The Interesting Narrative--Slavery

eriences he endured in his life, Equiano’s opinions on slavery, the slave trade and the nature of Man solidifies the truth that no man is intended to be treated as slaves were and he who invokes slavery is merely a disgrace to the human race under God regardless of social stature.

Olaudah Equiano suffered an undesirable fate of torture, cruelty and pain from the age of eleven, when he was striped of his freedom. “Life had lost its relish when liberty was gone” (120), but with great resolve, strength in the face of adversity and most importantly faith in God, he outlasted his oppression. His ensuing book, The Interesting Narrative, chronicled his life and the arguments he developed against slavery, the slave trade, and the insights he gained on the nature of Man. Today his thoughts are shared by many, slavery was a great injustice to an entire race and the trading of these individuals on an open market was an inhumane act committed by disgraceful men.

As Olaudah would soon discover slavery as he knew it was a far cry from the heartless, oppressive and abusive version the white man had created. At age eleven, while left unattended by any adults, both Olaudah and his sister were kidnapped by two white men and a woman, taken from their home in Eboe, never to see their family again. The white man’s version of slavery would soon become a nightmare-like reality. The next day the two siblings were separated and for the next ten years Olaudah would live a life of uncertain misery. Each time he would begin to reconcile with his present situation, as undesirable it may be, he would be “awakened out of (his) reverie to fresh sorrow, and hurried away” (53), only to be thrown into a new master’s world of oppression, with new fears. Although, Equiano’s masters generally treated him well in comparison to his fellow slaves, who’s owners commonly flogged them for things as menial as allowing water to boil over, he paid witness to many inhumane events, and heard of even worse. He was in constant fear of being sold to “human butchers, who cut and mangled the slaves in a shocking manner on the most trifling occasions, and altogether treat them in every respect like brutes.” (105) Beyond these fears, slaves were forced to labor unmercifully for their master’s and in return were underfed and ill-treated as ignorant men who’s lives were valued less than that of a white prostitute unworthy of her own race. In defense of the enslaved, would we not all be considered ignorant if we were forced into a new culture, with a

Some topics in this essay:
Eboe Olaudah, Narrative Slavery, Olaudah Equiano, Europe America, slave trade, age eleven, slavery slave, slavery slave trade, african natives, life slave, act committed, faith god, born worse, left unattended, human lives,