Horrors of a Slave Ship Essay - 853 Words

Jill Knierim The Horrors of a Slave Ship History 1301-Villarreal Due Date: 3/8/13 The article, The Horrors of a Slave Ship, is first person point of view account of the capturing of Olaudah Equiano. He tells the story of how he was captured from his home while his parents were away to be used as a slave. The article starts off with Olaudah and his sister being captured while their parents were away. They were taken into the woods, tied up, and forced to travel bound without food. After many days of traveling, Olaudah and his sister were separated. From that point he was passed around and finally landed in the hands of his first owner. His first owner was a smith and Olaudah worked in his shop. He was there for about a month†¦show more content†¦He was quickly bought again by a wealthy neighbor and her son. Under this master, Olaudah was allowed to dine at the table with them and felt that he was adopted into the family, so much so that the son would not eat until Olaudah had gotten his food because Olaudah was older. This home was great and allow ed him to forget about the hard times of a slave. Then, suddenly Olaudah was taken from this home and transported to the slave ship. Aboard the slave ship he was restrained and beaten for refusing food. All the slaves on the ship were living in very close uncomfortable quarters. Some were tied down and those that weren’t were watched very closely so they could not escape. If someone tried to jump off the boat to escape, they were severely punished and beaten. While the ship was at the coast, all the slaves on the ship were forced below deck where the smell of body odor and excrement was breathtaking. Diseases were spread among the slaves in these tight quarters and many slaves died due to the unfit conditions. Once the ship reached Barbados, everyone aboard the ship was forced ashore and into the merchant yard. Here they were sold once again. The author of this article experienced the ups and downs of being a slave and intends to inform people through this article. Olaudah told all about his different experiences of being a slave from being taken from his home while his parentsShow MoreRelatedThe Horrors of a Slave Ship1030 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Horrors of a Slave Ship,† describes in detail, the tragic experiences of Olaudah Equiano as a captive slave. Equiano suffered many sleepless nights; he was flogged and kidnapped multiple times. In the article, the author is trying to give the reader the feeling by giving details of the brutally floggings and desperation as many slaves suffocated to death as they were placed in an overcrowded deck. Overall, the author tries to give readers their point across of the difficulties in being a captiveRead MoreThe Horrors Of A Slave Ship : By Olaudah Equiano2077 Words   |  9 PagesSydney Perez Lopez History 1301 MW Professor Lewellen November 18th, 2015 E-reader Assignment The Horrors of a Slave Ship: By Olaudah Equiano {pg. 108 – pg. 117} The main focus of the document, The Horrors of a Slave Ship, is over a topic of a young boy given the name Gustavus Vassa who shared his story of his own slavery experience. He writes about a journey of heartbreak and terror and all of the restrictions he endured. He first describes the day he was kidnapped, then all of the families heRead MoreEssay Olaudah Equiano1130 Words   |  5 PagesAfrica untill he arrived at the coast where he was loaded onto a slave ship. While crossing the Atlantic to Barbados onboard the slave ship he and his countrymen were subject to horrors you could hardly imagine. Equiano tells about the horrors and torture slaves face not only on the slave ship but also on plantations and many other aspects of a slaves life. Equiano experienced almost all parts of a slaves existence. He was a slave throughout Africa, England, and the New World. Equiano is boughtRead MoreOlaudah Equiano And Mary Rowlandson Essay1264 Words   |  6 Pageshard conditions, facing unb earable horror, and events that deteriorated their lives forever, both Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share similar experiences they encountered in their lifetime, as well as differences, allowing us to compare the two and the hardships they faced. As Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano had variation between both of their experiences, such as gender roles and different ages and past life, they both experienced relatively the same horror nobody should have to experienceRead MoreSlave Ship Analysis844 Words   |  4 Pages Slave Ship Karl Volkmar Western Governors Universityâ€Æ' Slave Ship Slave Ship was painted by J.M.W. Turner in the year 1840. At first glance, the sky and the ship in the background stood out to me above all else. The intensity of the brushstrokes and the colors of the sunlight set the stage for the powerful scene in the water. Between the strong waves in the water and the hands reaching out in desperation, this painting truly captures the horrors of the ships used to transport slaves. One aspectRead MoreEquiano s From The Interesting Narrative Of Olaudah Equiano980 Words   |  4 PagesOlaudah Equiano’s â€Å"From the Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano† is written with the intent of ending the slave trade and aiding the abolitionists’ movement. His narrative tells his personal story of kidnapping, being sold into slavery and his experience in the middle passage. According to this account Olaudah Equiano grew up in Africa with a large family. He was captured and sold into slavery at age eleven. As an adult he became an o pposing voice to slavery. This autobiography was publishedRead MoreThe Slave Ship By Marcus Rediker1415 Words   |  6 PagesThe Slave Ship was written by Marcus Rediker and it tells several accounts of the African slave trade as well as the world of the middle passage. The author discusses the nature of the slave ship and the African paths to the middle passage. Rediker also mentions the lives of historical figures (Olaudah Equiano, James Field Stanfield, and John Newton) and the roles that they had during the Atlantic slave trade. For the African captives, the sailors, and captains, the slave ship was seen as a woodenRead MoreEssay on Olaudah Equiano1220 Words   |  5 Pagesdocumentations in historical books, the history of the twelve million African slaves that traveled the â€Å"Middle Passage† in miserable conditions would not exist. Olaudah Equiano contributes to this horrid history with The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Through this narrativ e, the appalling personal experience of each slave is depicted. He accomplishes his rhetorical purpose of informing the world of the slave experience in this narrative. His use of unique style and rhetorical devicesRead MoreThe Slavery Of The Slave Ships1157 Words   |  5 Pagesonboard the slave ships became a constant battle for survival, as the gruesome conditions below the deck presented formidable physical health problems. Burnside describes the African slaves descent into hell: Once aboard the ship, the prisoners entered a frightening new world†¦Whatever miseries they had experienced in Africa were nothing compared to the ordeal they now faced, and however ignorant they were of the exact course of the nightmare would take, they could sense the horror. Some of theRead MoreOlaudah Equiano The Middle Passage Analysis839 Words   |  4 Pagesthe cruelty and wickedness of men. It is clear that Equiano was a slave in another household in Africa and was sold and placed on the ship to be sold to another master in another country. From the time Equiano boards the ship, he finds the white men or crew he encounters as bad spirits and does not know what to make of their widely differing complexions, long hair and different language. From Equianos initial boarding of the ship to the arriving in Barbados to be sold off in a lot, the crew and