Olaudah Equiano (1476 words)

History 145
African American History 1
October 3, 2011
Olaudah Equiano
It is nearly impossible to imagine what it was like to be kidnapped from your home and separated from your family. Only to be taken by strangers to experience the unknown as a young child. This is what happened to ten year Olaudah Equiano. ?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.? Olaudah and his sister were kidnapped by African salve raiders, forced to march along with other captives to the Niger River or one of its tributaries where they traded him to other Africans to be taken to the coast and sold to European slave traders whose ships sailed to the West Indies. This was the vivid remembrance Olaudah Equiano had that started the turmoil of what he called, ?hell guided by evil spirits of people. ?
He was able to survive intellectually and emotionally because of the people and families he met during his journey to the ?New World.? Olaudah encountered many families that treated him well and reminded him of his home, the loving comfort of his mother that gave him a sense of security. These families had children Olaudah age. The first family he came across he described as: ?At length, after many days travelling, during which I had often changed masters I got into the hands of a chieftain, in a very pleasant country. This man had two wives and some children, and they all used me extremely well, and did all they could to comfort me; particularly the first wife, who was something like my mother.? Many of the families Olaudah lived with and worked for treated him well, on extremely rare occasions he was mistreated but for the most part, every family treated him as one of their own. The comfort of the mothers gave him the ability to stay focus in the midst of being stripped away from his biological mother which made him feel not only welcomed but safe as well.He came across people that could speak his language and understood him. Though he traveled many miles from home, many of the languages were different from his own but with similarities.With this being said this allowed Olaudah to understand what was being said and easier to learn other languages. ?From the time I left my own nation I always found somebody that understood me till I came to the sea coast. The languages of different nations did not totally differ, nor were they so copious as those of the Europeans, particularly the English. They were therefore easily learned; and, while I was journeying thus through Africa, I acquired two or three different tongues.?
As a young child part of your growing up is interaction with children your age from all different cultures. Olaudah was not deprived his childhood though he was a slave. I think being able to play and interact with other children were important to his emotional state. He was being treated ?normal? even though he was a young servant; he ate with the children and played games that resembled those of his own village. ? I had been about two or three days at his house, when a wealthy widow, a neighbor of his, came there one evening, and brought with her an only son, a young gentleman about my own age and size. Here they saw me; and, having taken a fancy to me, I was bought of the merchant, and went home with them. Her house and premises were situated close to one of those rivulets I have mentioned, and were the finest I ever saw in Africa: they were very extensive, and she had a number of slaves to attend her. The next day I was washed and perfumed, and when meal-time came I was led into the presence of my mistress, and ate and drink before her with her son. This filled me with astonishment; and I could scarce help expressing my surprise that the young gentleman should suffer me, who was bound, to eat with him who was free; and not only so, but that he would not at any time either eat or drink till I had taken first, because I was the eldest, which was agreeable to our custom. Indeed everything here, and all their treatment of me, made me forget that I was a slave. The language of these people resembled ours so nearly, that we understood each other perfectly. They had also the very same customs as we. There were likewise slaves daily to attend us, while my young master and I with other boys sported with our darts and bows and arrows, as I had been used to do at home. In this resemblance to my former happy state I passed about two months; and I now began to think I was to be adopted into the family, and was beginning to be reconciled to my situation.? Being able to do this made him forget he was a slave, it made him feel part of the family; he forgot about his misfortunes and was living like a normal child. He was at home away from home. I think that helped and was very important to his mental stability.

Once Olaudah boarded the ship to the ?New World,? he quickly discovered the exact opposite treatment from what he was used to. People were bound together by chains, deprived food and water and when they were allowed to eat and they refused, they were ?flogged,? in other words whipped by the ship masters. This was a very different and hostile situation for the ten year old. He remembers thinking these men were going to eat him, ?the white people looked and acted, as I thought, in so savage a manner; for I had never seen among any people such instances of brutal cruelty; and this not only shewn towards us blacks, but also to some of the whites themselves.? There was no chance of escaping. Not only were the slaves bound and chained together, there were nets up around the ship, so no one could jump over the edge. They also had a constant watch over those who were not chained. If he tried to starve himself he was whipped until he ate. It was not an easy task to try and take your own life. Olaudah was told he was going to work very much like he did previously to boarding the ship, he didn?t think it to be so bad after all and wasn?t worth killing himself.
The story of Olaudah Equiano is both disturbing and inspiring. As a young child to be taken from your home with your parents and siblings to be sold off in another country where you will never see your family again is a very scary thought. Olaudah was both brave and na?ve. He showed strength in times of despair and perseverance in hopeless times. For a young boy to endure the amount of pain and suffering such as Olaudah, one can only think how he was able to survive and become an important part of the Atlantic Slave Trade. After buying his freedom, the leader of the British movement against the slave trade wrote a book of his story, which proved to be very successful. He was an extraordinary man and his story is truly inspiring. I believe the nurturing of the families prior to Olaudah?s trade to the ?New World? gave him the ability to have stronger mindset than most, the knowledge of knowing all people are not that evil and that soon he could beat this challenge. Being able to communicate was a major factor that most slaves didn?t have, not only did he have speak and understand his own language, but he also spoke other languages.He knew that there was a world out there that he could be apart of inspite of what he endured and that to him was worth living for. Thanks to the families that allowed him to understand how important he was and his life was worth living for, although that may not have been their intention.