Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Olaudah Equiano, Narrative of the Life

Olaudah Equiano, Narrative of the Life




The narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano details his peaceful existence in Africa for the first eleven years of his life until 
he is kidnapped and sold into slavery. From here he gives a very detailed account of what happened to the other slaves and 
the conditions they were in and suffered through with him. He continues on though and learns to read and how to trade
until he can afford the 40 pounds to buy his freedom.

The most riveting part of the narrative is on page 687 when he describes the headgear a woman wore, "...She had one 
particularly on her head, which locked her mouth so fast that she could scarcely speak; and could not eat or drink."

This device is meant for the reader to understand just how poorly the slaves were treated even after they disembarked the boats.

The graphic portrayal of the conditions along with the novel being the first from an African slave helped it to become famous. Also they style in which it was written is very important because it is really a picaresque novel which wikipedia defines as, "...fiction which is usually satirical and depicts in realistic and often humorous detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low class who lives by his or her wits in a corrupt society," a very popular type at the time. 

So not only was the content riveting but also it was in a popular format which helped to really bring the conditions to the forefront of society. And because of its popularity, the Narrative in the Life helped to inspire many other black writers to write out against slavery too.

1 comment:

  1. 20 points. Wow, more great vids! You're a youtube genius! I posted links again.

    ReplyDelete