This produced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became
unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought
on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died, thus falling victims
to the improvident avarice, as I may call it, of their purchasers. This
wretched situation was again aggravated by the galling of the chains,
now become insupportable; and the filth of the necessary tubs, into
which the children often fell, and were almost suffocated. The shrieks
of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of
horror almost inconceivable.
Equiano's writing on the Middle Passage is the section of the work
most likely to end up in anthologies for history and literature classes.
It is a profoundly evocative and devastating account of one of the most
terrible events in human history: the forcible removal of millions of
Africans from their home, and their subsequent transportation across the
Atlantic in slave ships, under the most abominable and hellish
conditions imaginable. Slaves were chained to the hold and had to
perform their bodily functions while chained. Excrement and refuse were
everywhere, and the air was heavy with noxious, harmful smells. There
was no privacy, even for women and girls. Slaves could not move about,
and barely escaped without their limbs atrophying. They rarely had
enough to eat or drink, and would grow sick in droves. The cries of
pain, terror, and grief filled the air at all times. Many had no idea
why they were there, and were frightened of the white faces on the ship.
Individuals were severed from their families and thrust together with
strangers whose languages they could not speak. Many were beaten
mercilessly. It was so terrible that many slaves wished for death, but
even this was rarely possible by one's own volition. Equiano's account
is a valuable source for examining the realities of the slave system,
for its evocative writing and historical perspective....I thought I could plainly trace the hand of God, without whose
permission a sparrow cannot fall. I began to raise my fear from man to
him alone, and to call daily on his holy name with fear and reverence:
and I trust he heard my supplications, and graciously condescended to
answer me according to his holy word, and to implant the seeds of piety
in me, even one of the meanest of his creatures.
In this quote, Equiano reveals the depth of his spirituality, and the
extent to which he attributes the circumstances of life to a deity.
Equiano claimed that he was born in Africa and practiced the religion of
the Eboe land in which he was raised. That religion was not too
different in its tenets and practices than that of the Jews, but Equiano
soon learned about Christianity. Even before he converted, Equiano grew
sensible of a God that existed and was aware of him. He often prayed
and tried to order his behavior along Christian teachings, even
believing himself to have offended God when Pascal sold him to Captain
Doran. He began to notice how white men did not behave according to the
precepts of their religion, and noted the events of his life that seemed
to suggest a God was looking out for him. The fact that Equiano was
owned largely by benevolent men assures him of God's presence. Equiano
is even baptized in 1759, although his conversion later in his life was a
more profoundly impactful event in his spiritual growth. Religion thus
permeates the text and is an important component in Equiano's attainment
of selfhood and identity.
These overseers are indeed for the most part persons of the worst
character of any denomination of men in the West Indies. Unfortunately,
many humane gentlemen, by not residing on their estates, are obliged to
leave the management of them in the hands of these human butchers, who
cut and mangle the slaves in a shocking manner on the most trifling
occasions, and altogether treat them in every respect like brutes.
This quote introduces the worst of the worst offenders towards
Africans - the cruel overseers of the cruel West Indies. The West Indies
featured some of the most brutal episodes of slavery, and was famed for
the strictness and harshness of its Barbados slave code. The sugar
plantations required many slaves to work the land, and Equiano estimated
that the difficulty of the work, coupled with the ill treatment by the
overseers, led to an average lifespan of only sixteen years on the
islands. He detailed some of the ways in which slaves were violated and
abused, and here focuses on the monstrous behavior of the overseers.
These white men felt the need to exercise the most arbitrary and
absolute power over their slaves, devising harsh punishments and denying
them every opportunity for redress or resolution. Equiano marvels that
these men deigned to call themselves Christians, as their behavior was
clearly contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures. Thankfully, Equiano
did not have to spend all of his years as a slave in these hot, deadly
climes. However, after becoming a free man, he does accept a position as
an overseer of Dr. Irving's Jamaica plantation. He does not exercise
the same sort of cruelty as the white men did, but many readers of the
work are critical of Equiano's choice. Only by considering the work
within its historical context do Equiano's actions seem less
reprehensible.
But is not the slave trade entirely a war with the heart of man? And
surely that which is begun by breaking down the barriers of virtue
involves in its continuance destruction to every principle, and buries
all sentiments in ruin!
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