“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” by: Olaudah Equiano

1. “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”by: Olaudah Equiano Honors English 10 Regular English 10 Mrs. Shantazio

2. Quickwrite, p. 82 Think about the last time you read or saw something—an article, a news report, or a documentary—that upset you and moved you to action. What made the message effective? If you wanted to bring about great change in the world, what would you write to spread the word and persuade others to act? Write at least two paragraphs. T.A.G. the question.

3. Equiano’s Life and Background • Author of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of OlaudahEquiano or GustavusVassa, the African • Born in 'Eboe' in Guinea to the chief of the tribe; Ibo (or Igbo) language of present day Nigeria • Kidnapped at age 11 and sold to African masters • Endured the Middle Passage (the journey between Africa and the New World) • Sold to Michael Pascal, a British naval officer while in the West Indies • Pascal renames him GustavusVassa showing his dominion over his “possession” • GustavusVassa was a 16th century nobleman who led the Swedes out of slavery • Learned to read and write while attending school in London • Fought for the British in the Seven Years War with France; a gunpowder carrier

4. Equiano’s Life • After the war, he is sold to a sea captain who travels to Montserrat where Equiano witnessed unimaginable slave terrors • Next, he was sold to Robert King, a Quaker merchant who trained Equiano as a gauger (quality control inspector) • In 1766, he saved up £40 to buy his own freedom and moves back to London • In the late 1770s, Equiano converted to Christianity and joined the antislavery movement • He was trying to help his friend John Annis, a former slave who was kidnapped by his former owner • Equiano meets Granville Sharp, the first British abolitionist while trying to free Annis • In 1775, he works to establish a new colony in present-day Nicaragua **a Christian missionary **a slave owner/ameliorationist “[I did] 'every thing I could to comfort the poor creatures, and render their condition easy‘”.

5. Equiano’s Life • Published his slave narrative as the antislavery debate was beginning in Britain • Traveled the British Isles promoting his book (a financial success) • Transformed his entire life into a sort of anti-slavery document • In 1792 he married an Englishwoman, Susanna Cullen and had two daughters; one of whom survived to inherit a substantial estate of £950 from her father (equivalent to about £100,000 or $160,000 today)

6. American Narrative Tradition • One of four traditional types of early American narratives • Slave Narratives – an autobiographical account of the life of an enslaved person • These narratives supported the abolitionist cause by revealing the horrors of slavery.

7. The Spiritual Autobiography 3 part structure • Sin • conversion • Spiritual rebirth Reproduced in slave narrative • Slavery • Escape • Freedom Equiano goes from innocence in Edenic Africa to cruel experience of slavery in the West.

8. Audience • Equiano's reading audience was mostly composed of American and European abolitionists. His immediate purpose was to influence the British political leaders who were debating the slave trade issue in Parliament in the late 1780s. However, Equiano's work was read and discussed by numerous religious and humanitarian readers on both sides of the Atlantic.

9. Slavery as Patriarchal/Domestic or Market Economy • Apologists for slavery argue that it is a “household” economy in which the laborer becomes part of a master/patriarch’s extended family • In reality, slaves are human commodities at the whim of a powerful market; they are sent to wherever there is greatest demand, often separated from their families

10. Importance of the Slave Narrative • Writing marks the difference between slave and animal. • The slave narrative enables the slave to recreate the image of “race” in the minds of its audience and reassert the humanity of displaced Africans.

11. History of African Slavery • Slavery has existed since antiquity • It became common in Africa after the Bantu migrations spread agriculture to all parts of the continent

12. History of African Slavery • Most slaves in Africa were war captives • Once enslaved, an individual had no personal or civil rights • Owners could order slaves to do any kind of work, punish them, and sell them as chattel • Most slaves worked as cultivators

13. European Slave Trade • By the time Europeans arrived in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 15th and 16th Centuries, the slave trade was a well-established feature in African society • A detailed system for capturing, selling, and distributing slaves had been in place for over 500 years • With the arrival of the Europeans and the demand for slaves in the Americas, the slave trade expanded dramatically

14. Triangular Trade • Typical Triangular Trade Route

15. Capture • The original capture of slaves was almost always violent • As European demand grew, African chieftains organized raiding parties to seize individuals from neighboring societies • Others launched wars specifically for the purpose of capturing slaves

16. The Middle Passage • Following capture, slaves were force- marched to holding pens before being loaded on ships • The trans-Atlantic journey was called the “Middle Passage” • The ships were filthy, hot, and crowded

17. The Middle Passage • Most ships provided slaves with enough room to sit upright, but not enough to stand • Others forced slaves to lie in chains with barely 20 inches space between them

18. Slave Ship: Part One Previewing Questions • 1. What was the “Middle Passage”? • 2. What were the three major items used by European traders as payment for slaves? • Describe the conditions and common practices aboard a typical slave ship bound for the Middle Passage. • Contrast the philosophies of “loose packers” and “tight packers”.

19. Slave Ship: Part Two Questions • How did the European factors participate in the Transatlantic slave trade? • What was the significance of the United States Supreme Court decision regarding the Amistad affair? • How did “slaves become more valuable than gold” to Europeans? • Why did Africans participate in the enslavement of their own people. Provide at least two reasons.

20. Slave Ship • http://app.discoveryeducation.com/core:player/view/assetGuid/CF562AE1-9660-45AF-B11B-A8DF2C45D3F5 • Complete the questions that are posted as you watch the video

21. Literary Focus, p. 83 • historical narrative – an account of a significant event in history

22. Reading Focus, p. 83 • inference – an educated guess based on what you already know and what you learn from reading a text. • Look beyond what the author states directly. • Think about what is hinted, or implied.

23. Vocabulary, p. 83 copious avarice render procured nominal

24. copious • Adj. More than enough; plentiful • Synonyms: ample, bountiful, plentiful • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/copious

25. avarice • n. greed; desire for wealth • Synonyms: greediness, covetousness, stinginess • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/avarice

26. render • v. cause to become; make • Synonyms: make • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/render

27. procured • v. brought about; caused • Synonyms: induce • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/procured

28. nominal • adj.: existing in name only; not real • Synonyms: honorary, professed • http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nominal

29. Literary Focus, p. 84 Historical Narrative • How does this narrative differ from an article written for a history textbook? • It is written in the first person and is something that happened to the author.

30. Reading Focus, p. 84 Making Inferences • Why do you think Equiano fainted? • He thought he would be killed in the furnace. He says he “no longer doubted of [his] fate.”

31. Reading Focus, p. 85Making Inferences • Why were Equiano and the other prisoners whipped for refusing to eat? • They were considered property. If a captive died of starvation, the slave traders lost money because they could not sell him or her.

32. Reading Focus, p. 85 Making Inferences • Why might Equiano imagine that the slave traders have no country of their own? • He thinks the traders live on the ship.

33. Literary Focus, p. 85 Historical Narrative • Why does Equiano call the ship “the hollow place”? What does this tell you about Equiano’s understanding of what is happening to him? • He has never seen a ship and does not know what one is. He is not quite sure what is happening to him.

34. Reading Focus, p. 85 Making Inferences • Why might Equiano believe that his captors are spirits rather than human beings? • They seem like spirits to him because of the “magic” they worked by making the boat move.

35. Literary Focus, p. 86 Historical Narrative • Why do you think Equiano included the detail that “the strangers also shook hands with us black people”? • He wants to show that the strangers were kinder to them than the crew members were.

36. Literary Focus, p. 86 Historical Narrative • Why didn’t the crew want the slaves to see how they managed the ship? How does this detail add to your understanding of the way slave traders viewed slaves? • It was in their interest to keep the slaves ignorant so that they would be scared of the sailors and afraid to mutiny.

37. Reading Focus, p. 87 Making Inferences • What does Equiano mean when he says that he envies “the inhabitants of the deep”? • The deceased “inhabitants of the deep” were free from the bonds and limitations of slavery, unlike the slaves on the ship.

38. Literary Focus, p. 88 Historical Narrative • Based on this selection, describe the conditions aboard an eighteenth-century slave ship. • Conditions were crowded and filthy, with unclean air leading to the death of slaves. Cruelty reigned, and the slaves were hungry and scared.

39. Reading Focus, p. 89 Making Inferences • At first, Equiano is shocked to see men on horseback. How does his attitude change after he speaks to other Africans? • He finds out that other Africans have seen and done this before, so it no longer seems strange to him.

40. Literary Focus, p. 89 Historical Narrative • Equiano writes, “we were all pent up together like so many sheep in a fold without regard to sex or age.” What does this comparison reveal about people’s perspectives toward Africans at the time? • It reveals that the slavers believed that the Africans were no better than animals and treated them the same as animals.

41. Reading Focus, p. 89 Making Inferences • In the final paragraph, what do you think Equiano is trying to convince his readers to believe or do? How can you tell? • He wants to persuade readers that slavery and the slave trade are unnecessarily cruel and contrary to the teachings of their religion.

42. Applying Your Skills, p. 90 • Who is Olaudah Equiano? From where does he come? To where is he taken? • What does Equiano see when he first looks around the ship? How does he react? • Why wasn’t Equiano chained up during the journey, as many of the other prisoners were?

43. Which of Equiano’s reactions to his experiences as a slave did you find surprising or unexpected? Why? • While you read, you recorded major events in the narrative and Equiano’s reactions to them. Add another column to your chart, and write inferences about Equiano’s beliefs. Think about how inferring the author’s beliefs, thoughts, and emotions enhances your comprehension.

44. Analyze Equiano uses the words amazed and astonishment several times. What effect do these words have on the mood of the narrative? • Interpret Paraphrase the last sentence of the selection, in which Equiano responds to the forced separation of enslaved families. What motive does he see in this cruel practice?

45. 8. Extend How did reading about historical events in the form of a personal narrative help you understand the events? What insights did you gain from Equiano’s perspective that you might not have gained from an encyclopedia article on the treatment of slaves? Explain.

46. 9. Analyze The process by which a writer reveals the personality of a character is characterization. Think about the character Equiano, not Equiano the writer, in the narrative. What do his actions and thoughts tell you about his perspective on life? What words would you use to describe him?

47. TOTDWhat Do You Think Now?, p. 90 • How do you think the slave trade shaped the beliefs of those who were enslaved? How did it shape the beliefs of those who captured, bought, and sold slaves?

48. Group Activity • What do we learn about conditions in Africa from Equiano’s account? • What are Equiano’s impressions of white men? Why does he think they will eat him? • What elements of slavery does he seem to think will most outrage his readers? • Is Equiano’s account a persuasive argument against slavery?

49. Group Exercise • 5. Which extra chapter did you and each member of your group read?From your individual reading of a separate chapter, answer this question: • What information did this chapter add to your understanding of slavery in the 18th Century?