Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano

Personal life

Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745. He came from Eboe, in today’s Nigeria. At the age of 11, he became a victim of the slave trade and was kidnapped along with his sister and sold to merchants who ferried him to West Indies. He was not sold immediately and thus witnessed the selling of other slaves and was later sold as a worker in Virginia and later as a gift by Henry Pascal. Most books present Equiano as a sailor since he spent a significant part of his life in British navy vessels and slave ships serving his captains. Henry Pascal, the captain of a British trading vessel, renamed Equiano Gustavus Vassa. He used the new name for the remaining part of his life, even though he published his works under his African name, Olaudah Equiano. His master, Henry Pascal travelled with him to many nations including England, Scotland, Nova Scotia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Holland, Gibraltar, Georgia, and the Caribbean. In 1763, a merchant from Philadelphia, Robert King, purchased him and made him his clerk and also served in King’s trading troops. Since King allowed Equiano to participate in trade exchanges of his own, he had saved enough by 1766 and was able to purchase his freedom. He settled in England in 1767, attended school, and got employed as an assistant to Dr Charles Irving, a scientist. He also continued to travel in trade missions and visited more nations like Portugal, Jamaica, North America, Turkey, Grenada, and Portugal. Asa freeman, he married Susanna Cullen, an Englishwoman, got two daughters, and died March 31, 1797.

Literary life

During his time with Henry Pascal, Equiano grows fond of his master and the English culture as his English language skills had improved. During Stopovers in England, Equiano manages to get an education with the help of two sisters known as Miss Guerins. The sisters also persuade Pascal to allow Equiano to get baptized. After purchasing his freedom and settling in London, he joined the movement abolish slavery in 1786. He became a part of the “Sons of Africa” which comprised a group of twelve men who advocated for abolition.

He published his autobiography,” The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African” in 1789. He travelled extensively promoting the book which became popular and sold many copies making him a wealthy man. Olaudah Equiano’s other works of literature include ‘The Kidnapped Prince,” Sold as a Slave’ and ‘The Letters and Other Writings of Olaudah Equiano.’ Equiano’s genre was non-fiction where he used his own life experiences from the time of his capture, some little memories of life in Africa, the journey to West Indies, his experiences as a plantation worker in Virginia, and the travels he made until a got a chance to study the bible and eventually purchased his freedom. He also writes of his experiences as abolitionist fighting against the horrors of the slave trade and slavery. The author preferred the narrative style of writing, where he narrated his experiences in different places and how different people treated him. For instance, Equiano describes how he felt betrayed by Henry Pascal when he was sold out to Robert King.

Purpose and Impact of Equiano’s works of literature

According to the author, the main purpose for writing his most famous work, ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African’ is to “excite in (the reader’s) august assemblies a sense of compassion of the miseries which the slave trade entailed on my unfortunate countrymen.” The major impact of Equiano’s works during the literary period was that turned slavery into both a political and an emotional issue. Society and the perpetrators of slavery began to understand the pain and suffering that they subjected fellow human beings, and most of them started contemplating the idea of abolishing the act. The subject was discussed in public offices as to whether people should continue owning slaves or set free, all slaves became a major topic. Eventually, the founders agreed to put an end to the importation of slaves in the constitution in 1808.

Literary Styles of Writing

Equiano uses the primitivistic style of writing that was common in the 18th century. Equiano relies on the primitivistic style of writing borrowed from antislavery writers like Anthony Benezet to narrate the story of his days in Africa before he was captured into slavery. He portrays both idealistic and realistic features in the works to portray a picture of Africa as a beautiful and peaceful place to stay. He also recalls that although Africa is what he describes as beautiful, different problems have befallen the land with the worst being slavery that has forced most Africans from their homes.

The author borrowed some literary styles of writing and included in his work. For instance, Equiano uses the spiritual autobiographical style of writing borrowed from John Bunyan to narrate his life in Christianity. To recount his travel experiences, he uses descriptive style borrowed from Jonathan Swift. He also employs some secular works like the stories of young people struggling from poverty to riches to bring out his life from slavery to being a wealthy individual.

 

Major Themes

Identity

Identity is one of the major themes in Equiano’s autobiography. He brings out the life of a young boy with some sense of identity but whose identity is robbed from him at 11 years but later regains it. As an African child, Equiano has an identity and remembers of the culture and life in Africa. However, being enslaved, he loses his identity giving him a feeling of being erased. He owns nothing including his name, and that is why he is even given a new name as Gustavus Vassa. Upon gaining freedom, Equiano decides to get a new identity where he could make his own decisions and choose the name he felt was appropriate for him. He presents his new identity by selecting to use his African name in all his literary works.

Freedom and Liberation

The theme of freedom is seen when Equiano manages to buy himself from Robert King after being a slave since he was a young boy. He is free to make his own choices and leave his life in whichever way he desired. Similarly, the theme of physical liberation is seen when Equiano turns from being a slave to a normal man in society.

Dignity of Africans

Although he spent much of his time as a slave in a foreign land, Equiano remembers his life in Africa and is still proud of his race, culture, and history. According to him, his people had dignity, good morals, and rational. He describes his people as great people who disliked slavery and who only held slaves as prisoners of war.

Conclusion

Equiano uses literature to communicate to the world what transpired at a time when very few people literate enough to capture the events of slavery in writing. The situation was even harder for an African American. He uses various styles of writing to put his points across and focuses on themes that were relevant to the society then and which a reader in the 21st century may not have encountered but would love to understand. Besides, his works can be used in society to identify and condemn social evils that may be facing society today.