's reading audience was mostly composed of American and European abolitionists. His immediate purpose was to influence the British political leaders who were debating the slave trade issue in Parliament in the late 1780s. However, Equiano's work was read and discussed by numerous religious and humanitarian readers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Audience

Apologists for slavery argue that it is a “household” economy in which the laborer becomes part of a master/patriarch’s extended family

In reality, slaves are human commodities at the whim of a powerful market; they are sent to wherever there is greatest demand, often separated from their families

Slavery as Patriarchal/Domestic or Market Economy

Writing marks the difference between slave and animal.

The slave narrative enables the slave to recreate the image of “race” in the minds of its audience and reassert the humanity of displaced Africans.

Importance of the Slave Narrative

Slavery has existed since antiquity

It became common in Africa after the Bantu migrations spread agriculture to all parts of the continent

History of African Slavery

Most slaves in Africa were war captives

Once enslaved, an individual had no personal or civil rights

Owners could order slaves to do any kind of work, punish them, and sell them as chattel

Most slaves worked as cultivators

History of African Slavery

By the time Europeans arrived in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 15th and 16th Centuries, the slave trade was a well-established feature in African society

A detailed system for capturing, selling, and distributing slaves had been in place for over 500 years

With the arrival of the Europeans and the demand for slaves in the Americas, the slave trade expanded dramatically

European Slave Trade

Triangular Trade Typical Triangular

Trade Route

Capture The original capture of

slaves was almost always violent

As European demand grew, African chieftains organized raiding parties to seize individuals from neighboring societies

Others launched wars specifically for the purpose of capturing slaves

The Middle PassageFollowing capture,

slaves were force- marched to holding pens before being loaded on ships

The trans-Atlantic journey was called the “Middle Passage”

The ships were filthy, hot, and crowded

The Middle Passage

Most ships provided slaves with enough room to sit upright, but not enough to stand

Others forced slaves to lie in chains with barely 20 inches space between them

Slave Ship: Part One Previewing Questions

1. What was the “Middle Passage”?

2. What were the three major items used by European traders as payment for slaves?

Describe the conditions and common practices aboard a typical slave ship bound for the Middle Passage.

Contrast the philosophies of “loose packers” and “tight packers”.

Slave Ship: Part Two QuestionsHow did the

European factors participate in the Transatlantic slave trade?

What was the significance of the United States Supreme Court decision regarding the Amistad affair?

How did “slaves become more valuable than gold” to Europeans?

Why did Africans participate in the enslavement of their own people. Provide at least two reasons.

http://app.discoveryeducation.com/core:player/view/assetGuid/CF562AE1-9660-45AF-B11B-A8DF2C45D3F5

Complete the questions that are posted as you watch the video

Slave Ship

historical narrative – an account of a significant event in history

Literary 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.

Reading Focus, p. 83

copiousavaricerender

procurednominal

Vocabulary, p. 83

Adj. More than enough; plentiful

Synonyms: ample, bountiful, plentiful

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/copious

copious

n. greed; desire for wealth

Synonyms: greediness, covetousness, stinginess

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/avarice

avarice

v. cause to become; make

Synonyms: make

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/render

render

v. brought about; caused

Synonyms: induce

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/procured

procured

adj.: existing in name only; not real

Synonyms: honorary, professed

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nominal

nominal

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.

Literary Focus, p. 84 Historical Narrative

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. 84 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. 85Making Inferences

Why might Equiano imagine that the slave traders have no country of their own?

He thinks the traders live on the ship.

Reading Focus, p. 85 Making Inferences

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.

Literary Focus, p. 85 Historical Narrative

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.

Reading Focus, p. 85 Making Inferences

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.

Literary Focus, p. 86 Historical Narrative

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.

Reading Focus, p. 87 Making Inferences

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.

Literary Focus, p. 88 Historical Narrative

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.

Reading Focus, p. 89 Making Inferences

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.

Literary Focus, p. 89 Historical Narrative

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.

Reading Focus, p. 89 Making Inferences

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?

Applying Your Skills, p. 90

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?

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?

TOTDWhat Do You Think Now?, p. 90

1. What do we learn about conditions in Africa from Equiano’s account?

2. What are Equiano’s impressions of white men? Why does he think they will eat him?

3. What elements of slavery does he seem to think will most outrage his readers?

4. Is Equiano’s account a persuasive argument against slavery?

Group Activity

5. Which extra chapter did you and each member of your group read?

From your individual reading of a separate chapter, answer this question:

What information did this chapter add to your understanding of slavery in the 18th Century?

Group Exercise