Andrea Awan

History 7A
Professor Felix

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

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1. Olaudah Equianos first impression of the white people was that they were going to kill him. This
surprised me because he didnt know much about them yet and he jumped to conclusions.
However, it is understandable because the men treated him poorly by tossing him when they
first met him.
2. Equiano said that he would rather exchange places with the meanest slave in his country. By
saying that he would trade places, it must mean that the conditions he was in were extremely
terrible. He was afraid for his life. I didnt know that there were places where being enslaved
was the better option.
3. Equiano believed that the white people were going to eat him. He asked some black people
questions on what would happen to him. I was confused on why he would think that the white
people were going to eat him, but then I realized that he was in a new and strange place.
4. The stench under the decks was so bad that it led Equiano to become sick. He didnt feel like
eating because of the stench. It makes me wonder what could create such a stench to make
other people sick.

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5. The white people would harshly flog slaves when they refused to eat. They were adamant on
making sure that their products were in good conditions before selling them. The white
people wanted to ensure that the slaves would eat and look fit to earn more profits when they
sold the slaves.
6. Some slaves attempted to jump into the water and were flogged for doing so. This proves that
some slaves would rather risk their life than stay on the ship and be slaves. The white people
were extremely cruel to the slaves. I was surprised that people could so cruel to other humans.
7. The white people were not only heartless to the slaves, they were heartless to their own race.
They killed a white man by flogging him and threw him off the ship. They had absolutely no
remorse. I would expect them to be kinder to people of their own race as they were similar in
color and culture. If they werent nice to their own people, it would mean that they were more
ruthless to the slaves. I believe that this action was one major reason that the slaves were afraid
of them.
8. The African slaves were highly uneducated. They did not know anything about ships, seas or
oceans. They also dont know any information about other countries with the exception of their
own. I believe that most people in that century were fishermen and had some knowledge about
ships and the waters. However, since they dont know anything about either topic, it probably
means that they were not taught about it. They were isolated from all education.
9. Equiano believed that the white people were spirits and everything they were doing were
caused by magical forces. This further proves that he was uneducated. I didnt know that he
would believe in spirits and magic rather than scientific inventions like masts and anchors that
could actually be proven. However, I believe that people in his era believed in more spiritual
aspects in life.
 Andrea Awan
History 7A
Professor Felix
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10. The smell of the holding place was too intolerable that many slaves died because of it. The very
small amount of space between each slave and the heat of the place were also factors that
contributed to the slaves deaths. I would expect the sellers to put the slaves in places that were
able to live in. If the slaves died before they were sold, the sellers would have lost a lot of
money. Therefore, it was confusing to me when they put the slaves in harsh conditions which
led the slaves to their deaths.
11. The situation was horrible for many people. There were slaves who were chained, sad groans
produced by the dying, dirt in the tubs they needed, children around them who repeatedly fell
into the tubs and women screaming. I cant believe that people would allow the slaves to stay in
a horrible situation such as this. I cant imagine what they must have felt. It is cruel how they
treated everyone poorly including women and children as well.
12. Since Equiano was still young, they allowed him to be on deck. This is surprising to me as his
sellers did not care for the health or freedom of any slave. They treated all slaves harshly, so I
did not understand why the younger slaves were allowed to be on deck and have more fresh air
than those who were older. All the sellers cared about were the profits they would gain after
selling the slaves.
13. The white people were very greedy with their food. They caught some fish and finished eating as
much as they wanted, yet they still had leftovers. Instead of giving it to the slaves, they tossed it
back into the waters even though the slaves were begging and were clearly starving. This proves
that they did not care for anyone other than themselves and did not care about the condition
the slaves were in. When some slaves tried to get food by themselves, the whites caught and
flogged them for the attempt. What confused me was that the slaves were flogged for not
eating and they were also flogged for trying to eat.

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14. The slaves were flogged for attempting to commit suicide. Other slaves were too threatened to
even attempt to commit suicide. They werent even given the option of death as they would get
punished for trying to die. The white people only wanted the slaves to be alive enough to be
sold so that they could earn their money.
15. A mariner helped Equiano by curing his curiosity. Equiano was always amazed with how the
mariners used the quadrant. Therefore, a mariner surprisingly let him look through the
quadrant. It was unexpected because there was no one who treated Equiano or any slaves
kindly. The mariner was the first and only person in the whole document that treated him
properly. It shocked me because everyone looked down on the slaves and the mariner was the
only one who did not. It proves that there are still people around you who are good, no matter
what situation you are in.
16. The whites were ecstatic when they reached Barbadoes. I dont understand why they did this;
perhaps it was to give the slaves hope before letting it die. Another theory I have is that they
acted happy so that the slaves would not try to drown or kill themselves in any way before being
sold to their new owners. This way, the whites would still get their money.

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 Andrea Awan
History 7A
Professor Felix
17. Equiano was bewildered by the people who were on horseback. He had never seen a person on
horseback before and this led him to think yet again that the whites were using magic. I thought
that people in Africa would have been on horseback in those times as a mean of transport.
18. Even though the Africans were from a distant and different country from him, Equiano was able
to understand them. This suggests that there was not too much variation in their languages. I
would have expected their languages to be quite different as Africa is a huge continent and the
two slaves came from two distant places.
19. There was a procedure as to how the slaves would be sold. There was a drumbeat that acted as
a signal for the buyers to run and choose which slave they liked the best. It seems that the
buyers were experienced as they had to know what to do when the drumbeat is played. They
also treated the slaves as properties and goods instead of humans. It must have been terrifying
to be the slave as they would have a master or owner who they would have to obey.
20. Slaves were separated from their families. It was horribly cruel to separate someone from their
family knowing that they would have no chance of seeing each other ever again. Families were
torn apart, and the buyers did not care for them at all. The slaves would have to suffer without
anyone being there for them and helping them.

My takeaway from this is that the whites treated the African slaves horribly, from punishing them for
every simple action they do to not caring for their health. The whites only cared about themselves and
the money they would make by selling the slaves. They treated the slaves like properties and goods
instead of treating them like an equal. The slaves were looked down on. The conditions that the slaves
were in were intolerable and many died because of them. Africans have suffered greatly for hundreds of
years, and it was only because of the color of their skin. However, I am grateful that we have evolved as
a human race and that we can treat others as equals, no matter their race, language or religion. A life
lesson I learned is to be like the mariner who showed some kindness to Olaudah Equiano. Be nice to one
another even though other people around you are not.