Rhetorical Analysis Of Olaudah Equiano

In his narrative, Olaudah Equiano appeals to wealthy, white Europeans. Assuming that much of the wealth in this part of the world was gained from the slave trade, it only makes sense that Equiano would have liked to inform these wealthy citizens of the horrors he and many other slaves experienced. In sharing his story, Equiano attempts to convince his audience of the fact that all humans deserve equality. The general understanding that he himself came to be in good standing as a free man is his main artillery in gaining freedom and equal rights for other Africans. He is no less of a human than his audience, and no more of a human than other enslaved people.
Throughout his narrative, Equiano pays particular attention to the similarities and differences between Africans and Europeans. He is initially disheartened by the Europeans, fearing to be eaten by them, and witnessing “floggings” of his people for menial mistakes. He frequently reminds his reader of his and his companions’ desires for death, “[hoping to] soon put an end to my miseries (Equiano, pg. 38),” and even witnessing several suicide attempts by his fellow slaves. However, upon learning more about …show more content…
The first sentence of the second chapter has him apologizing for having described his country’s customs. This sentence implies two things, the first of which being that the reader had no prior knowledge on the country of Africa or its people. The second implication being, Equiano felt that his backstory would have “trespassed on [the] patience [of the reader] (Equiano, pg. 23),” and bored him. The fact that Equiano felt he must humble himself before the reader when writing about his own culture in his own narrative, speaks volumes about the types of people he was attempting to please in reading said narrative. Not to mention, his audience is portrayed to us by the lengthy list of subscribers included in the