Olaudah Equiano (ca. 1745-1797) The Interesting Narrative of the Life (1789)
Things to Consider:
Identity: Racial, Sexual, National
Attitudes toward Slavery: Consistent or Contradictory?
Religious Belief and the Formation of Attitudes toward
Slavery
Treatment of Slaves: Determining Factors in Africa
and Elsewhere
Relationships between Men & Women, Black & White
Language: Appeals to God, Appeals to Logic
Re-Socialization/Acculturation
Dates:
1772: Mansfield Case (No Slave could be forcibly
removed from England)
1773: Wheatley's Poems on Various Subjects
published (England)
1775: American War for Independence begins
1783: American War for Independence ends
1789: French War for Independence begins
Equiano's Narrative published (England)
1791: Equiano's Narrative published
(America)
1793: France abolished slavery in St. Dominique
1802: Slavery reestablished by French under
Napoleon
1804: Haitian Independence
1807: Britain, U.S. abolish slave trade
1833: Slavery in British territories "abolished"
(As of Aug. 1, 1834, for those under six; others
become unpaid "Apprentices" for six year period)
1838: July 1: All British slaves freed
1863: Emancipation Proclamation in U.S.
1865: Thirteenth Amendment to U.S. Constitution
ratified, ending slavery
Discussion Questions:
Vincent Carretta has offered
a theory that Equiano was actually not born in Africa, but
rather in South Carolina. How does this possibility
affect the validity and importance of this text?
1340:
Explain the significance of
the name Gustavus Vassa.
What literary genres does The Interesting Life
combine? Explain.
What is Equiano's main
purpose in this text?
What is the Middle Passage?
What does this experience involve for Equiano?
Describe Equiano's first
impression of white people. What factors contribute to this
impression?
1341:
Explain the whites' treatment
of themselves.
1344:
Describe what occurs at the
slave auction.
How does Equiano obtain his
freedom?
1348:
Describe Equiano's reaction
to his emancipation.
Other Discussion Questions:
1341:
What is a windlass?
Explain the purpose of the
nettings on the ship.
1342:
Why does Equiano believe the
ship is magical?
What are necessary tubs?
1343:
Why do the whites flog the
man who has jumped overboard?
What is a quadrant?
1344:
What attitude toward
Christianity does Equiano express at the end of his
description of the auction?
1345:
Why is it significant for
Equiano to see a woman talking at the Quaker meeting?
Who is George Whitfield?
1346-47:
Explain what happens with the
silversmith.
1347:
What role does the captain
play in Equiano's securing of his freedom?
