"The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings" Analysis Essay Example

Free but not Truly Free Due to the high stakes of this time, African people had to be careful with their actions and the words they said. Being a black person in this culture one would have to alter their identity so as not to get in trouble with the white slave owners. In the book, Oladoh Equiano's Interesting Narrative and Other Stories, Equiano gives another perspective to the white audience to convey a specific message and lead his target audience to be more empathetic toward the black population. Due to the high stakes of this time, African people had to be careful with their actions and the words they said. Equiano demonstrates how in America, Africans could have no true freedom no matter how hard they worked to gain their freedom and prove themselves to the whites. As enslaved people in America had no say or control over their own lives. If an enslaver or another white told an enslaved to do something they had to do it even if it was against their beliefs or identity. Equiano's name was changed multiple times throughout the book and if he didn't respond to what others wished him to be called then he could have been published. An example of an action going against one's wishes comes from the book: “While I was on board this ship, my captain and master named me Gustavus Vasa. I at that time began to understand him a little and, refused to be called so, and told him as well as I could that I would be called Jacob; but he said I should not, and still called me Gustavus;” (Equiano 64) In this passage, Equiano caption, and enslaver named him Gustavus Vasa taking away the right to his name; also they stole from Equiano's right of choice. Equiano was frustrated that he didn’t even have rights to his own name. This is present in the above text through his word choice “Refused to be called” (Equiano 64). Even though Equiano was frustrated it was a restrained frustration because he had to censor what he was saying so as not to upset the whites. This proves just how little free will the Africans have in this society. These unjust actions highlighted how there was no real freedom obtained. How can someone have free rights or be free if they can't even have their name? The task of trying to be fully free was an obstacle in itself. Equiano’s master made a deal. The deal said if Equiano could buy his freedom, then he could be free to go ( 135). But, once Equiano came up with the money the enslaver started questioning him about how Equiano got the money. This shows how even though Equiano did his best and followed all the rules he still wasn’t believed within the Whites' eyes. After he went through so much with trying to get money, his manumission still made Equiano out to be simply a property and not human. The language within the document, for example: “enfranchised”, “hereby giving, granting, and releasing unto him” “sovereignty, and property” (pg137) downgrades who Equiano is as a person. Saying words like Enfranchised makes it sound like Equiano and all people of color are nothing but property without a living body and soul. They have taken away the human qualities of this whole society. After receiving his freedom, Equiano was never truly free. Outside of his former master and captain, Equiano still had to be on guard around others. an example of this is on pg 139: Equiano had an altercation with one of Mr. Read's slaves, even though Equiano didn’t start it. When Mr. Read heard of this incident he was going to come to punish Equiano himself. Equiano stood up for himself and explained what happened this didn’t matter to Mr. Read Equiano was in the wrong in his eyes. On the next page, after all, this happened Equiano says “for I sooner die a free man, than suffer myself to be scourged by the hands of ruffians, and my blood is drawn like a slave.” (Equiano pg 140) Equiano was at the point of defeat he was more willing to die in the state of freedom he had than to progress backward at all to back towards being enslaved. He was able to be more open here with his wording than earlier because he had to get his point across about how harsh the whites were. He wasn't allowed to act free unless it was around the people he know or Equiano risked being swept back into slavery. The obstacles that the Africans had to overcome to obtain their freedom didn’t stop after this was achieved. They still had to deal with white people that only saw them as slaves or people of color. His story was important to African society in America at this time because he showed the Americans how bad slavery was at this time and that it needed to change. Equiano accounted for various examples of how Africans had to change their identity to survive in America and showed how they had little to no say in what happened in their life. 

Worked Cited 

Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings. Penguin Classics, 2003.