The life of olaudah equiano study guide from litcharts. He also suggests that it is common for audiences not to believe any story that they think is unusual. Olaudah equiano s narrative of the life of olaudah bartleby. In 1789 he published his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa, the african. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture. Equiano describes it as the happiest day of his life. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano partiality and attention, and in return i grew extremely fond of him. He travelled widely promoting the book, which became immensely. It is the engrossing story in living detail of an igbo prince, his enslavement, and freedom. At the age of about 10 or 11, equiano was kidnapped along with his sister by local raiders and sold into slavery. Olaudah equiano was a prominent black activist who worked hard to put an end to slave trade in britain and its colonies. Equianos account of his birth and early life, and how he and his sister were kidnapped and enslaved.
Olaudah equiano, letter to james tobin, january 28, 1788. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The interesting narrative of the life of olauduh equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, is an autobiographical narrative written under both the authors african name and one later given to him by a master. This classic is a must read because olaudah writes as if the reader is right there with him, relating his story, feeling his success and his pains. Life of olaudah equiano olaudah equiano 17451797 was eleven years old when he and his sister were kidnapped from their home in west africa and sold to british slave traders. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa the african 1789 born in benin in the late 18th century, equiano was enslaved as a young boy and passed through a variety of experiences, many of them horrible. Recovering this chapter of equianos life illuminates not just his career but also, more pervasively, the shapes that cultural work took under the repressions that.
The project gutenberg ebook of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, by olaudah equiano this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Religious roles in the narrative the narrative of olaudah equiano is truly a magnificent one. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african by olaudah equiano first published in 1789. The life of olaudah equiano the history of mary prince narrative of the life of frederick douglass narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave, written by himself norton critical editions no impact man. Proofread and pages added by jonathan perry, march 2001. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the life of olaudah equiano. The life of olaudah equiano summary from litcharts the. Jan 20, 2017 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself audiobook by olaudah equiano 17451797 who. Olaudah equiano begins his narrative by describing the customs of his native land in modernday nigeria. Olaudah equiano tells the story of his life with such clarity and recollection it is hard to put this book down. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa olaudah equiano format. Apr 20, 2016 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa the african duration. Equiano purchased his freedom in 1766 and became active in the british antislavery movement.
Slaves were captured in africa, then taken by ship to the west indiesa journey called the middle passage. Olaudah equiano biography childhood, life achievements. Separated from his sister, equiano was taken first to the west indies, then to virginia, where he was pur chased by a british captain and employed at sea. Pdf version of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, the african by olaudah equiano. 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. Equianos autobiography helped in the creation of the slave trade act 1807 which ended the african slave trade for britain and its colonies. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by. Older children were often given the task of acting as lookouts and if they saw any traders approaching the. He was sold twice more but purchased his freedom in 1766. Equiano recounted how his early life in africa was interrupted. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or.
Interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The question and answer section for the life of olaudah equiano is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Equianos travels brought him to turkey, martinico, georgia, montserrat. Olaudah equiano, an igbo, describes himself as born to a relatively prosperous, slaveowning family in the region east of the city of onitsha, nigeria, where ownership of slaves and slaveraiding were local practice at the time. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. Find in a library download this page pdf download left page pdf. 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. Olaudah equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african london, 1789. Olaudah equiano, a slave turned antislavery activist, was born in 1745 in igboland, essaka. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. The narrative is argued to represent a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel narrative, and spiritual narrative. It discusses his time spent in slavery, serving primarily on galleys, documents his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the bible, and his eventual success in gaining his own freedom and in business thereafter. One such problem is the issue of diaspora and how culture and slavery has affected the choice of. He was from the local igbo tribe and was the youngest of the seven children of his parents.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written in 1789, details its writers life in slavery, his time spent serving on galleys, the eventual attainment of his own freedom and later success in business. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself. Not only does the reader get to see the world through equianos own personal experiences, we get to read a major autobiography that combined the form of a slave narrative with that of a spiritual conversion autobiography. It was published in 1789, at a time when its author was wellknown in english abolitionist circles. 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. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. As he was firmly indebted to the kindness of farmer and king, he continued to sail with them, but now as a paid steward and sailor. Not only does the reader get to see the world through equianos own personal experiences, we get to read a major autobiography that combined the form of a slave narrative with that of a. May 23, 2015 olaudah equiano, an igbo, describes himself as born to a relatively prosperous, slaveowning family in the region east of the city of onitsha, nigeria, where ownership of slaves and slaveraiding were local practice at the time. Equianos work became an important part of the abolitionist cause, because he was able to portray. Equiano selfpublished his narrative, funded by subscribers who ordered copies of the book in advance of its publication. Writing as a former slave in the 1700s, equiano left. Olaudah equiano, letter to the committee for the abolition of the slave trade, february 7, 1789.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself language. Composed in many styles, the text chronologically traces the narrators life as slave, his travels both with the british navy ships on. Jan 21, 2017 unabridged english value reproduction of the life of olaudah equiano. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage 1789 olaudah equiano 1745. Describing an intense journey of being captured, enslaved, and freed, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavas vassa, the african is a book, which provides firsthand details of the traumatic stronghold slavery held over those directly and indirectly affected by slavery.
Olaudah equiano describes his homeland in west africa. The life of olaudah equiano chapter 1 summary course hero. He frequented neighboring churches but was disappointed in them, preferring to stay at home and read his bible. Equiano traveled the world as a slave to a ship captain and merchant. Jan 01, 2009 published in 1789, equiano s autobiography was the first of its kind to influence a wide audience. A slave, who at the age of 7, was kidnapped from his village in africa and subsequently enslaved for 11 years until which time he could buy his freedom. In the mid 1750s when he was about eleven years old, olaudah equiano was captured with his sister by slave traders in presentday southeastern nigeria. Equiano s travels brought him to turkey, martinico, georgia, montserrat. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. In virginia, he worked on a plantation for a few weeks until, his companions sold and dispersed, he was alone and had.
Olaudah equiano biography, life, interesting facts childhood and early life. The life of olaudah equiano study guide gradesaver. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Olaudah equiano describes national humanities center. Or gustavus vassa, the african dover thrift editions olaudah equiano. Narrative of the life of olaudah equiano essay 1497 words. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. The first autobiography written by a former slave, olaudah equianos the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is also one of the most widelyread and wellregarded of the slave narrative genre.
Published in 1789, equianos autobiography was the first of its kind to influence a wide audience. One day in the life of ivan denisovich aleksandr solzhenitsyn. He was made a slave when he was a child but was later able to buy his freedom. He told the story of his life and suffering as a slave. Global grey free pdf, epub, kindle ebook pages pdf. Equiano wrote his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, in 1789. The adults worked in the fields during the day leaving the children to fend for themselves in the village. The dangers of the voyage to the north pole impressed upon equiano how much he owed to god and how precarious his mortal life was. The life of olaudah equiano is one of the earliestknown examples of published writing by an african writer and the first influential slave narrative of what became a large literary genre. He describes scenes of outrageous torture and made it clear to his readers how the institution of slavery dehumanized both owner and slave. He was sent to barbados, then to colonial virginia, and then sold to a british naval officer. The life of olaudah equiano study guide from litcharts the. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or.
You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with. Narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, free ebook. The customs are very different from those of england, but he also makes the case for their similarity to traditions of the jews, even suggesting that jews and africans share a common heritage. Unabridged english value reproduction of the life of olaudah equiano. The project gutenberg ebook of the interesting narrative of the life.
Mar 12, 2012 the life of olaudah equiano ebook written by olaudah equiano. Equiano begins his narrative by discussing his fears that people will think he is arrogant for writing an autobiography. He left doctor irving and lodged in coventrystreet, determining all the while to be a firstrate christian. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Pdf the life of olaudah equiano ebooks includes pdf. For two months, africans lay tightly chained in storage compartments with hardly enough air to breathe. The life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano books on. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is olaudah equiano s autobiography. Proofread and posted by raluca preotu, august 1999. Olaudah equiano simple english wikipedia, the free. Excerpt from olaudah equiano, the interesting narrative of the life of oludah equiano 1789. The region is situated in the present day southeastern nigeria. Olaudah equiano of the life of olaudah equiano background as european colonies in the americas expanded, so did the slave trade.
Instant downloads of all 1291 litchart pdfs including the life of olaudah equiano. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on olaudah equianos the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african 1789, ch. Enslaved as a child, he was taken to the caribbean and sold as a slave to a royal navy officer. Olaudah equiano led a remarkable life by the standards of any age. Start studying the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. An autobiography is a persons life story told from their own perspective. His autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa, the african. Equiano s autobiography helped in the creation of the slave trade act 1807 which ended the african slave trade for britain and its colonies. Last week, around 30,000 people downloaded books from my site 8 people gave donations. Olaudah equiano was born in 1745 in the african country that is now nigeria. The life of olaudah equiano chapter x summary and analysis. When he was about ten years old, he was kidnapped by africans known as aros and sold into slavery.
Equiano stayed several weeks on the island before being shipped off for north america. I hanover historical texts project scanned and proofread by kathleen diekhoff, may 1998. Excerpts from the interesting narrative of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is olaudah equianos autobiography. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on olaudah equiano s the life of olaudah equiano.
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