In “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” the author describes the events of his life as a slave. I think Equiano sets the beginning of his story in Africa instead of starting it with his American enslavement because he aims to share details about his native culture. Additionally, in the beginning, Equiano hypothesizes about the origins of his ethnicity; for example, he writes that his dark skin is a result of exposure to the hot climate of a tropical country. Equiano also writes about a connection between the Africans and the Jewish people, by which he aims to point to a connection between the Europeans and Africans. For example, he writes the following: “Let the polished and haughty European recollect that his ancestors were once, like the Africans, uncivilized, and even barbarous. Did Nature make them inferior to their sons? And should they, too, have been made slaves? Every rational mind answers, No” (Equiano, 43). Hence, the reason why Equiano begins his story by describing his life in Africa is the author’s attempt to explain why slavery is unacceptable and unjustifiable practice.
Equiano also includes some details about his family life before he was kidnapped and enslaved. For example, he writes about his sister and their life together. The sister and Equiano are both kidnapped, although they are eventually separated. This detail about the author’s family is another attempt to show the inhumane Nature of slavery and how slaves were treated, kidnapped from their homes, separated from their families, and forced to live in terrific conditions. In summary, Equiano begins his story by detailing his life in Africa instead of focusing on his arrival in America to show that slavery is an inhumane practice.
Reference
Equiano, O. (1791). The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. New-York