Olaudah Equiano Slavery

Throughout the course of human history, countless displays of inequality have taken place, ranging from mild forms to those of major brutality. Among these injustices was the transatlantic slave trade, in which people were cruelly ripped apart from their families and forced into lives of grueling, unpaid servitude. While some slaves were never freed, others lived to tell about the horrors they experienced. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, written by Olaudah Equiano, is an autobiography about his life as an enslaved child during the 18th century. In his narrative, Equiano described the hardships he underwent as he grew up away from his home, as well as his observation of the suffering that other slaves faced. However, there exists …show more content…
Regardless of the controversy over its accuracy, Equiano’s narrative shed much-needed light on the devastating violence and family separation that slaves endured, as well as the importance of Christianity as a beacon of hope. This enabled Equiano to appeal to his audience, thus exposing them to the realities of slavery and the necessity of abolishing it.
During Equiano’s period of enslavement, it was not uncommon for him to observe the harsh treatment of his fellow slaves, as well as undergo difficulties of his own. At one point, Equiano was forced to work on a ship for Captain Dorran, in which the grueling physical labor made Equiano more exhausted and dejected than ever before. Yet Equiano