Enslaved as a child, he was taken to the caribbean and sold as a slave to a royal navy officer. The interesting narrative life of olaudah equiano and. Written by himself by olaudah equiano olaudah equiano created a record of the 18th century slave trade through his firsthand knowledge and experiences and the writing of this book. Equiano takes the form of the spiritual autobiography that saint augustine used in his fifth century. Equianos significance to transatlantic history has grown precipitously over the last few decades. Olaudah equiano 17451797 was a former slave who became an outspoken opponent of the slave trade. The interesting narrative and other writings by olaudah. A british citizen who had experienced enslavement in the americas, equiano has been traditionally regarded, along. Olaudah equiano if olaudah equiano was born in south carolina rather than africa, then it would put his entire book into question whether the majority of his story is a. The interesting narrative and other writings chapter 4. The life of olaudah equiano olaudah equiano book report maggie hennigan college. Choose from 395 different sets of olaudah equiano flashcards on quizlet.
The life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano books on. In 1789 olaudah equiano, wheatleys most famous black literary contemporary, published his twovolume autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. An enslaved man who bought his freedom and wrote compellingly about his experiences, olaudah equiano c. The long personal story of olaudah equiano established the slavenarrative genre in literature. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative is africanborn olaudah equianos firsthand autobiographical account of his sea voyages around the west indies, the mediterranean, and elsewhere. The life of olaudah equiano essay olaudah equiano book. He was sold twice more but purchased his freedom in 1766. History professor james walvin bought a first edition of his book in 1967 for 5 shillings. He told the story of his life and suffering as a slave. As i was the youngest of the sons, i became, of course, the greatest. Trade of course was this way because it was feminine. As i was going they lent me a little book, entitled the conversion of an indian.
Olaudah equiano also known as gustavus vassa was born on 16 october 1746 in southern nigeria. Fanon, himself a black man who suffered bitterly from the clash between. Olaudah equiano has 82 books on goodreads with 33242 ratings. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah this book is a result of an effort made by us towards making a contribution to the preservation and repair of original classic literature. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides.
Timeline of the life of equiano olaudah 1745 born in west africa. His interesting narrative is a spiritual autobiography, captivity narrative. Seized and forced into the slave trade when he was only eleven, equiano tells his story as a member of the african upper class, to a subjugated slave, and finally as a free man. In which john green teaches you about americas peculiar institution, slavery. Olaudah equianos most popular book is the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equ. Africans in americapart 1equianos autobiography pbs. When he was about ten years old, he was kidnapped by africans known as aros and sold into slavery. Olaudah equiano s the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is one of historys most raw and multifaceted arguments for the abolition of slavery. The life of olaudah equiano ebook written by olaudah equiano. Im in 6th grade and my teacher taught us a lot about this without even using a book it was. The interesting narrative and other writings olaudah. A remarkable account of early slavery and later freedom, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is the 1789 autobiography of former slave olaudah equiano.
Vincent carretta is professor of english at the university of maryland, college park. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. According to equiano, slave traders abducted him and his sister. Find summaries for every chapter, including a the life of olaudah equiano chapter summary chart to help you understand the book. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the life of olaudah equiano, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Instant downloads of all 1297 litchart pdfs including the life of olaudah equiano. Books by olaudah equiano author of the interesting. He was sent to barbados, then to colonial virginia, and. Course notes olaudah equiano olaudah equiano 17451797 was an africanborn former slave who wrote one of the earliest slave narratives entitled the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah.
Learn olaudah equiano with free interactive flashcards. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa. Olaudah equiano s most popular book is the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equ. As one of the earliest slave memoirs, olaudah equianos book is of course a priceless historical document. Olaudah equiano s the life of olaudah equiano chapter summary. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The claim for equianos interesting narrative as a reliable documentary source was eloquently made by keith sandiford, a pioneer in the literary study of, to quote the subtitle of his 1988 book, eighteenth. I will trust and not be afraid, for the lord jehovah is my. The life of olaudah equiano chapter 12 summary course hero. The life of olaudah equiano edition 1 by olaudah equiano.
Equiano acknowledges the difficulty of escaping the charge of. Chapter summary for olaudah equiano s the life of olaudah equiano, chapter 12 summary. It turns out that equiano was born again 202 yrs before i was born. Equiano was a pioneer and self made man, whose accomplishments were way ahead of his time, where many talented blacks would follow. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself language. If you didnt know anything about the science behind it, how might you explain an earthquake. Published in 1789, equianos autobiography was the first of its kind to influence a wide audience. In 1789 he published his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa, the african. Gustavus vassa, or olaudah equiano, was the first successful professional author of african descent in the englishspeaking world. Olaudah equianos the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is one of historys most raw and multifaceted. Olaudah equiano adam smith immanuel kant moses mendelssohn. As i was the youngest of the sons, i became, of course, the greatest favorite.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, first published in 1789 in london, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative and other writings summary. Kidnapped from his home village in west africa at the age of about 10 or 11, equiano was. One day in our passage we met with an accident which was near burning the ship. Olaudah equiano and the art of spiritual autobiography. The book was a best seller, and is still in print today. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on olaudah equiano s the life of olaudah equiano. He was born some time around the year 1745 in the kingdom of benin, an area found in presentday nigeria. Olaudah equiano 16 october 1745 31 march 1797, known in his lifetime as gustavus vassa. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the. History, oratory, and god in equianos interesting narrative. The life of olaudah equiano chapter summaries course hero. It is thus no accident that he concludes the autobiography by urging the extension. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written by himself, became a bestseller both in england and america, and fueled the beginnings of an antislavery movement.
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