An autobiography is a persons life story told from their own perspective. Proofread and posted by raluca preotu, august 1999. 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. Each represents some interesting scene of real life, such as a great. 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. Understanding gustavus vassa, or olaudah equiano, was the first successful professional author of african descent in the englishspeaking world. Initially published in 1789 while debates over the transatlantic slave trade raged, aspects of equianos identity sparked interest and questions first among his contemporaries and again, more recently, among scholars. The book describes equianos time spent in enslavement, and documents his attempts at becoming an. Equianos autobiography is in part a reaction against this type of prejudice. Olaudah equianos life as a slave would have never been known to the world if he had not have survived enslavement. What we know of olaudah equiano s life is mainly derived from his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Benjamin franklin, the autobiography and olaudah equiano. Ramsays mature portraits combine his unique penetration. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa the african was published in london in 1789.
He wrote and published his narrative in 1789, at the height of the movement to abolish slavery in the british colonies. An autobiography is a person s life story told from their own perspective. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah pdf printer. Equianos interesting narrative is to some extent marked by ambiguity. His stylistic nature along with rhetorical devices contributes. 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. Interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself. He died in 1797, just ten years before britain abolished the slave trade. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano was a key work of nineteenthcentury slave narrative autobiography. Pdf downloads of all 1297 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Equianos life story exposed the cruelty of the slave trade and made him an important public figure.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano 2. The habitations of the slaves and their families are distributed throughout the rest of the enclosure. While i was thus employed by my master i was often a witness to cruelties of every kind, which were exercised on my unhappy fellow slaves. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah pdf. Often written to ex pose the horrors of human bondage, it documents a slaves experi ences from his or her own point of view. Olaudah equianos interesting narrative latin american studies. In telling the story of his life from his childhood to the present day, olaudah equiano seeks to acquaint his british readers with the richness of life in his african home by detailing the dances, rites, and other social customs of his village. Unit 3, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, first. Linebyline modern translations of every shakespeare play and poem. Passage the stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so intolereably loathsome, that it is dangerous to remain there for any time, and some of us had been permitted to stay on the deck for the fresh air. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Hml1182 author online 82 ri 1 cite textual evidence to. Olaudah equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african london, 1789.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa the african paperback published august 15th 2006 by waveland pr inc paperback, 190 pages. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is olaudah equianos autobiography. Equiano published his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, in 1789 as a twovolume work. Historians look more closely equianos narrative includes a wealth of specific details, most of which check out against other sources. This edition is the first in more than twentyfive years to offer the complete text of the life together with a comprehensive. Religious authority in olaudah equianos interesting narrative. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavas vassa, the african. The interesting narrative and other writings summary. Sep 05, 2011 benjamin franklin, the autobiography and olaudah equiano, the interesting narrative posted on september 5, 2011 by allyn west the literary world in the eighteenth century was a unique crucible for experiments in identity and the performance of self.
Pdf the invisible chi in equianos interesting narrative. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Here equiano recounts the middle passage, the trip that slaves made from africa to the western hemisphere. The interesting narrative is africanborn olaudah equianos firsthand autobiographical account of his sea voyages around the west indies, the mediterranean, and elsewhere.
He, however, is an obscure person not known to the public. Aug 07, 2017 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano is published by norton critical edition. The invisible chi in equianos interesting narrative. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african.
Logically, ethically, and emotionally, equiano allows the reader to relate to the appalling journey of the slaves. Written by himself bedford series in history and culture equiano, olaudah, allison, robert j. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is olaudah equiano s autobiography. Olaudah equianos classic 1789 autobiography, the interesting narrative. He later worked on board royal navy vessels, receiving an education and converting to christianity. Equiano is kidnapped into slavery at age eleven and fights for many years for his freedom, becoming a significant voice in the. This article directly addresses vincent carrettas questions of equianos birthplace identity, explores the possibility that equianos book tour was both a political act in itself and a demonstration that his interesting narrative was an equally and intentionally performative manifesto, and discusses the extent to which equiano. According to the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or. The doctor shewed his people the example, by immediately joining the.
He was sent to barbados, then to colonial virginia, and then sold to a british naval officer. In olaudah equianos interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself 1789, we take on a new genre. Editions of the interesting narrative of the life of. Equiano bibliography 2015 keywords for american cultural. Written by himself 1789 is one of the most frequently and heatedly discussed texts in the canon of eighteenthcentury transatlantic literature written in english. His interesting narrative is a spiritual autobiography, captivity narrative, travel book, adventure tale, slavery narrative. Dec 11, 2018 20 jun 2016 the following page uses this file. Proofread and pages added by jonathan perry, march 2001.
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. Pdf teaching guide to the interesting narrative of the. His interesting narrative of the life of oaudah equiano, or gustavas vassa, the. Written and published by equiano, a former slave, it became a prototype for the narratives that followed. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Start studying the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Equiano and slavery equianos main purpose in writing this narrative was to inspire parliament to abolish the african slave trade, which he stated at the beginning when he presented it in 1789. I used frequently to have different cargoes of new negroes in my care for sale. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or. Mar 17, 2005 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself language. The project gutenberg ebook of the interesting narrative of the life. When he was about ten years old, he was kidnapped by africans known as aros and sold into slavery. Sep, 20 the interesting narrative equianos narrative is a firsthand account of africa, african slavery, and the middle passage. Pdf on oct 1, 2009, jutta schamp and others published transfiguring black and jewish.
Benjamin franklin, the autobiography and olaudah equiano, the interesting narrative posted on september 5, 2011 by allyn west the literary world in the eighteenth century was a unique crucible for experiments in identity and the performance of self. More than just a fascinating story, olaudah equianos autobiography the first slave narrative to be widely read reveals many aspects of the eighteenthcentury western world through the experiences of one individual. Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Equiano s account of the middle passage is an early example of a slave narrative. In 1789, a middleaged africanborn man in london published the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, laying the foundations for new genres of literature and new ways of understanding the experiences of enslaved people.
The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself language. Clarifying how does a personal account such as this one help historians analyze the past, and. A teaching guide from the antislavery literature project, with a crosscultural study guide coauthored by shi penglu. Teacher editions with classroom activities for all 1297 titles we cover. Pdf the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Free the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. Benjamin franklin, the autobiography and olaudah equiano, the. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african is considered the first major slave autobiography in english literature. His narrativem the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, recounts his life in africa, his service as the slave of an officer in the british navy, and his years of labor on slave ships until he was able to purchase his freedom. What we know of olaudah equianos life is mainly derived from his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. An american literary genre, a slave narrative is an autobiographical account of life as a slave.
If then the following narrative does not appear sufficiently interesting to engage. Full text of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Equiano acknowledges the difficulty of escaping the charge of vanity for writing a memoir, a genre usually dealing in remarkable events. Equianos account of the middle passage is an early example of a slave narrative. The interesting narrative is known for being one of the first widely published slave narratives. Kidnapped in africa as a child, equiano was transported to the caribbean and then to virginia, bought by a quaker. Olaudah equiano the interesting narrative of the life of. Editions of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. The narrative was not ghostwritten and was not endorsed by whites at the time. In order to read online or download the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano ebooks in pdf, epub, tuebl and mobi format, you need to create a free account. Olaudah equiano was born in 1745 in a village east of the niger river in what is now nigeria. The interesting narrative is africanborn olaudah equiano s firsthand autobiographical account of his sea voyages around the west indies, the mediterranean, and elsewhere. Equiano thus makes a case for the vibrant cultural life of african peoples, which europeans at the time tended to belittle. At the age of ten he was captured by slavetraders and taken to the southern states of america.
Equiano the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah. The interesting narrative has long been recognized as a seminal slave narrative. Excerpt from the interesting narrative of the life of. In olaudah equianos the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, he depicts the horrid nature of the middle passage journey of the african slaves. The narrative is argued to represent a variety of styles, such as a slavery narrative, travel narrative, and spiritual narrative. Olaudah equiano recalls the middle passage 1789 olaudah equiano 1745. Carretta himself points out that even if the narrative is based on the oral accounts of other slaves, its descriptions still provide a valuable portrait of early african life and the middle passage. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano wikipedia. What literary genres does the interesting life combine. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african is an autobiographical chronicle.
The interesting narrative equianos narrative is a firsthand account of africa, african slavery, and the middle passage. Equiano purchased his freedom in 1766 and became active in the british antislavery movement. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is the foundational text of africanamerican autobiography. Olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself. Olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself author.
Full text of the interesting narrative of the life of. Often written to ex pose the horrors of human bondage, it documents a slave s experi ences from his or her own point of view. This study, however, will focus on equianos narrative as a conversion text. Many of you have read slave narratives before, and will want to consider equianos narrative in the context of other examples of this genre.