Equiano’s “Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African” was one of the first writings of a former enslaved person. The insights into the horrors of slavery shocked the masses. From his kidnapping in Nigeria to the cruelty of the voyage known as the Middle Passage to his working as an enslaved person in a merchant vessel, Equiano’s story became the foundation for many abolitionist speeches, including those of Fredrick Douglass. In the following narrative, Equiano describes his experience as he is brought aboard the ship that would carry him from Africa to the Caribbean.
Questions
1.Describe the horrors of the Middle Passage as described in the passage.
2.What reaction would readers have to this passage after reading this for the first time in the late 18th century?
3.Why would Equiano’s first vision of the slave ship and sea “astonish” him?
4.Why do you think the whites were forcing the enslaved peoples to eat and drink?
5.Do you think this passage would have been effective in helping to end the slave trade? Why or why not?
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