Written by himself 1789 is one of the most frequently and heatedly discussed texts in the canon of eighteenthcentury transatlantic literature written in english. Equiano s narrative is often considered the prototypical slave narrative, even though it doesnt perfectly fit into the structure of slavery, escape, and freedom that tends to encapsulate the form. His life started in the country of eboe, which is now the country of guinea in africa. Estimated time onetwo class periods 83 minutes1, 59 minutes2 ccss addressed. He was born in the eboe province of africa, and provides cultural detail on those people. Interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or. The interesting narrative of olaudah equiano was first published in 1789 by equiano himself and was funded through a subscriber method, which entails buyers purchasing the book before it was finished or published.
Ethnic selfdramatization and technologies of travel in the. However, i kept asking myself why reading this autobiography felt more like reading gullivers travels than a former slaves account of his life. Olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself 1789. Meet the author soldier, sailor, north pole explorer. How old was equiano when he and his sister were kidnapped. Vincent carretta is professor of english at the university of maryland, college park. It is the soberly written but amazing account of his life, first as an african slave in the west indies, then later on as a welltravelled freeman who became an outspoken opponent of slavery, a public speaker and a writer. Olaudah equiano contributes to this horrid history with the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. This unit is based on the selection entitled the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano pages 5059 from chapter 1 of the 11th grade ela holt textbook.
Equianos narrative clearly combines both purposes from the very outset. The project gutenberg ebook of the interesting narrative. If one way of reading equianos narrative is of a path from ignorance to knowledge, another is as a movement from freedom into captivity and back to freedom. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage 1789 olaudah equiano 1745. The life of olaudah equiano themes from litcharts the. Speaker filled in for you as an example, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, tone. 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. Written and published by equiano, a former slave, it became a prototype for the narratives that followed.
Kidnapped in africa as a child, equiano was transported to the caribbean and then to virginia, bought by a quaker. He wrote and published his narrative in 1789, at the height of the movement to abolish slavery in the british colonies. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or. His interesting narrative is a spiritual autobiography, captivity narrative, travel book, adventure tale, slavery narrative. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa, the african. I use equiano as an introduction to american slave narrative literature and demonstrate the important influence of autobiographical form and style on the whole range of africanamerican literature up to the present day, including its impact on such writers as richard wright, ralph ellison, alice. I hanover historical texts project scanned and proofread by kathleen diekhoff, may 1998. Allisons introduction, which places equiano s narrative in the context of the atlantic slave trade, has been revised and updated to reflect the heated controversy surrounding equiano s birthplace, as well as the latest scholarship on atlantic history and the history of slavery. To call olaudah equianos autobiography an interesting narrative is an understatement. Proofread and pages added by jonathan perry, march 2001.
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 of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or. Equiano begins his firstperson narrative by including several letters that attest to both the veracity of his text and his good character. Choose from 395 different sets of olaudah equiano flashcards on quizlet. Midway through the interesting narrative 1789 olaudah equiano learns that as a commodity he is worth. Instant downloads of all 1288 litchart pdfs including the life of olaudah equiano. Equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano 1.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african 1794 by olaudah equiano. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the interesting narrative of the life of olauduh equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african by olaudah equiano. This welcome edition, ably edited by angelo costanzo, provides readers of today a generous introduction to equianos life and times in a highly readable and informative format. The project gutenberg ebook of the interesting narrative of the life. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of. In 1773 he accompanied irving on a polar expedition in search of a northeast passage from europe to asia. Through this narrative, the appalling personal experience of each slave is depicted. Equiano wondered if this, a new slavery, might be gods punishment for his sins. Name date from the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Books by olaudah equiano author of the interesting. Equiano s autobiography helped in the creation of the slave trade act 1807 which ended the african slave trade for britain and its colonies. But by far his most important contribution to the abolition movement was his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself, which was first published in london in 1789. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. Pdf the life of olaudah equiano ebooks includes pdf.
Equiano published his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, in 1789 as a twovolume work. The life of olaudah equiano themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Clarifying how does a personal account such as this one help historians analyze the past, and what, specifically, does olaudah equiano report that helps you to better understand. Olaudah equiano 17451797 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano.
It went through one american and eight british editions during his lifetime. Learn olaudah equiano with free interactive flashcards. Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. 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. An american literary genre, a slave narrative is an autobiographical account of life as. A new edition of one of the most celebrated slave narratives, written by a former slave who went on to become a leading figure in the british abolitionist movement. Mar 17, 2005 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Proofread and posted by raluca preotu, august 1999. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is the foundational text of africanamerican autobiography. Many years ago in west africa, a man called olaudah equiano was born. The life of olaudah equiano study guide from litcharts.
Equiano purchased his freedom in 1766 and became active in the british antislavery movement. Sep, 2016 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african 1794 by olaudah equiano. Narrative of the life of olaudah equiano unit plans by. No black voice before frederick douglass spoke so movingly to american readers about inhumanity and no work before douglasss own narrative had such an impact 674 interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Get the entire the life of olaudah equiano litchart as a printable pdf. Olaudah equianos most popular book is the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equ.
Full text of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. 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. He recalled swearing rashly at one point, berating himself for his weakness, and asking god to forgive him. A former slave by the name of olaudah equiano wrote his own book called the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Using examples from equianos autobiography, describe the treatment of slaves during the middle passage. 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. Olaudah equiano also known by the name gustavus vassa african writer, formerly a slave, who was involved in the british abolitionist movement to end the slave trade 4. Olaudah equiano the interesting narrative of the life of. Equiano and cugoanos narratives sit on the cusp of the first wave of the abolition movement that focused on dismantling the slave trade.
When he was about ten years old, he was kidnapped by africans known as aros and sold into slavery. Equianos autobiography was written in protest against the horrors. Summary of the interesting narrative of the life of. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano questions to think about. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Pdf downloads of all 1285 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Document was created by solid converter pdf professional.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano was a key work of nineteenthcentury slave narrative autobiography. Equianos account of the middle passage is an early example of a slave narrative. An american literary genre, a slave narrative is an autobiographical account of life as a slave. Identify the element of soapstone for the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Understanding gustavus vassa, or olaudah equiano, was the first successful professional author of african descent in the englishspeaking world. Essay the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative olaudah equiano edited by brycchan carey oxford worlds classics. He is the editor of the penguin classics editions of the complete writings of phillis wheatley, letters of the late ignatius sancho, an african, and thoughts and sentiments on the evil of slavery and other. Impact of olaudah equiano on the new world essays 1208. He was sent to barbados, then to colonial virginia, and then sold to a british naval. The interesting narrative of olaudah equiano book report.
Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. A tenpage pdf of the text from the book, including annotations for the t. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. The narrative is argued to represent a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel narrative, and spiritual narrative. Historians estimate that nearly 2 mil lion africans died before reaching the west indies. Equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Equianos narrative has also been adapted into a book for children, published in the united states with the title the kidnapped prince. Equiano s account of the middle passage is an early example of a slave narrative. The interesting narrative and other writings summary. He accomplishes his rhetorical purpose of informing the world of the slave experience in this narrative.
Olaudah equiano has 80 books on goodreads with 32988 ratings. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. The slave traders showed that they wanted to keep the captives alive when they. Olaudah equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african london, 1789.
While young children, he and his sister were seized by kidnappers and sold to. First and last the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano reading worksheet 1. To read an eighteenthcentury slave narrative in the twentyfirst. Excerpt from olaudah equiano, the interesting narrative of the life of oludah equiano 1789. Olaudah equiano writing styles in the interesting narrative and other writings olaudah equiano this study guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of. According to olaudah equianos narrative, he was a born in an eboe province presentday nigeria and was kidnapped and taken to england at a young age and subsequently forced into. At about the age of eleven years, equiano olaudah, while in the company of his sister. Literacy and the humanizing project in olaudah equianos the. Olaudah equiano 17451797 was a former slave who became an outspoken opponent of the slave trade. But it is one of the first in a long tradition of memoirs by former slaves that often agitate for the end of slavery through a personal story. The narrative of the interesting life of olaudah equiano 2. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you. Captured far from the african coast when he was a boy of 11, olaudah equiano was sold into slavery, later acquired his freedom, and, in 1789, wrote his widelyread autobiography, the interesting. Full text of the interesting narrative of the life of.
The title says the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano and it certainly was interesting. What were equianos greatest fears during the middle passage. On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. In 1789, as public debate over abolishing the slave trade began in britain, equiano wrote, selfpublished, and promoted his narrative. 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. Not only was the interesting narrative an eloquent diatribe against the evils of slavery. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Equianos narrative is often considered the prototypical slave narrative, even though it doesnt perfectly fit into the structure of slavery, escape, and freedom that tends to encapsulate the form. Aug 07, 2017 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano is published by norton critical edition. Based on his autobiographical account, olaudah was born in the year 1745 in the west african province of eboe, currently southeastern nigeria. The life of olaudah equiano study guide from litcharts the. Widely admired for its vivid accounts of the slave trade, olaudah equianos autobiography the first slave narrative to attract a significant readership reveals many aspects of the eighteenthcentury. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by olaudah. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african is considered the first major slave autobiography in english literature.
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