Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

¶ … NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF OLAUDAH EQUIANO tells the tale of an educated slave. In this tale, the author wrote about his experiences in the New World as a kept man. The interesting thing about this story is that, while the author talks about the horrific treatment of slaves, he also describes the good experiences he had during this time.

Equiano was born in 1745 in an Ibo village in Nigeria. In 1756 he was kidnapped by British slave traders and taken to the West Indies. He eventually ended up on a Virginia Plantation. Equiano lived through the Seven-Year's War, which was one of the most important naval battles in history.

During this battle, he was owned by a British man, Lt. Michael Henry Pascal, who had bought him as a gift for his cousin in London. Equiano fought for the British during the seven-year war against France. Even though he had earned his freedom by fighting in the war, Pascal would not allow Equiano his freedom. Instead he took away all of Equiano's books and sold him to the captain of a slave ship in 1763. He was then sold to Robert King, a Quaker who eventually sold him his freedom for forty pounds.

Equiano was bought and sold in his lifetime like a commodity. He bore witness to the cruelties and hardships of slavery. He used his stories and anecdotes to tell of the great inhumanities performed against slaves.

According to Equiano, some of the nicest abuses were mere mockery of the slaves (Equiano, p. 61). In his opinion the most heinous crimes he witnessed were the violation, assault, abuse, and rape of the women (Equiano, p. 97). He then saw these slave women give birth to their master's children, who were condemned to work as slaves for their own fathers. There were countless cruelties during this time, he said, and he described "a Negro man staked to the ground, and cut most shockingly, and then his ears cut off bit by bit" (Equiano, p. 94). According to Equiano, this was not rare.

However, Equiano described the dignity maintained by the Africans as amazing, stressing that their customs played a huge role in retaining their pride and self-worth even in these times of despair.

When I came to Kingston, I was surprised to see the number of Africans who were assembled together on Sundays; particularly at a large commodious place, called Spring Path. Here each different nation of Africa meet and dance after the manner of their own country. They still retain most of their native customs: they bury their dead, and put victuals, pipes and tobacco, and other things, in the grave with the corps, in the same manner as in Africa." (Equiano, p. 101)

Equiano saw the injustices of the English judicial system everywhere he went. He lived in a time where no Negro's word could ever be used against a white man, and Negroes were seen as moneymaking objects. The laws applied to both salves and freed Negroes. According to Equiano, the Barbados' judicial system issued one of the most inhumane laws: "The 329th Act, page 125, of the Assembly of Barbados, it is enacted 'That if any Negro, or other slave, under punishment by his master, or his order, for running away, or any other crime or misdemeanor towards his said master, unfortunately shall suffer in life or member, no person what- soever shall be liable to a fine; but if any person shall, out of wantonness, or only of bloody-mindedness, or cruel intention, willfully kill a Negro, or other slave, of his own, he shall pay into the public treasury fifteen pounds sterling.'" (Equiano, p. 97).

Some freed men were taken back into slavery, even if they had legal documentation. One day, during his travels on a ship, Equiano watched as a Bermudas captain kidnapped a mulatto whom he knew to be freed and sold him into a life of slavery (Equiano, pp. 106-7). The Western laws of the time did not protect this man, as they stated, "no free Negro's evidence will be admitted in the courts of justice" (Equiano, p. 107).

Equiano took off when he was free to travel the world, as he was an experienced seaman. He spent a lot of time in London, where, in 1788, he tried relentlessly to persuade the Queen to allow blacks to settle back in Africa in the British colony of Sierra Leone. Equiano never actually made it back to Africa, however. Instead, he got married in London and had a child. In 1797, he died.

In his autobiography, Equiano tells his story with a fair and accurate historical tone. This manner makes his story come across as unbiased, rather than angry or vengeful. His owners were both fair men, he says, and were appreciative of his hard work and good behavior. Both men strove to provide him with money and benefits so Equiano was never mistreated. However, his story also tells the tale of his fellow slaves that were treated miserably. Thus, the tragic story of slavery is not sugarcoated at all in this book.

In this book, Equiano describes his journey on a ship during the years of the slave trade: "I was often witness to cruelties of every kind, which were exercised on my unhappy fellow slaves. I used frequently to have different cargoes of new Negroes in my care for sale; and it was almost a constant practice with our clerks and other whites, to commit violent depredations on the chastity of the female slaves; and these I was, though with reluctance, obliged to submit to at all times, being unable to help them." (Equiano, p. 697)

He describes many of the horrors that the African slaves suffered through. According to Equiano, slaves worked in horrible conditions; they enjoyed no personal freedom, and were given no choice in their own destinies.

Very few slaves were educated and those who were lacked the supplies to write down their experiences. Therefore, when a slave was freed, educated, and given supplies, they usually published their stories. Due to the rise of abolishment in America and Britain, these stories were popular.

Equiano shows loyalty to England and affection for the British culture. His literary style is absent of African speech and seems to be a strictly English voice. However, he does not fail to criticize the Europeans' violations of the African's humanity. He shows respect to Europeans while telling his tale of African injustice.

However, he was aware of the differences between whites and blacks. In this story, Equiano compares African primitivism with the barbarity of Western civilization. He describes the reactions of Europeans to their encounters with the uncivilized Africans. For Equiano, as an accidental tourist or traveler into a world of wonders, the white man is described as "the other."