A major reason for Equiano's popularity is that his autobiography
contains a detailed account of his birth and childhood in Nigeria, with
rare descriptions of the culture of 18th-century Igbo society. His
narrative of the Atlantic crossing in a slave ship is as unique as it is
moving. The early chapters are much anthologised since they offer a
first-hand record of an African kidnapped at the age of ten, taken to
the coast, sold to European merchants and despatched to the Americas.
Equiano writes passionately and vividly of his separation from his
mother and sister, of his initial horror at seeing Europeans (they
behaved so brutishly and were so alien to behold - "white men with
horrible looks, red faces and long hair" - that he feared they were
cannibals bent on eating the cargo of slaves), of the astonishment of
seeing a ship for the first time and, on the transatlantic journey, of
the strange and exotic sight of flying fish and other sea creatures. In
the midst of dreadful suffering the child-Equiano asserts the magical
beauty of life. A sympathetic white sailor lets him look through a
quadrant. "The clouds appeared to me to be land, which disappeared as
they past along. This heightened my wonder and I was now more persuaded
than ever that I was in another world, and that everything about me was
magic."
Lelethu please engage with the articles you copy and paste, let me know your thoughts on them, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe see these characteristics easily in Equiano's Narrative. His memories of his homeland are idealized to the point that he apologizes to his audience for his fond memories of early childhood. The cultural differences between Equiano and his captors are highlighted as Equiano moves from fear of the unknown (for example, he suspects that he and his fellow slaves will be eaten by the strange white men with their magic ships) to an understanding of an alien culture. Early in his narrative, Equiano runs away from his master after accidentally killing a chicken but returns to captivity because he fears the perils of escape (animals and snakes in the woods as well as the danger of recapture and worse punishment). He wants his freedom, but he is afraid to pursue it . Equiano's spiritual and moral strength becomes more and more apparent as the narrative progresses; he doesn't lie because his mother didn't allow lying, and he decides that he wants his freedom only if it is given to him by his master because God has determined it.
ReplyDeleteBoth the slave narrative and the captivity narrative were widely popular. Can we explain their popularity? Are similar forms of entertainment available for today's audience? If we think about this in terms of lurid sensationalism, religious teaching tools, weapons to gain support for a humanitarian cause (abolition), and regional narrative can we explain their success?
on my view this article is to show us the reason behind Equiano's autobiography. the incident of slave trade occcurs in his life at an early age, therefore that is why his autobiograpy it does not correspond in chronological order.
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