Olaudah Equiano’s Early Life and Enslavement
When Olaudah Equiano and his sister were abducted from their home in the native West Africa and enslaved to British slave dealers, Equiano was 11 years old. Equiano and his sister were separated, and he was first brought to the West Indies, Virginia, before being bought by a British captain and shipped out to sea. After ten years of slavery, he began to battle for his liberation and pen the first narrative, the fascinating account of Equiano. Equiano’s story discusses several themes, mainly the Colombian exchange and the Middle Passage. Therefore, this essay will discuss the analysis of the narrative themes.
The Horrors of the Middle Passage
Equiano depicts the Middle Passage as a perilous voyage during which tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were carried from Africa to the Americas in cruel and horrific circumstances. “I have seen some of these poor African prisoners most shockingly cut and mangled, and others daily dying from inanition, as they were not able to eat” (Equiano 48). Equiano’s story serves as a horrifying reminder of the brutal treatment of enslaved Africans and the hardships they encountered while traveling to the United States. He contends that the prevalent use of slavery among Indigenous people is contrasted with the brutal racial segregation established by white Europeans.
The Columbian Exchange and the Expansion of Slavery
Equiano’s story also demonstrates how the Colombian exchange affected slavery in Africa. New crops like sugarcane and coffee were introduced to the Americas, which resulted in the growth of the plantation economy and a growth in the need for enslaved Africans to labor on the crop plantations. He says, “Our food was given to us, but by measure, the water was not very good, and our treatment was very severe” (Equiano 33). His account of his hardships as an enslaved person brings to light the cruel treatment and challenging circumstances that enslaved Africans endured.
The Triangular Trade and Equiano’s Economic Adaptation
During the era of Equiano’s life, both supply and demand networks had already been created and were becoming more widespread as the British Empire expanded. The Triangular Trade was a system where raw materials from the American and West Indian colonies were sent to imperial nations such as England. The imperial countries used these materials to produce goods sold in African markets. Enslaved people were taken from Africa to the settlements, the most potent representation of this trade process.
While it is vital to realize that he eventually does not challenge the economic structure that supports slavery, he battles against the idea that he and his fellow slaves are laborers (Equiano 50). Equiano eventually joins in on this economic system, and one way he defines himself and wins respect is through his development as an entrepreneur. As he travels with numerous masters, he starts to see the reasoning behind the purchase and sale scheme his masters engage in. Equiano gained his independence by cooperating with the system rather than rebelling against it, and he used this strategy to his advantage.
Colonization, Slavery, and the Impact of the Columbian Exchange
Equiano’s narrative demonstrates the effects of the exploration era and the growth of European empires upon the lives of countless individuals. Africans and indigenous peoples were uprooted, sold into slavery, and subjected to other kinds of mistreatment due to colonization by the Americas. However, the livelihoods and well-being of people who were held as slaves and exploited suffered dramatically due to the Columbian Exchange, which also significantly altered the cuisines and agricultural methods across Europe and the Americas.
Work Cited
Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Standard Ebooks, 2021.