In Equiano's personal slave narrative, "The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African", Equiano flips the idea that the African people are backwards and barbaric, thus ripe for slavery, by demonstrating his personal exceptionalism through his literacy to show that it is truly the white people who are backwards and barbaric through their own hypocrisy. This reversal that Equiano demonstrates in his slave narrative shows that the savagery of African people exists as a misconception and makes the reader fully grasp the need to abolish slavery and any inequality present. On page seventy-eight, Equiano uses first person pronouns like 'I', 'my', and 'me' to separate himself from the other African people and whites around him. This separation that Equiano creates demonstrates his exceptionalism as an African slave. For Equiano to be able to make the readers see the reversal of perceptions about white people, Equiano needs to separate himself and produce this sense of exceptionalism through first person pronouns. Once he establishes himself …show more content…
Through asking rhetorical questions about what "brings down God's judgment" (78), Equiano proves the whites are hypocritical in their actions since the whites preach one concept, but practice another. Equiano uses these rhetorical questions to show the white's backwardness and hypocritical tendencies, but also to show how slavery and inequality exists in his time. Equiano asks "what is life to a man thus oppressed" (78) to obtain the reader's attention and make the reader understand the life of a slave; by using this emotional rhetorical question, Equiano shows the necessity of ending slavery that is forced upon these people because of the white people's hypocrisy in the customs they
QP engaged Maunica in participating in a CBT activity geared towards understanding anger. QP explained to Maunica that the activity will enhance her ability to manage and express anger appropriately. QP explained to Maunica feelings of anger can help with management of behavior. QP discussed with Maunica the different kinds of anger. QP asked Maunica to explain what kind of anger she feels.
QP provided Maunica with a CBT activity geared towards thoughts feelings and anger. QP explained to Maunica that the activity will enhance her awareness of the thoughts and feelings that precedes one’s actions. QP explained to Maunica the process of anger escalation. QP brainstormed with Maunica things that can escalate a person’s anger. QP asked Maunica to identify the things that escalates her anger.
Equiano questions the slave owners with rhetorical questions so they think about what they are doing to slaves. He is also asking for equal rights that are eventually reached so an African American can be a
Born around 1745, Equiano lived a relatively noble childhood in his village of Essaka until local raiders captured him and sold him, beginning his lifelong struggle against slavery. (Edwards 44) As his expeditions and experiences with his masters began to amass, his anti-slavery rhetoric developed as well. By the 1780’s, Equiano “had become deeply involved in the politics of the black people, championing their cause” by forging relationships with white abolitionists such as Granville Sharp and by advocating for the publicizing of atrocities inflicted on slaves (Mtubani 90). Equiano, because of his unfortunate upheaval into the throes of slavery as a child, quickly became much more than a historical individual; he became a pivotal champion for the rights of his people as freemen and as
He belonged to an affluent and prosperous family in which his father was a well-reverenced man in the community who made decisions for the village. His father had many slaves as well but Equiano denoted that these slaves were treated like family as compared to the evil system of slavery that Europeans controlled. In Equiano’s society, everyone collaborated and the land flourished. The land was fruitful and benevolent, the soil was opulent and agriculture was productive. Many crops were cultivated, and everyone had a concrete part in society such as women spinning cotton and making garments.
In Olaudah Equiano’s narrative, he demonstrates an oppressive tone in order to create sympathy for the slaves. For example, when the slaves pack onto the ships, the author describes, “[that] the stench…was so intolerably loathsome…it was dangerous to remain there” (Equiano 45). The diction Equiano uses such as, “stench” and “intolerably loathsome” leads to an increased amount of sympathy for the slaves suffering in the horrendous conditions. Equiano illuminates the dehumanization of the black slaves by describing the atrocities of where they survive. Furthermore, after days without food, instead of providing the slaves with much needed food, the whites simply, “tossed the remaining fish in the sea...although [the slaves] begged and pleaded
He describes his race as being so great and talks about how much it has declined because of other races. A theme of justice is reflected when
Emiliano Zapata once said, “I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees”. In the story Eyes of Zapata by Sandra Cisneros it talks about how throughout the Mexican Revolution, Emiliano Zapata led a group of rebels that fought for agrarianism. Ines, Zapata’s lover, shares with the reader her thoughts and emotions about how she felt during the Mexican Revolution. Sandra Cisneros uses figurative language to convey her perspective about war by using similes, metaphor, and imagery. To begin, Cisneros uses similes to elucidate that women during the Mexican Revolution felt scared when their significant other wasn’t home.
At the young and tender age of 11, he was kidnapped by local slave traders and was then sold into slavery. In his biography, he talks about being brought from Africa aboard a ship, transported across the middle passage, and being further sold to slave owners. In the narrative, Equiano describes the horrendous conditions about the slave ship endured by both women and children and even white men. He continues about the physical abuse endured by Africans in slavery and the many atrocities he witnessed as a slave. As Equiano’s work continues to be read and studied by many today, it is often debated whether the details written in his biography are true to his own experience as a slave, greatly overlooking the actual important meaning of his
The trade of African slaves in the 17th century was perceived as so commonplace that a good deal of the world's population gave it little or no thought. British involvement with slavery became unavoidable at the end of the 17th century, when abolitionist literature gained public attention. The first hand account of life as a slave in Olaudah Equiano's auto-biography was like no other piece of abolitionist literature at the time. The three methods of persuasion in his writing are ethical appealing ethos, logic engaging logos, and his most effective of emotional appealing pathos. Equiano's use of pathos in his auto-biography was effective in persuading the British that slavery is wrong, because of the emotional effects, such as misery, sympathy,
Past leaders such as Andrew Jackson, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Marc Antony are evidence that society does not reward morality and good character in leadership. Society is drawn to leaders that have good rhetoric, propaganda, and charismatic personalities, and society supports them despite their immorality. Society is concerned about stability more than the morality of their leaders and will support immoral leaders in times of crisis to provide stability. In history there have been multiple leaders that have used rhetoric, propaganda and charismatic personalities to gain power, despite their morals.
The appearance of the Atlantic world, especially to the eyes of Equiano, was one that could be described as interesting. We are introduced to a young colored man who has been forced into a new country due to the acts of slavery and is in fear of his life, while in the movie Black Robe, we are introduced to how a Jesuit priest comes to a new land in order to convert the natives of that country. In this essay, readers will be introduced to how a colored person sees a world differently unlike one who comes from such a country such as Europe. On page 91, Equiano starts off by explaining his conditions in his new master 's quarters and how he is shown the graphic details of being a slave, by seeing a woman, who is his own skin color, muzzled
The first horrible act was when Equiano was kidnapped with his sister in chapter one, when “two men and a woman” (Equiano 12) stole them away and took them to the woods. Olaudah Equiano “cried and grieved continually” (Equiano 12) when he and his sister, the only family or comfort he had left was taken away from him. To think of all the children separated from their families during the slave trade, one can only imagine the heart break and emotional wreckage this caused. Another example of the horrors of slavery was in chapter three, however this example of cruelty was more physical.
Equiano shows that freedom for slaves in the Atlantic ended up being a new kind of persecution because of the color of their skin. Throughout Equiano, prejudice is evident everywhere towards people of color. Because of this prejudice, Equiano sometimes thinks enslaved Africans were better off than freed slaves. Any slave or freed slave had no rights, but a slave had a master that would look out for him because he was the master’s property.
The trauma of slavery left the minds colonized. Douglass’ decision to retain his first name after his successful escape reflects his choice to own himself with the legacy of the apocalypse. Clearly Afro-American concept of apocalypse as revealed in this narrative is both cataclysm and revelation; the latter is aimed to be achieved in this world here on this earth. North is projected as that world; it worked as a north star motivating them to seek it in this life. Thus, the issue of identity becomes an integral part of the Afro-American apocalypse.