Equiano learned many languages and became useful to his master as a translator and negotiator for purchasing other africans. Commonlit olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage. An analysis of olaudah equiano s the middle passage 1019 words 4 pages middle passage by olaudah equiano one of the most interesting arguments that modern apologists makes for the practice of racebased slavery in the americas is the fact that slavery existed in africa during that time period and that africans were complicit in the trans. After surviving the middle passage and enduring slavery in the americas, britain, and on trading ships sailing the atlantic, equiano purchased his freedom in 1766.
Olaudah equiano describes the middle passage, 1789 the. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage 1789 olaudah equiano 1745. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano london, 1794. The first autobiography ever written by a former slave, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is one of the most wellrecognized slavenarratives. Equiano became an abolitionist and began to record his life. Jan 30, 2012 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano.
Summary of the interesting narrative of the life of. Olaudah equiano has 80 books on goodreads with 32988 ratings. Portrait, possibly of olaudah equiano, last half of the 18th century. The interesting thing about this book is that equiano doesnt just survive the middle passage, but actually crosses the atlantic multiple times, traveling from south. It is a compelling and wellwritten source which describes the middle passage the. The life of olaudah equiano study guide from litcharts. See all books authored by olaudah equiano, including the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Eventually, he was able to acquire enough money to purchase his freedom.
After surviving the middle passage and landing in barbados, equiano was sold to the north american colony of virginia where, in 1754, he was purchased by lieutenant pascal, an officer. Library of congress, prints and photographs division within ten years of the first north american settlements, europeans began transporting captured africans to the colonies as slaves. Firstperson accounts of the middle passage are very rare. The life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano overdrive.
It was first published in 1789 and gained notoriety as a mechanism for the abolitionist movement in. What does the article teach us about equianos childhood in africa. Olaudah equiano describes national humanities center. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself audiobook by olaudah equiano. Mar 12, 2012 the life of olaudah equiano ebook written by olaudah equiano. Mar 25, 2007 today, march 25 2007, is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in britain. Mar 14, 2020 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. Middle passage page 3 of 7 the atlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration of people by sea in history. Improve your students reading comprehension with readworks. Books by olaudah equiano author of the interesting narrative. When he was about ten years old, he was kidnapped by africans known as aros and sold into slavery. He told the story of his life and suffering as a slave. The following text is an excerpt from equianos autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, in which equiano tells the tale of his brutal voyage across the.
It is a compelling and wellwritten source which describes the middle passage the terrible journey from africa to the west indies. Olaudah equianos autobiography challenged minds and hearts in the late 1700s. Because only a native african would have experienced the middle passage, the abolitionist movement needed an african. Olaudah equiano 17451797 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. Equiano passage is between west africa and the caribbean island of barbados, at that time a common voyage as. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african 1789, ch. Though not referring specifically to the middle passage across the. Here equiano recounts the middle passage, the trip that slaves made from africa to the western hemisphere. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, first. It discusses his time spent in slavery, serving primarily on.
In 1773 he accompanied irving on a polar expedition in search of a northeast passage from europe to asia. Equianos autobiography is in part a reaction against this type of prejudice. For the nearly 300 years that preceded olaudah equianos writing of his life, the international slave trade had shrunk the world like never before. One of the earliest firsthand accounts of slavery and the middle passage, olaudah equianos narrative has been credited by dr.
This definitive biography tells the story of the former slave olaudah equiano. The life of olaudah equiano quotes and analysis gradesaver. Olaudah equiano, a prince among his people who, at the age of ten, finds himself in the diseased hold of a slave ship, on a voyage to worlds beyond. Olaudah equiano gustavus vassa was kidnapped from his african village at the age of eleven, shipped through the arduous middle passage of the atlantic ocean, seasoned in the west indies and sold to a virginia planter. The middle passage by olaudah equiano 853 words bartleby. Children and youth in history the interesting narrative of.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself, this is a fascinating account of equiano s time spent in enslavement, and his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the bible, and his success in gaining his own freedom and in business thereafter. Books by olaudah equiano author of the interesting. It discusses his time spent in slavery, serving primarily on galleys, documents his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the bible, and his eventual success in gaining his own freedom and in business thereafter. Olaudah equianos firstperson account recalls his terrifying journey as an 11yearold captive aboard a slave ship from africa. Olaudah equiano challenged the image of the unconscious african beast with such intellect, philosophical refinement, public presence, and elegant writing that standard. The first autobiography ever written by a former slave, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Let olaudah equiano explain the middle passage to you in his own words. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself audiobook by olaudah. Tonight on the gist of freedom listen to excerpts from the autobiography of olaudah equiano, a survivor of the middle passage. Children and youth in history children in the slave trade. The life of olaudah equiano chapter i summary and analysis. The following is excerpted from his book, an account of the slave trade on the coast of africa. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters. Access thousands of highquality, free k12 articles, and create online assignments with them for your students.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the life of olaudah equiano. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, an estimated 20 million africans crossed the atlantic to the americas in the transatlantic slave trade. Olaudah equiano describes the middle passage, 1789. Olaudah equiano s autobiography challenged minds and hearts in the late 1700s.
As the nation recognizes the experiences and achievements of africanamericans, writer kai wright reads from a rare first. He was born some time around the year 1745 in the kingdom of benin, an area found in presentday nigeria. In honor of this event, librivox volunteer carlmanchester organized a collaborative recording of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The book describes equianos time spent in enslavement, and documents his attempts at becoming an.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano essays are academic essays for citation. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Commonlit olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage free. This is an extract from the autobiography of olaudah equiano describing his capture in nigeria as a young boy of about eleven and the subsequent journey to the caribbean on a slave ship. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage flashcards. The first object which saluted my eyes when i arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equian. Olaudah equiano librivox free public domain audiobooks. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or. The life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano books on. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the autobiography of olaudah equiano. The first autobiography ever written by a former slave, the. The life of olaudah equiano chapter x summary and analysis.
It discusses his time spent in slavery, serving primarily on galleys, documents. The life of olaudah equiano study guide from litcharts the. Here equiano recounts the middle passage, the trip that slaves made from africa to the western. Later, when equianos origins were questioned after his book was published, the. Olaudah equiano books list of books by author olaudah. As olaudah equiano when you reach the plantation, they put irons to the fire. This extract, taken from chapter two of the interesting narrative, describes some of the young equianos experiences on board a slave ship in the middle passage. Background of olaudah equiano born in nigeria kidnapped with sister at age 11 for slave trade transported around africaa for 6 to 7 months away from sister and then boarded ship to. This african chant mourns the loss of olaudah equiano. Video excerpt of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. The best study guide to the life of olaudah equiano on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. Audio and excerpt from the smithsonian national museum of american history. An analysis of olaudah equianos the middle passage.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so. After surviving the middle passage and landing in barbados, equiano was sold to the north american colony of virginia where, in 1754, he was purchased by lieutenant pascal, an officer in the royal navy. Equiano learned many languages and became useful to his master as a translator and. The middle passage by olaudah equiano 2 february 2018 the interesting narrative of the life of aloud equation, or gustavo vass, the african, written by myself is a. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of. Nevertheless, his book was a very important part of the campaign to abolish slavery in. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the life of olaudah equiano, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Olaudah equiano 17451797, known by people as gustavus vassa, was a freed slave turned prominent african man in london. In telling the story of his life from his childhood to. Olaudah equiano books list of books by author olaudah equiano.
Equiano published his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of. One day, when we had a smooth sea, and a moderate wind, two of my wearied countrymen, who were chained together i was near them at the time, preferring death to such a life of misery, somehow made through the nettings, and jumped into the sea. The first object which saluted my eyes when i arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then riding at anchor, and waiting. He made the middle passage, as described in this source. The middle passage was a triangular route that was frequently used by many european nations who engaged in the atlantic slave trade of millions of africans. This, and the stench of the necessary tubs, carried off many. Start studying olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage. These papers were written primarily by students and. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano has many elements of the slave narrative, which was a type of memoir written by former slaves or stories about slavery from the perspective. Feb 03, 2009 middle passage history for modern times february is black history month. How does equiano describe life on the slave ship while traveling the middle passage. At last, when the ship we were in, had got in all her cargo, they made ready with many fearful noises, and we.
Middle passage national museum of american history. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. During this time, over a halfmillion africans were brutally captured and kidnapped as slaves. In radio theatres grace unshackled a story is told taking place in 1755. Life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african audible audiobook. A middle passage survivor, in his own words shares his story. Equianos autobiographical account of his passage into slavery. I was immediately handled and tossed up to see if i were sound by some of the crew. The abolition project olaudah equiano middle passage. Middle passage by olaudah equiano one of the most interesting arguments that modern apologists makes for the practice of racebased slavery in the americas is the fact that slavery. Jul 16, 20 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself audiobook by olaudah equiano 17451797.
It went through nine editions in his lifetime and helped gain passage of the british slave trade act 1807, which abolished the slave trade. Incidents in the life of a slave girl audiobook by. Slave narratives are powerful indictments of the horrors of slavery and oppression, invaluable not only for the stories they tell but also for the consistently high quality of their literary style. The middle passage 1791 the slave trade was part of the commercial network commonly referred to as the triangular trade because the most common roundtrip routes there were several roughly resembled a triangle. From the african slave trade and the middle passage. He describes scenes of outrageous torture and made it clear to his readers how the institution of slavery dehumanized both owner and slave. During our passage i first saw flying fishes, which surprised me very. Equiano traveled extensively and learned the mariners trade with pascal, who sent equiano to london for schooling.
Abolition, ethnicity, and identity in the interesting narrative. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Subsequent to his manumission, he continued a life on the seas and, encouraged by friends in london, published the dramatic account of his life in 1789.
Equiano became an abolitionist and began to record his life story after being freed. Description from olaudah equiano autobiography describing the middle passage. Olaudah equiano describes his homeland in west africa. One version involving the slave business began in new england, where vessels carrying rum. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african audible audio edition. Feb 17, 2017 video excerpt of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano wikipedia. Olaudah equianos most popular book is the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equ. Jan 01, 2009 published in 1789, equiano s autobiography was the first of its kind to influence a wide audience. One of the very first slave narratives, the interesting narrative of olaudah equiano 17451797, served as a prototype for the wellknown slave autobiographies of the 19th century written by such fugitive slaves as frederick douglass and harriet jacobs. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage quizlet.