Comprehension Check: For what crimes were slaves punished? What was the punishment?

There were two crimes mentioned in this excerpt that the slaves committed. The first is when the ship’s crew had feasted on fish. Although there were plenty of fish left over that the crew could have given to the slaves, the crew tossed the remaining fish back into the sea. “Being pressed by hunger,” some of Equlano’s countrymen took an opportunity, when they thought no one was watching, to see if they could get some fish. The second crime the slaves committed was trying to escape. Two of Equlano’s countrymen, chained together, somehow made it through the netting and jumped ship; they preferred death over their current conditions. A third slave, severely sick, also jumped ship after he saw the first two make it. In both crimes, the crew was “instantly alarmed” and the slave’s punishment had been “very severe floggings.” Fortunately two of the slaves that had jumped ship were lucky and escaped.

Critical thinking: Why does Equiano blame the illness aboard the ship on the “improvident avarice” of the traders?

Equiano has every right to blame the illness aboard the ship on the “improvident avarice” of the traders. I mean the illness aboard the ship is mainly caused by the cramped spaces, unbearable smell and lack of food. These factors are all caused by the trader’s greed and thoughtlessness. The reason the ship is so crammed is because the more slaves the traders can fit on the ship, the more pay they will receive. As for the lack of food and unbearable smell, the trader’s were completely thoughtless about how the slaves felt. All they could care about was that their stomachs were full and that their quarters were clean. Furthermore, I can completely agree with why Equiano blames the illness aboard the ship on the “improvident avarice” of the traders.

Support from the text: How can you tell that Equiano has a great zest for life despite his assertion that he wanted to die?

Equiano has a great zest for life due to his curiosity about this “other world.” For example, he was extremely curious about the quadrant that the mariners used. Once Equiano had the privilege to examine the quadrant, he was fascinated; Equiano was only more persuaded that he was in another world and that everything about himself was magic. Furthermore, it is this curiosity and this wonder that shows the readers that Equiano has a great zest for life.

Infer: What does this passage reveal about the author?

I feel as though this passage reveals that the author was a brilliant man with an iron will. He understood that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place and dealt with those conditions. To be honest, I do not think that I could survive the terrible stench and close quarters that Equiano had to survive. As for why I believe the author was brilliant? It is because of his curiosity and wonder. Equiano was curious and intrigued by all the new things that this new world had to offer. However, not only was Equiano curious but he was eager to learn and experience everything that was new to him.

Draw a conclusion: Explain what a variety of languages indicates about the slave trade.

Because there were a variety of slaves, each speaking a different language, we can conclude that the slave trade was not a one man, one town job. The slave trade had to span many different areas and incorporate many different traders. It is close to impossible for a group of 5 traders to round up such a large variety of slaves.

Thematic Focus: When one culture dominates another what troubles might society face?

There are many troubles that a society experiences when one culture dominates another. A prime example would be the United States during the 1940’s and 1950’s. One problem was discrimination. Those who are dominated are consistently ridiculed and are not able to receive the same treatment as the dominant race. Another problem that arises are hate groups. Because the dominated culture is “naturally” discriminated against, there are a group of indviduals that go even further than basic discrimination. For example, a popular hate group in America during the 1950’s was the Ku Klux Klan. They would dehumanize, torture or even murder the dominated race. One last major issue is inequality. When one culture dominates the other, the dominant culture believes that the other culture is inferior and should be treated as thus. To conclude, when one culture dominates another, society is sharply divided and the dominant culture denies the dominated culture any rights.

Final task: Select a scene from Olaudah Equlano and Draw the scene and narrate it in your own words.