Olaudah Equiano

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Biography:

Equiano was born in Esakka, what is now Nigeria, around 1745. At age 11, he was sold to the British as a slave and sent to Barbados in the West Indies; this well-known trip was referred to as “The Middle Passage.” From there, he was transferred to Virginia. For this reason, some writers claim he was born in South Carolina. Along Equiano’s journey, he learns English and studies the word of God.

Themes:

·         The destructive nature of slave trade: This is a theme seen throughout Equiano’s journey because we are invited as readers to relive what it was like for Equiano to be traded into slavery as a child. Equiano and many others that were traded as slaves were uprooted, losing their traditions and their identities.

·         Identity: Since Equiano is taken as a slave so early on in his life, he lacks a sense of self and identity. What is inspiring about Equiano is though he lacked identity early on, in spite of his short comings and the ways of the world, he is able to find one. Once Equiano was freed he was able to make his own decisions about his work and his beliefs including his belief to become a Christian, which helps him discover and identify himself.

·         Christianity: The narrative is an exploration of Christianity and its many forms. Equiano distinguishes between “slaveholder’s” Christianity verses “true” Christianity that he practiced with his Methodist and Quaker acquaintances. Slave traders according to Equiano did not live up to the word of the Bible.

Discussion Questions:

1.      What do you think was Equioano’s purpose in writing his slave narrative?

2.      Why was the second separation from his sister the hardest?

3.      Early in the selection, what did Equiano say about his people’s relations with neighboring communities? How did his people handle encounters with outsiders?

4.      How does Equiano describe the conditions in the hold of the slave ship? What does he identify as the reason for such treatment?

5.      In what ways do the Africans who deliver Equiano to the coast differ from the others he has encountered?

6.      How does Equiano portray the horrors of slavery?

7.      How important to Equiano’s story is his experience with Christianity? How does religion influence his life as a slave?

8.      How does Equiano’s religious experiences compare with that of Martha Carrier?

The Pennsylvania Gazette

The New York Weekly Journal

Containing the Freshest Advices, Foreign, and Domestick

December 22^nd, 1735

From the Pennsylvania Gazette

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=L64W61QXMTM0NzQ4NDg1MS41MjA1NDI6MToxNToxMzguMjM3LjExMy4yMTk&p_action=doc&f_mode=multipagePDF&f_db=EAN-LIVE&f_release=release_0012&f_issue=1062A3DFCC933A6C&f_page=1062A3DFD8DE88F1

            I loved this letter-like entry in the New York Weekly Journal from the Pennsylvania Gazette. The article discusses the amount of time people have to live, compared to that of eternity. Obviously most people are vain and would want nothing more than to live eternally. Many people fear the unknown, death being one of those unknowns. Simply put, we all have an allotted amount of time here on earth, everyone will die and others will be born and the life cycle will continue. How our allotted time is spent is what is most significant.

            The article quotes a passage of Natural History by Aristotle, that discusses a species of insects that live on a river and their lives are a matter of hours. I could not imagine my lifespan being that of less than 24 hours. To die the same day you were born but to still have lived and learned and experienced a lifetime is beyond baffling to me. Talk about impressive time management skills. The passage quoted goes on to describe an “elder” of this insect species and the advice he gives to the newer generation, only hours younger than himself. This newer generation respects him and regards him as all knowing. When it is time for this elder insect’s life to end, he summons his friends to give his last bits of advice and to admonish them if necessary.

There was a specific quote that this insect said that really resonated with me. The insect began, “Friends and fellow citizens, I perceive that even the longest life must have an end; the period of mine is now at hand: Neither do I repine at my fate, since my great age is become a burthen to me; and there is nothing new to me under the sun, the changes and revolutions I have seen in my country, the manifold private misfortunes to which we are liable, and the fatal diseases incident to our race have abundantly taught me this lesson, that no happiness can be secure or lasting which is placed in things that are out of our power. Great is the uncertainty of life!” I want to live the way this insect has lived. I want to grow old and die knowing that I lived, I learned, and I experienced all that I could in the time allotted to me. I want to live knowing that I did not stress over the things that are not in my power. I love when he discusses that so many things are out of our control and that the uncertainty of life is great and is what can lead us to happiness. I have always struggled with wanting to control things and plan things before they happen. Just recently I have given up my planning; I no longer want to plan out my whole future. I believe that God has a plan for me, and a path for me to follow, and his plan and path are far better than any I could come up with on my own. I have become a much happier person since I stopped planning and started living in the moment and enjoying every experience of every day.

This insect story reminded me of a quote I saw today. The anonymous quote stated: “Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course? Each of us has such a bank. Its name is time. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest in a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost health, happiness, and success. The clock is running. Make the most of today.” I love this quote because it discusses, like the insects, that life is short and that we should invest in our own lives, invest in every second to attain happiness and success. Reading this article and this quote, I worry about the time I have lost doing things that don’t matter or worrying about the little things that all seem to have a way of working themselves out.

The article continues on to state that it is of great stupidity to ignore the fact that the happiness of rational natures is indefinitely connected with immortality. “Creatures only endue with sense, may in low sense, be reputed happy so long as their sensations are pleasing, and if these pleasing sensations are commensurate to the time of their existence, their measure of happiness is compleat.” Though this quote is true many are endued in thought and reflection and cannot be made happy by any limited term of happiness. The more exquisite and endearing their enjoyments are, the harder and sadder it is to come to terms with the fact that it is all going to end. I can see how the end of a good thing is sad, but rather than dwell on the sadness of the end; reflect more on the happiness that brought by these experiences, sensations and the enjoyment.

So here is to living in the moment. Here is to taking in every experience, letting the little things go and focusing on the right now. Here’s to trusting in the path that is set for us knowing that it has an end and when that end comes we will be ready and we will remember the happiness our life has given us. All good things must come to an end, but the memories and experiences are evermore.