ipl-logo

Olaudah Equiano

889 Words4 Pages

My name is Olaudah Equiano. I was born in the Eboe of Africa. While I was just a young child, my sister and I were taken by kidnappers and they sold us to these slave traders. This was the worst and terrifying day of my life. I was sent to the West Indies or the island of Barbados. The ship I was on was horrific, put together with no care of sex or gender. There were many people who had died due to the harsh inhumane condition we was in. Lucky I was the one of few who survived. I finally arrived and went into a merchant yard where we were bear skin and men of wealth came in where they examined our mouths and other body parts. I was purchased by Michael Henry Pascal, who told me that I am here to work once I get on his land. Riding to the …show more content…

I also started jotting down the extremely inhumane punishment inflicted against the free Africans who messed around on the plantations there. I started realizing that free blacks in some ways were worse off than slaves, unfortunately. Since they had no master to look out for them, and no opportunities for work or to make a life. Master King and Captain Thomas Farmer took me as a sailor on several of their voyages, in which I distinguished myself from the rest of the slaves. One day Master King and Captain Farmer accused me once of planning an escape, which I had never planned to do but I had evidence of loyalty which destroyed their fears of me running away. They were feeling guilty over the accusation that Master King promised to lend me money towards my freedom if the slave could raise a good amount himself. I finally raised enough money to purchase my manumission in July of 1766. It was most definitely the happiest day of his life. My ambition, my dreams through all these hard years has finally paid off in getting my freedom. I am a FREE MAN. I was also indebted to the kindness of Farmer and Master King. I still continued to sail with them but this time I was a paid sailor. I started traveling the world. I traveled to amazing places such as Turkey, Martinico, Georgia, Montserrat, Grenada, France, and even to the North Pole. Throughout these voyages, I proved to myself that I am and can

Show More
Related

  • Vincent J. Cannoto: A Trip To Ellis Island

    539 Words  | 3 Pages

    Then, seasickness settled in. Many on board were seriously ill, including me. Fatigue and nausea consumed my body, and the days in the dark, cramped ship dragged on. I refused to eat the cold, hard food provided for the passengers. My seasickness slowly got better until I was fully recovered by the time the last, gloomy week of the voyage came.

    Read More

  • How Did Frederick Douglass Contribute To The Mistreatment Of Slaves

    372 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by Frederick Douglass, the author asserts that slaves were treated no better than livestock. Douglass supports his claim by giving examples of the hardships he endured while living as a slave. Douglass’s purpose is to connect with the reader on multiple levels in order to abolish slavery. Based on the text, Douglass is writing to people with the power to achieve his goal of abolishing slavery. Douglass, a former slave, experienced the mistreatment of slaves to the worst degree.

    Read More

  • How Did Frederick Douglass Learn How To Read And Write?

    234 Words  | 1 Pages

    The narrative by Frederick Douglass titled, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, indicates how whites controlled their slaves, by preventing them how to read and write. I believe that this was the main theme that Douglass wanted to let readers know; the cruelty the whites had against all the slaves. The slave owners prevented the young slaves to learn how to read and write because they did not want any slave writing about their slave life. They controlled slaves by trying to keep them away from gaining knowledge like knowing their birthday, where they came from, or who their parents were. While reading stories like Frederick Douglass’ narrative I start picturing the lives of slaves

    Read More

  • I Am Squanto Research Paper

    412 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am Squanto, a native Indian lives on a small island that is called Cape Cod. I was carried away with diverse others by one Hunt, a nasrer of a ship, who thought to sell us for slaves in Spain; but I got away escaped from England and was entertained by a merchant in London and employed to Newfoudland and other parts, and lastly brought back to here. Maybe because of the experience that has happened to me, I am scared any left alive beside myself. Days ago, I found a group of people on the other side of the island, they have the same looking of the people who brought me to the England. They had a boat, but I thhought they were bearing the pain of torture.

    Read More

  • Brutality Of Slavery Dbq Essay

    2010 Words  | 9 Pages

    The brutality of American slavery prior to the abolishment of slavery after the American civil war of 1861 to 1865 varied depending on the conditions offered by slave masters and particular historical events along with the states which slaves were in (Source A). Evidence suggests that the treatment of slaves especially in the southern region of America (which includes the states South Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Georgia) was horrendous as it included various punishments which scared slaves not only physically but also mentally. The treatment a slave received was also based on the how long the slave or slaves actually worked for a particular owner (Source B). Many testimonials from former African American slaves go on further to show

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

    291 Words  | 2 Pages

    The publication of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was monumental, a rhetorical strategy in itself. Frederick Douglass establishes his credibility by being one of the first African slaves to write of the brutal nature of slavery. He also writes on a personal level, connecting to those who had the same experiences and appealing to those yearning to learn of the situation. Douglass’ personal affiliation with slavery can be seen at times when he shares that “slavery would not always be able to hold [him] within its foul embrace.” (Douglass

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast A Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano

    1515 Words  | 7 Pages

    Could there be contrasts and likenesses between two accounts composed by two unique individuals? Confronting various types of afflictions? It is conceivable to discover contrasts and likenesses in two stories relating two various types of occasions? Imprisonment accounts were main stream with pursuers in both America and the European continents. Bondage stories of Americans relate the encounters of whites subjugated by Native Americans and Africans oppressed by early American settlers.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Mental Abuse

    699 Words  | 3 Pages

    Slavery had been a common trend all over the Eastern part of the world long before the United States began to transfer black African men and women on ships over to the United States for hard working and non-paying labor. Most of the slave owning occurred in the South of the United States, the slave owners were brutal and unforgiving to these slaves, many slave masters used physical tactics such as harsh whippings to the back, yelling, and in some measures, murder. Another strong and effective tactic these owners used on the slaves was emotional and mental abuse, by splitting up their families at a young age and keeping the slaves ignorant to the world, by not letting them read made the slaves easier to control and command. Frederick Douglass explains in his autobiography that he was a witness and a victim to the physical, emotional, and mental abuse by the slave masters. Mental and emotional violence towards the slaves in The Narrative Life of

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Corrupt

    1319 Words  | 6 Pages

    Slaves were treated with the lowest of respect, and had no form of justice or rights. The slave system during the time that Frederic Douglass was a slave was corrupted, and he made that very clear within his narrative. In Douglass’ narrative we are shown how little rights the slaves

    Read More

  • Being An Indentured Servant Essay

    970 Words  | 4 Pages

    Life of an Indentured Servant Life was not easy in my hometown as there was poverty and hunger everywhere. At a young age of 14, I have seen many difficult times as I saw my parents and siblings going without food for days. My name is Paul, a 14 years old English boy from Bristol, England. There were a bunch of traders who came in our town and offered us jobs in America. “Earning wages at all was difficult in England since job opportunities were shrinking” (The American Promise 65).

    Read More

  • How Is Frederick Douglass Selfish

    510 Words  | 3 Pages

    His year with Covey was a life changing experience. Under Covey, Douglass worked the land day and night in all weathers. For the first six months he was constantly beaten and severely punished to increase his productivity. He was whipped with sticks or cow skin. Douglass experienced an “epoch in my humble history,” and explains to readers that “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.”

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Use And Abuse Of Power Essay

    498 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.

    Read More

  • What Makes Olaudah Equiano Fearful

    133 Words  | 1 Pages

    Olaudah Equiano arrived at the coast where he first saw the sea and a slave ship. He was carried onto the slave ship where he felt that bad spirits were around and the people there wanted to kill him. Equiano was generally fearful of everything on the ship, especially when he noticed that the crew looked and spoke differently than was used to. Horrors of the ship overpowered Equiano and he fainted on the deck. After awakening, Equiano realized that he has no change of returning to his native country.

    Read More

  • Comparing Fedrick Douglass My Bondage And My Freedom

    507 Words  | 3 Pages

    In most history classes, it is taught to view just the lives of the slaves as victims, and not considering any other point of view. Douglass wrote, My Bondage and My Freedom, to get the point across that slaves were not the only victims. Slaves, slave owners and white working people were all victims of the system. Fedrick Douglass wrote about the things he saw growing up as a slave. He saw each point of view loud and clear.

    Read More

  • Pathos: The Autobiography Of Olaudah Equiano

    581 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the 18th century, Britain prided themselves with their constitution and individual liberty, however their economy was heavily based on the slave trade. During this time the triangular trade was in place and was transporting 40,000 African Americans on this horrific journey to the New World in exchange for goods such as tobacco, rum, etc. The Romantic poets during this time had a major impact on this matter and in 1780 most of the major poets were writing for this cause. With the help of these romantics who brought up many debates, the Emancipation bill was enacted in 1833 and freed about 800,000 slaves. The autobiography of a man named Olaudah Equiano had a great impact on the abolition of slavery, where in his autobiography

    Read More

More about Olaudah Equiano

Open Document