I found the reading about Equiano to be quite interesting and enjoyable. It was a very compelling read, and I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next. I thought it was extremely unfortunate that he had to experience the severe changes in his condition so frequently throughout his life, because he would go from a relatively good situation to a purely awful one by being sold to someone else. This seemed to happen to him a lot, and it would be really difficult to live like he did.
I also thought it was very interesting that Equiano spoke so much about how he thought the white men had "magic". It was such a mystical land and people to him, and in today's day we hardly ever think about how Americans really appeared back then. We had the ability to use boats, and to stop them with anchors; we were also able to ride horses as a mode of transportation. These and many other things seem so natural to us, but were incredibly foreign to the slaves that had been transported to America. I never really stopped to think about how our way of living would be viewed by the Africans who were forced to come here, so it is really intriguing to read about their views on our way of life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I found Equiano's narrative interesting, too :) It seems written to be enjoyed, which brings up the question of how much of it is true, especially given the information in the introduction that Equiano might not have been born in Africa.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point in how difficult Equiano's life must have been in terms of how often he was sold and changed masters, which meant a change of life, too.
I haven't thought much before about how simple things that one wouldn't expect anyone to be confused by like anchors and horses must have appeared magical to new slaves like Equiano, either. Clockwork and machines, yes, but sails and such? This goes to show how the extent of how much slavery changed peoples' lives and perceptions of their world. Thanks for the great post :)