Olidah Equiano's account of the Middle Passage

An Excerpt from Olidah Equiano's account of the Middle Passage

"My father, besides many slaves, had a numerous family, of which seven lived to grow up, including myself and a sister, who was the only daughter. As I was the youngest of the sons, I became, of course, the greatest favourite of my mother, and was always with her; and she used to take particular pains to form my mind. I was trained up from my earliest years in the arts of agriculture and war; and my mother adorned me with emblems, after the manner of our greatest warriors. In this way I grew up till I was turned the age of eleven, when an end was put to my happiness in the following manner:--Generally, when the grown people in the neighbourhood were gone far in the fields to labour, the children assembled together in some of the neighborhood's premises to play; and commonly some of us used to get up a tree to look out for any assailant, or kidnapper, that might come upon us; for they sometimes took those opportunities of our parents' absence, to attack and carry off as many as they could seize. One day, as I was watching at the top of a tree in our yard, I saw one of those people come into the yard of our next neighbour but one, to kidnap, there being many stout young people in it. Immediately, on this, I gave the alarm of the rogue, and he was surrounded by the stoutest of them, who entangled him with cords, so that he could not escape till some of the grown people came and secured him. But alas! ere long, it was my fate to be thus attacked, and to be carried off, when none of the grown people were nigh. One day, when all our people were gone out to their works as usual, and only I and my dear sister were left to mind the house, two men and a woman got over our walls, and in a moment seized us both; and, without giving us time to cry out, or make resistance, they stopped our mouths, and ran off with us into the nearest wood. Here they tied our hands, and continued to carry us as far as they could, till night came on, when we reached a small house, where the robbers halted for refreshment, and spent the night. We were then unbound; but were unable to take any food; and, being quite overpowered by fatigue and grief, our only relief was some sleep, which allayed our misfortune for a short time. "

"A Son of Africa" 16 Mar 2001. 22 Mar 2008 <http://www.newsreel.org/guides/equiano.htm>

Self-Reflection

Olidah Equiano's account of the Middle Passage is a great piece of work that encompasses the viewpoint of a slave upon the new journey to America and the hard work and will put into the construction of the new country. I initially chose this piece of work as it truly encompassed the harsh truths of the American Dream and how it was only made obtainable through the hard work of the slaves who were denied any real credit for their prolonged amount of servitude. As I read into the slave narrative, I found that African Americans had been seized involuntarily into servitude and were exposed to the cruelty of white merchants who thought of the Africans as chattel and nothing more. Slaves had lost their identities and were given meaningless names that were used only as a pet name to receive orders. This era of involuntary servitude took place during the Puritan Era as slaves were sold as tools in order to perform menial jobs and other sweat-breaking jobs. As my interest deepened within the slave narrative, I had become deeply somber due to harsh inconveniences of African Americans during the past. I could not comprehend how a human could torture another and believe he or she was above another. Equality between all humans has been a culture that I have been brought up with, and therefore I cannot imagine how one could work for another without proper consent. Today, slavery has been abolished and no longer is practiced within the United States legally; however, there are those immigrants who suffer from poverty as they are misused by their managers and paid a low salary which is impossible to live off. Overall I must say, I was truly amazed at the inequality African Americans suffered, and therefore I found Olidah Equiano's account of the Middle Passage a harsh truth that spoke for all those who were in poverty.

Dear Diary,

February 22, 1622

During my time in these new lands I have come to become well acquainted with the many slaves abundant in the houses of white settlers and other settlers. There is one slave who goes by the name of Hamidi (one to be commended) who I have grown very accustomed to. He is a distant cousin of Olidah Equiano a famous slave known for his powerful words and wisdom. Similar to Olidah Equiano, Hamidi had experienced many harsh experiences on his way from Africa as he lost his own identity and was forced to perform mundane tasks. Hamidi explained to me about an event in which he was seized from his family at the age of only eleven years old. It was from that moment that he was forced into servitude among many other children who feared what was to occur in the future. As the slaves arrived in the new land of America, they experienced their greatest fear which was better defined as a sense of separation and isolation. Each slave was bought by families for a prolonged sense of servitude in which solitude was in inevitable. As I talked to my fellow friend Hamidi, I learned the horrible truths in which slaves were to undergo.

Time passed, and I have found myself talking for countless hours with this knowledgeable slave, and I have learned that he has experienced a sense of racial discrimination within these new lands of America. I feel sorry for the harsh inconveniences that he must endure in order to merely survive. I explain to Hamidi, “You should always believe in your own strengths and try to push your way to freedom through the use of intellectual reasoning”. Hamidi is smarter than many of the white settlers and should deserve to have a search for a common goal of freedom. I say to myself, “Color is the only aspect holding him back from a sure-fire success”. As I talk longer to my colored friend, I become even more saddened as I wonder whether all this could be the potential will of god. Are whites supposed to be the supreme race? Have blacks been brought into the world only to serve others? I truly hope that this will never come true and that my fellow friend Hamidi will use his smarts and will to find a new path for African Americans.

A Slave Ship During the Puritan Era

A Politcal Extension

Essential Question Answer

The American Dream, an ideal which is solely created by white men, is an accomplishment that does not prove promising to minorities due to their inferior characteristics in comparison to that of the white settlers. Such is exemplified within the narrative of Olidah Equiano in which the brutal lifestyles African Americans were portrayed as they were to endure the harsh environments of slave ships. As a result, African Americans were depicted as an inferior race during the Puritan Era and therefore they had been deprived of their strive to attain the American Dream. Furthermore, African Americans were seen to perform the menial jobs that were under the echelon of white settlers as they were treated as chattel. Similarly, within the narrative the African American slaves were shown to be dragged to America without any proper sense of approval, and therefore they were immediately set to perform labor. It would seem that the Puritan Era promoted the growth of whites in order to obtain the American Dream, through the severe downfall of the African American slaves. Furthermore, it would be the downfall of the African Americans that would lead to the uprising of the white class who were meant to be superior through the will of god. Thus in conclusion, it would seem that competition holds back the minority in order for the superior race to attain the American Dream.