Olaudah Equiano And The Slave Girl - 1917 Words

In Twelve Years a Slave, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, and Incidents in the Life of the Slave Girl personal accounts from these slaves are used to strongly depict and argue against slavery as a cruel, inhumane and murderous practice ruining the lives of these equal souls who feel pain and injustice just like any other human. Everything from vicious skin scarring lashings to violent rapes are put on display through these works in an effort to show the severe moral injustices committed by slave-owners at this time in America. Although we obtain this information in different ways across these works, whether it be visually in Twelve Years a Slave or through the vivid imagery used in the writing of Olaudah Equiano†¦show more content†¦We see another black man hit and forced to have his mouth shut by a chain restraint for merely speaking up and later we even see him stabbed, killed and thrown overboard their slave ship for trying to stop his captors fr om raping one of the female slaves. The hopelessness of the situation becomes apparent to Solomon here, realizing that the only way to survive is to say as little as possible and do only as he is told with complete obedience. A striking quote from Solomon here is when he sadly states â€Å"I don’t want to survive; I want to live.† The quality of life as slave is so poor that even if your physically alive you are so deprived of your freewill it is like you are not living at all. Living under circumstances of constant intimidation and fear of physical harm weigh heavy on the mental well-being of person, putting them in a state of learned helplessness. They are seen only as objects that can make these buyers and sellers profit not as humans who feel like they do. We even see a mother painfully ripped apart from her two children at an auction, crying and pleading to be bought together but ignored as the buyers take them away. The heartless attitude of these masters towards the slaves are made even more prominent when this poor woman is eventually carried off and presumably hung for her inability to control her sobbing weeks later on the plantation. Slave masters and overseers had no remorse for slaves, treating them as animals that are to be discarded whenShow MoreRelated Olaudah Equiano Essay1230 Words   |  5 Pagesamateur scientist, and even a hairdresser. These are all jobs that Olaudah Equiano held during his lifetime. He has been called the quot;most influential African writer in both Africa, America and Britain before the Civil Warquot;, and was born in Essaka, Nigeria sometime during 1745 (ONeale, 153). His family was part of the Ibo tribe, which was located in the North Ika Ibo region of Essaka. In his earliest years, Olaudah Equiano was trained in the art of war. His daily exercises included shootingRead More Women In Slavery in Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl and Olaudah Equianos Interesting Narrative919 Words   |à ‚  4 Pagesthat the slaves lived under could be easily described as intolerable and inhumane. As painful as the slaves treatment by the masters was, it proved to be more unbearable for the women who were enslaved. Why did the women suffer a grimmer fate as slaves? The answer lies in the readings, Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl and Olaudah Equianos Interesting Narrative which both imply that sexual abuse, jealous mistresses, and loss of children caused the female slaves to endureRead MoreSummary : Free Slave Voice 1397 Words   |  6 PagesMcDonald Vincent Vance English 251 December 2, 2015 Free Slave Voice â€Å"Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.† (Levi) Mr. Levi’s quote is a response to a question about his survival at Auschwitz. In order to correct unjust or evil, we who stand by and say nothing must speak up, be heard, and be understood for we are many and evil is few. (OE) after readingRead More Compare Contrast Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pagespiece of literature. For example: choice of diction, modes of discourse, and figurative language. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano were great examples of authors that used these elements of literature. There are similarities and differences in A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and From Africa to America. Though Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano shared similarities in experiences, they had different writing personalities, purposes, attitudes, tones, and relationsRead MoreCompare/Contrast Writers1706 Words   |  7 Pagespiece of literature. For example: choice of diction, modes of discourse, and figurative language. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano were great examples of authors that used these elements of literature. There are similarities and differences in A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson a nd From Africa to America. Though Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano shared similarities in experiences, they had different writing personalities, purposes, attitudes, tones, and relationsRead MoreSlave Narratives, By Harriet E. Wilson And The Fascinating Narrative Life Of Olaudah Equiano1173 Words   |  5 PagesHowever the â€Å"slave narrative† as a genre is tremendously diverse, supporting a variety of perspectives and experiences that often have little in common other than the experience of slavery. In fact, even this experience varies greatly from one narrative to another. Two slave narratives which highlight this fact are Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson and The Interesting Narrative Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. These two narratives demonstrate the ways that the perspectives in slave narrativesRead MoreThe Concept of the African Diaspora640 Words   |  3 Pagesinfluence or were simply forced to leave their homes in order to be slaves. In order to underst and more regarding the African Diaspora in the Americas, one needs to focus on earlier periods before the rise of American slavery and the transatlantic slave trade (Gomez 7). Although individuals in the U.S. mainly focus on trying to comprehend African culture through focusing on people who were brought on the American continent during the slave trade, the center of attention should actually be representedRead MoreThe Labor Of Slave Women1512 Words   |  7 Pagesspecifically of African American women. Even though forced grunt work was the bases of slavery, very few have the knowledge of the labor of slave women had to do from the perspective of slave women themselves. The author presents and clarifies the understandings the impact labor-meanings has on women in a moral value perspective. According to Joan Martin, â€Å"moral agency† for slaves meant autonomy from their masters, but obedience to God. â€Å"Martin moves beyond issues of sorrow and oppression to shed new lig ht onRead MoreThe Struggle of Olaudah Equiano Essay1080 Words   |  5 PagesThe Struggle of Olaudah Equiano In the book The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Olaudah Equiano the main character, was a victim to slavery and the world around him. Equiano was an Ibo from Nigeria, the youngest son in the family and his mothers favorite. He was trained at a young age in the arts of agriculture and war. His mother showered him with emblems, as if he was a great warrior. Equiano had a blissful and wonderful childhood. His nation encouraged all to immerseRead MoreA Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano1246 Words   |  5 Pageswidely read during the time are A Narrative of the Capture and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. They relate the experiences of a married white Puritan woman captured by Native Americans and an African boy captured for the American slave trade at a young age respectively. They were often used as propaganda, Europeans during this time created stereotype s for Native Americans as being cruel and warlike