Thesis on "Olaudah Equiano Slave"

Thesis 5 pages (1673 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Olaudah Equiano/Slave

Olaudah Equiano

The life and writings of Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano was a Nigerian who by his own account was sold into slavery at the age of eleven but later became well-known as a recognized author and abolitionist. His account, which has to a large extent been verified, tells the story of his amazing and eventful life.

The autobiography entitled, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, published in 1789, is a narrative that describes the events that occurred to an eleven-year-old boy living in the Eboe' area of what is now southern Nigeria. He was reputedly the son of a chief in the area and was kidnapped by slave traders with his sister and put on board a slave ship and taken across the Atlantic to Barbados and subsequently to Virginia. The following extract from chapter two of the book provides some insight into the traumatic experience of the young boy captured and taken on board the slave ship.

When I was carried on board I was immediately handled, and tossed up, to see if I were sound, by some of the crew; and I was now persuaded that I was got into a world of bad spirits, and that they were going to kill me…. When I looked round the ship too, and saw a large furnace of copper boiling, and a multitude of black people of every description chained together, every one of their countenances expressing dejection and sorrow, I no longer doubted of my fate, and, quite overpowered with horror and anguish

(Boarding a Slave-Ship)

According to the autobiography, in the summer of 1754, Equiano was sold to Michael Pascal an officer in the Royal Navy. This is a fact that has been independently verified by researchers, which suggests the veracity of the account of his life. (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography) He was given the name Gustavus Vassa, which an ironic reference to a Swedish nobleman who led his people to independence. (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography) It should also be noted that the naming of Equiano was typical of the process of slavery where the individual was intentionally deprived of all sense of individual identity. Despite this, Equiano went on to become a successful and independent individual in his own right.

As a slave to a naval officer, Equiano had some excellent opportunities to develop himself. In the first instance he broadened his horizons through travel and visited England. From there he was also able to visit the rest of Europe. With the help of his owner he also learnt to read and write at a school in London. (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography) This was to prove invaluable to his later advancement and development.

In the 1750s The Seven Years War was being fought between Britain and France. Equiano was involved in the war in both Canada and the Mediterranean. (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography) After this period he was again sold as a slave to a Quaker by the name of Robert King. As he was by now relatively well educated, he was considered to be too valuable to work as a normal slave in the plantations and he was trained as a gauger, a person who calculates weights and measures.

While witnessing torture that was meted out to slaves, Equiano became more determined to seek his freedom. As a result of his position he was able to save money. As one study notes;

While a slave, he adopts whole-heartedly capitalist mercantilism; his owner sends him up and down the coast of America moving goods. While employed in this activity, he becomes a small-time merchant himself and raises enough money to buy his freedom.

(olaudah equiano: the life of gustavus vassa)

In 1766 he became a free man. He subsequently returned to England, where he began to write his autobiography. In the writing of this work he was influenced by a number of different literary and philosophical sources. These included the Protestant conversion narrative, anthropological treatises as well as adventure novels, for example Robinson Crusoe. He was also deeply influenced by discussions and Enlightenment views about inequality and the need for individual freedom in society. (olaudah equiano: the life of gustavus vassa)

As a result of his readings and his realization of the meaning of freedom from slavery from his own experience, in 1786 he became involved in the movement to abolish slavery in London. He also became a leading prominent member of the 'Sons of Africa', which was a group of twelve Black men who campaigned for abolition. ( Olaudah Equiano c.1745-1797) In England he became a well-known and active abolitionist and was involved in "… agitating and lecturing against the cruelty of British slave owners in Jamaica." (Olaudah Equiano abolitionist and writer) For a brief period he was commissary to Sierra Leone for the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor. (Olaudah Equiano c.1745-1797) However, his concern for the treatment of the freed slaves who had become settlers in the territory was to lead to his replacement. ( Olaudah Equiano c.1745-1797)

His renown and the popularity of his book were helped to a great degree by his association with abolitionist organizations. A number of British abolitionists, such as John Wesley, supported his work. In his work he displayed a great deal of understanding for the predicament of the slave as well as a "…broad human compassion and realism." The book sold well and made Equiano very wealthy. He married an English woman, Susanna Cullen in 1792, and they had two daughters. (Olaudah Equiano c.1745-1797) He died on the 31st of March 1797. An indication of the wealth that he has accrued during his life and from his book can be seen by the fact that his only surviving daughter inherited "… a substantial estate of £950 from her father...equivalent to about £100,000 or $160,000 today…" (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography) This was quite an achievement for a man who had been sold into slavery at the age of eleven.

The groundbreaking work that he did through his book is credited by many historians with assisting in the eventual abolition of slavery. When he died in 1797 it was to be a full ten years before the end of the slave trade in Britain and forty years before the abolition of slavery in the British colonies; 68 years later slavery was made illegal in the United States. (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography) Many researchers are of the view that "Although Equiano did not live to see these events, his narrative played an important part in bringing them about." (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography)

2. The question of authenticity

Any analyses of an autobiography like this must take into account the veracity and authenticity of the fact and events that form part of the narrative. Researchers have indicated certain reservations about the authenticity of aspects of the autobiography. An example of this doubt is as follows: " In the absence of written records it is not certain whether Equiano's description of his early life is accurate. Doubt also stems from the fact that, in later life, he twice listed a birthplace in the Americas…" (Olaudah Equiano c.1745-1797)

It has been suggested by some historians that he may not have even been born in Africa but rather started life as a slave in South Carolina. (Olaudah Equiano: A Critical Biography) This would place a great deal of doubt on the authenticity of the events described in the book. On the other hand there are, as have already been suggested in this paper, clear evidence from historical records that the events and dates mentioned in the book are authentic. For example the records that prove that he was in fact sold as a slave… READ MORE

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