Olaudah Equianos Influence - 1139 Words

The Influence and Career of Olaudah Equiano There have been many authors throughout history who have impacted America, amongst them is Olaudah Equiano. Olaudah Equiano, a slave who wrote about his terrible experiences, not only changed America, but changed the world. Equiano s life and career were divided in two parts: his life as a slave and his life as a free man. He battled the slave ships and helped abolish the slave institutions with the power and depth of his writings. Equiano s most powerful piece of literature was The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano because of its devastating impact on the slave trade. Olaudah traveled from country to country selling his book and promoting the anti-slave movement. He†¦show more content†¦While alive, he and William Wilberforce fought with other abolitionists to bring down slavery. After his passing the world changed for the better when slave ships were no longer permitted in England. Once this happened, ripples s pread throughout the world, leading many other countries to abolish slavery including the United States of America. â€Å"Equiano exhibited no bitterness or anger, revealing a moral superiority over his tormentors that spoke volumes about the potential of the human spirit.† He in his very actions and way of treating others proved that he was in fact completely correct. (norfolkblackhistorymonth.org). His spirit led the abolition movements even after he died. He not only changed the world s morals as a whole, but also changed how slaves themselves stood up to slavery. Equiano impacted the whole entire genre of slave writings. He was a major example in encouraging slaves to stand up and fight with the use of language. Olaudah s left behind his memories to the people of today, showing that slavery is wrong. Equiano proved to everyone that a black man could be just as smart, and in this case even smarter than many white men. A young boy, born in Africa, stripped of his name, and sold into slavery would become an anti-slavery hero. Olaudah Equiano became one of the most powerful leaders ever to live. Equiano could haveShow MoreRelated Jessica Rodriguez Essay1364 Words   |  6 PagesMoton and Paradise Historical Accuracy in Equiano’s Novel Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, has become a very important piece of literature. Equiano established a new type of literature with this novel. It was the first autobiography/slave narrative ever written. Many other slaves, such as Fredrick Douglass, followed his example in writing autobiographies or slave narratives. EquianoRead MoreA Narrative Of Captivity By Mary Rowlandson Essay962 Words   |  4 PagesA Narrative of Captivity by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano are captivity narratives in which the two narrators share their individual stories of being abruptly kidnapped and enslaved. Equiano was an black 11 year old boy who was stolen from his home by African slave traders in 1756. Rowlandson, a 39 year old Puritan woman, was taken in 1675, during King Philip’s War, after Indians raided her town. Although the two authors are both kidnappedRead MoreThe Narrative Of Olaudah Equiano1123 Words   |  5 PagesAndrew Parrill Christopher McBride LITR220 July 2, 2017 Does It Matter Where Olaudah Equiano Was Born? The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, by Olaudah Equiano, can be described as one of the most successful literary prose written by an African-American up to the start of the Civil War. 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However, he still develops a specific identity throughout his narrative, a striking task as he is ripped away from the family and c ulture he is born into and then never remains in one place for too long. In contrast to this, Harriet Jacobs develops an identity based largely on the family and community that surround her. Jacobs andRead MoreA Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano1246 Words   |  5 Pagesand of Africans being enslaved by whites. Two captivity narratives that were widely read during the time are A Narrative of the Capture and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. They relate the experiences of a married white Puritan woman captured by Native Americans and an African boy captured for the American slave trade at a young age respectively. They were often used as propaganda, Europeans duringRead MoreOlaudah Equiano, A Reliable Source For Historians, Educators, And Students1140 Words   |  5 Pagesmanipulate this criterion, allows for the successful creation of an environment that builds a connection between the audience and his journey. The author, Olaudah Equiano, was born in African Providence of Eboe. Eboe was a small providence of the Kingdom of Benin. Up until 1756, Equiano had never encountered a white individual. In 1756 at the age of 11, Olaudah Equiano and his sister were kidnapped and taken to serve as slaves within Africa. After serving many years as a slave in Africa, he traveled acrossRead MoreOlaudah Equiano And Mary Rowlandson Essay1264 Words   |  6 PagesEnduring through hard conditions, facing unbearable horror, and events that deteriorated their lives forever, both Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share similar experiences they encountered in their lifetime, as well as differences, allowing us to compare the two and the hardships they faced. As Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano had variation between both of their experiences, such as gender roles and different ages and past life, they both experienced relatively the same horror nobody shouldRead MoreOlaudah Equiano Essay1128 Words   |   5 Pagesneed for labor, which led to plantation owners to buy slaves for cheap work. There were no laws during this time that kept men from doing this type of act. Olaudah Equiano was an African slave from Essaka that has experienced many hardships as a slave. He wrote about his life as a slave in his book â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African†. Equiano uses his experiences during slavery to show the type of difficulties slaves encounter in their lives, theRead MoreEssay about History At Its Best1616 Words   |  7 Pagesperiod of time in which the most advancement has occurred in society, in the shortest amount of time. The three books, The Interesting Narrative, by Olaudah Equiano, Victors and Vanquished, by Stuart B. Schwartz, and A Social Contract, by Jean-Jeacques Rousseau, each provide a view of the modern era in their own individual ways. Olaudah Equianos account of his life as a slave is directed at the problem of slavery. Stuart B. Schwartz Victors and Vanquished, provides a collection of personal