Preview

The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
979 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano
Freedom for Granted In this country, the United States of America, we have a reputation as “The Land of the Free”, as in every man and woman that is a part of this country has the same equal opportunity to prosper. According to Albert Camus’ idea, “Freedom is only a chance to be better.” Inspiring hope, it shows that here in this country, we have many chances to become better, and by becoming one step closer to freedom; we are one step closer to becoming a better nation. I would love nothing more than to agree with this quote, but the fact that every chance our country has gotten to move on from the horrible time of slavery, we choose to stay stagnant. On the contrary, we see that people who are emancipated, or given freedom …show more content…
When Equiano was on the boat going to Barbados, he was terrified of what was going to happen. When Equiano was on the boat leaving his home, he realized that he could never return when he wrote, “I now saw myself deprived of all chance of returning to my native country, or even the least glimpse of hope of gaining the shore” (Equiano 2). As Equiano was being taken onto the ship that was being taken to Barbados, he saw that he was leaving his home. His home symbolizes freedom. When he was taken captive, he will never have the chance to be free again. Equiano shows that from the moment he was taken away from his home he lost every chance to become better. Equiano had the chance to become better where he was, but he was taken away from his …show more content…
They are still doing this today. There have been many examples of prejudices against African Americans in 2014 alone. For example, Eric Garner was an African American man who was selling un-taxed cigarettes, and the New York Police Department, found him and used unnecessary force, a choke-hold, not only to detain him, but to kill him. Now, this man was not doing any harm to any one while he was being arrested, he was not resisting, yet the NYPD found it necessary to use force to detain him, after he was not resisting. A bystander took a video and in the video, you can see that Garner is saying, “I can’t breathe” “let me go” “I’m not resisting”. The worst part of this incident is that the officer, who killed Garner, was not indicted for his crime. This outrageous crime is proof that even over a century after African American slaves have been given their freedom, this country has not chosen to be better. By not giving the Crimes against African Americans seem to be a trend now, because Eric Garner is not the only African American who have been mistreated. A more famous topic was the shooting of Mike Brown. Mike Brown was an African American citizen who was stopped by Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson, for ‘Jaywalking’ and once Mike Brown ran away from Wilson, Wilson pulled out his
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Why The Average Man Does Not Want To Be Free
    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Why The Average Man Does Not Want To Be Free

    “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” H.L. Mencken. Over time in society the rights people in America have to be free has become overthrown by the idea of being safe. In today's society due to police brutality, hiding your identity, and prejudice the people have to worry more about being safe than their right to be free. People want to be safe before they can feel free.…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Venture Smith And Gustavus Vassa Analysis
    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Venture Smith And Gustavus Vassa Analysis

    After Equiano gets kidnapped with his sister, overtime the two get separated. Equiano becomes the slave companion to Michael Henry Pascal, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Pascal kept Vassa as company to keep, towards his naval endeavors during the Seven Years’ War. During their sailing journey Vassa came across the Christian God and wanted to take in more knowledge about this topic. While their sailing out Lt. Pascal caught onto Vassa eventually wanting freedom, so he sold him to a wealthy king where Vassa traveled along the West Indies. He was relieved with comfort once he heard that he was being sold again because he noticed that blacks were being mistreated with the king. Now he would be along the side of Captain Thomas Farmers through all of his voyages. Whiles is was on these voyages with the captain his previous owner the king had promised to lend Equiano money towards his freedom. At this time Equiano was determined to be free from this point…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Olaudah Equiano Document Analysis
    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Olaudah Equiano Document Analysis

    I was now persuaded that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits, and that they were going to kill me. Their complexions too differing so much from ours…”, Equiano saw the european for the first time and assume their criminality, because of their difference appearance. Even to this day, there are many cases where people assume someone’s criminality, just because of their race, skin color and nationality. Then again in the second paragraph, Equiao assume the european to be savages, (2)“I asked them if we were not to be eaten by those white men with horrible looks, red faces, and loose…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Second Narrative By Equiano Analysis
    • 110 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Second Narrative By Equiano Analysis

    The second narrative by Equiano also uses observational information, focuses on his point of view, and makes the narrative a reflective passage so he can portray his experience of becoming a slave. Equiano uses observational information to give the audience an image of what it looked like being on the slave ship, “I fell motionless on the deck” (ln 15-16), this explicates that he was fearful, shocked, and anguish from seeing other people chained up. Equiano makes the narrative focus on one event to give a more emphasis on his experience on the ship “the crew watched us very closely who were not chained down to the deck”(ln44-45). The concluding…

    • 110 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Olaudah Equiano Argument Against Slavery
    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Olaudah Equiano Argument Against Slavery

    In chapter five, Equiano tells us how he has been traded many of times and is out right sick of it and wants nothing to do with slavery. When he left Montserrat he described his feelings right…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano
    • 1504 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano

    In the narrative Equiano explains that these interpreters were ‘some old slaves’ and they explained to Equiano and the…

    • 1504 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Oscar Romero Sociology
    • 342 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Oscar Romero Sociology

    As a white American citizen, I know that I take my freedom for granted. I never experienced the years of fighting for our independence and justice. Today in America, it is still possible to witness racism and segregation. Many citizens are escaping their countries because of their cruel laws and lack of human rights. Therefore, America is now forced with the problem of illegal immigration. This problem could possibly be solved if more people would stand up to their countries government as Oscar Romero and Desmond Tutu had in the past.…

    • 342 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Effects Of Equiano On The Slave Trade
    • 164 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Effects Of Equiano On The Slave Trade

    One thing I found particularly fascinating was Equiano’s account of the destructiveness of the slave trade. People are kidnapped from their homes, families are broken up, and people are taken from not just their physical homes, but their history and culture. What I found particularly interesting was Equiano’s renaming, and how it erased his old identity. I found that interesting because while students often think of the obvious effects of the slave trade, the effect of being renaming and how it shapes your identity as a person is not often brought up. Another thing I found interesting was the effect of the slave trade on the owners. Equiano is shown different degrees of kindness and it is suggested that the cruel masters were possibly corrupted…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Michael Brown's Role In The Criminal Justice System
    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Michael Brown's Role In The Criminal Justice System

    The murder of Michael Brown is not a matter of individual racism or discrimination, it is the result of the racist institutions maintained in this country. The protests seen in Ferguson, which have been ongoing since Michael Brown’s murder in August, are a retaliation against the institutional racism that plagues disadvantaged neighborhoods and is pervasive among nearly all aspects of life. Michael Brown’s death has become both a moment of reckoning for the Ferguson region and a national rallying cry against the inequalities faced by young black individuals. Lauryn Hill describes “Black Rage”, a song she dedicated to the people of Ferguson, as an effort to “raise consciousness and awareness, teach, heal, enlighten, and inspire in ways the democratic…

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Change In Things Fall Apart
    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Theme Of Change In Things Fall Apart

    As enslaved Africans, Equiano and Douglass have multiple masters and are therefore imposed to change. At a young age, Equiano and his sister are kidnapped from their hometown and sold to slave traders. Equiano’s time in slavery is mainly spent on slave ships and British navy vessels, where he is eager to “engage in new adventures, and to see fresh wonders” (89). His amazement however is opposed by the culture shock he experiences from the European treatment of slaves. Equiano describes the air in the lower deck of the slave ship as “unfit for respiration,” the “galling of the chains” as “insupportable”, and the “groans of the dying” as horrid (60). Slave ships are evidently no place to call home. Equiano travels farther and farther from home exchanging masters along the way. Much like the osu, Equiano finds comfort and a sense of belonging in the church. He is “wonderfully surprised to see the laws and rules” of his country “written almost exactly” in the Bible (96). By finding connections to his home in the Bible and adopting Christianity, Equiano holds onto a piece of home. Douglass however, is deprived from everything that “ordinarily bind children to their homes” (360). His home was a place where he witnessed his brethren beaten and oppressed. His home was not his…

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Fear of a Black President
    • 1587 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Fear of a Black President

    One group that constantly faces racial persecution is African Americans. A recent incident which rekindled the racial controversy was the death of Treyvon Martin. Treyvon was a young African American boy who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a Hispanic-White, who perceived Martin as a threat. But this leaves one question, what made him a threat? Was it his black skin hidden by a hoodie that made him look dangerous? Sadly, Treyvon was killed because of social stereotypes placed upon African Americans. Americans have stated that “racism no longer exists.” Unfortunately, racism still exists and is very strong in our communities, people of color suffer from many disadvantages because of the racism of others. Racism brings upon the belief that Black people are not hard working, and so come with the stereotype that they would not be good employees, thus making it harder for them to find a job and climb the social ladder leading to a better life – all this because of what other people are judging based solely on their skin color. Racism is far from extinct. In Rex E. Huppkee’s article in the Chicago Times entitled “Saying ‘racism is over’ is the new saying you have 'a black friend'” he quotes a man who states that “People who believe the Progressive storyline that America is a racist society believe it because they want to…

    • 1587 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racial Preference
    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Racial Preference

    Discrimination has existed for decades but I believe that African-Americans got the bitter end of the stick. In the 1960’s, black people got treated like they weren’t even human beings. “A full time black male worker in 2003 makes less in real dollar terms than similar white men were earning in 1967.” (Wise, 2003) Obviously, the racial preference has not faded so much as society would like to believe. African-Americans struggled when it came to trying to take care of their family and becoming a citizen. The inequality seemed as if it was becoming norm in the 60’s. Blacks weren’t even given the chance to prove themselves, simply because their complexion was a little darker than whites.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Racism In American Society
    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Racism In American Society

    Imported in from Africa, through the slave trade of the 16 and 1700’s, enslaved Africans became the back bone work force for the American south for almost 200 years. The founding fathers excluded them completely from granting them any rights what so ever, most of which even owned numerous slaves. It was not until president Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 and stated the emancipation proclamation thus freeing slaves and igniting the civil war. Although free from that point of slavery, African Americans were not granted equal protection of the law and granted full legal rights until the civil rights era almost exactly 100 years after the civil war. This led to major race relation problems in America today. We constantly see in the news today, true or not, police targeting blacks much more than any other races throughout the country. Yes we have made massive strides in this specific realm, the hypocritical foundation of our country will always affect how we as us citizens interact and climb the social…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Government Required Service
    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Government Required Service

    The United States (U.S.) is seen around the globe as a free place to live. Certainly the U.S. has historically had its problems with slavery and indentured servitude, but as time has marched on, the U.S. worked to right those wrongs and pave the way for future generations…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Brief Summary: Olaudah Equiano's Life
    • 243 Words
    • 1 Page

    Brief Summary: Olaudah Equiano's Life

    Now a freeman Equiano worked hard and involved himself in politics as an abolitionist and writer. To help to get people to turn against slavery he wrote an autobiography of his life. For years he worked in different ways to stop slavery until his death in 1797.…

    • 243 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics