"success" the only option

Imagine a group of men bum rushing into your home, desecrating everything around you, and taking nothing but your physical freedom. Olaudah Equiano experiences just that and many other life changing events described in his narrative “the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.” During his captivity in 1700’s the harsh reality of slavery is unveiled. Morals are no where to be fond, and humans are treated as if they were nothing less than animals. Olaudah, once a happy family boy has now been stripped of everything and is traded around as if he were an item.

Although Olaudah was a slave, he manages to learn the English language when he is finally traded away from Virginia of the new lands to Michael Henry Pascal. Pascal then traded Olaudah to a Quaker merchant named Robert King. King, who was highly religious, was not in favor of slavery but owned slaves none the less. Through out Olaudah life his owners all have had a positive out look on slavery, but finally an owner has a change of heart. King was not the brutal type, and he even allowed slaves to have time of their own. Olaudah starts making money by a little trading business he cooks up and soon enough he earns the money to buy himself from king. With a greater education and an open minded master, Olaudah is ready to set forth on his dreams. Reading and writing helps the slave to be free. By getting educated and paying attention to his surrounding, he accumulates all the knowledge to escape the chains of slavery.

Slavery was a huge obstacle that Olaudah had to get through, but even though he was free, he still needed to find himself. By looking at the positives in his life, he comes up with the values that he admires. A religious man has allowed him to be free, thus religion is now something endowed in Olaudah’s mind. He looks to the bible and is now spiritually connected to god, and has a new set of knowledge and beliefs. With all that is happened in his life, change is what Olaudah strives for. Change for a new world, a world for humanity, a world that does not involve the imprisonment of human beings. Olaudah has found his goal and he attempts to find happiness by fulfilling his goal of abolishing slavery. Speaking publicly about the immorality of slavery and writing a narrative are all steps Olaudah takes to answer his personal calling.

In the article “Olaudah Equiano and the Eighteenth-Century Debate on Africa”, Olaudah’s identity is questioned due to his dramatically changing life from a slave to a Christian. His race still chains him down from being a high political power. In this article they argue that race shouldn’t be a factor. I agree with his statement. I believe it doesn’t matter where one comes from. He is putting in work for what he believes in, so no one should be able to tell him what he can and cannot do. After all that Olaudah has gone through, he should be able to strive to what ever he sets his mind to.

Work cited:

Equiano, Olaudah , "The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gutavus Vassa, the African", Mineola, New York, 1999 Dover Plublication

boulukos, Geoge E., "Olaudah Equiano and the Eighteenth-Century Debate on Africa", 2007 by The American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies