Equiano's Argument on Slavery

     Our discussion from class was very eye opening for me because the different ideas presented in class developed my understanding of Equiano’s argument/feelings of slavery. Equiano has a very passive tone in his work and it seems like he doesn't want to anger anyone with his opinions in slavery. He does make comments regarding the issue and makes comments regarding treating slaves better, but he does not choose one side or the other. As one of my classmates stated, he may have chosen this stance because the list of subscribers contained people that were powerful and they had slaves. Equiano definitely had opinions on slavery and how slaves were treated, but he also did not want to ruffle any feathers which is why he could not pick a side and anger a certain group. He mentioned that if you treat your slaves better, they will work better, but he also does not mention completely abolishing slavery. As I was reading, I was a bit confused because of the slight contradictions he presents regarding his opinions on slavery, but I now understand why he did not choose a specific side. Equiano is making the practical/economic argument as he does not want to be seen as the bad guy and he obviously wants his book to sell, getting a large amount of good reviews. He does speak about his miserable experiences with slavery and he states,” My former slavery now rose in dreadful review to my mind, and displayed nothing but misery, stripes, and chains…(Equiano 115).  Again, Equiano does not blatantly state that slavery is bad, but he speaks of his own bad experiences with slavery. 



Comments

  1. Bailey BlackFebruary 5, 2022 at 11:57 AM

    I agree with you that although Equiano may have supported abolition of slavery, he doesn't specifically mention it in order to make his narrative more palatable to a wide audience. I think that this fact is really important to understanding what details Equiano chooses to include as well as how he frames those details.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Max WhiteFebruary 5, 2022 at 1:45 PM

    I totally agree in that Equiano is taking a more passive voice when it comes to pointing the blame of slavery. He knows that people will not be so willing to abolish slavery if they feel attacked by this argument. So in order to circumvent this issue, Equiano never directly points the blame of slavery on anyone specific group and therefor allows his intended audience to empathize with the harsh realities of slavery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KrisFebruary 6, 2022 at 3:07 PM

      Yeah, I definitely agree that Equiano is purposefully avoiding placing blame for slavery. Attacking one's character generally leads people to be unreceptive towards discourse, so imagine how much more this would hold true for literal slave-owners. His more logical approach to criticizing the shortcomings and inefficiencies of slavery allows Equiano to actually connect with his audience.

      Delete
  3. Jojo LampkaFebruary 6, 2022 at 10:29 PM

    I think, as you touched on, he really just wanted to share his story. The purpose behind that, though undefined, is not necessary to absorb the tragedy of slavery that we see through Equiano.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ismene and Isma

Image
      After reading the beginning of Antigone and after finishing Home Fire , I noticed many similarities and differences between the parallel characters in both pieces of work. There is a direct connection between Isma and Ismene, Antigone and Aneeka, Creon and Karamat, Parvaiz and Polyneices, and Haemon and Eamonn. The names of these characters are fairly similar, but the similarities and differences I found to be compelling was the parallelism between Isma and Ismene. To state the obvious similarity, Isma and Ismene both have a brother who is shameful and is deemed as a traitor. They both also have a sister that is very headstrong and passionate, which differs from Isma and Ismene’s personality. Isma and Ismene are both very careful with following rules, and they tend to stay safe rather than go against the law. Both of the characters are also willing to suffer the consequences as well. One minor difference is that Isma is more sensible than Ismene and although Ismene is very carefu
Read more

Korean Workers In Japan

Image
       The topic I was assigned for Colin’s visit is Korean Workers In Japan. The image I chose was an image of colonial workers recruiting workers in Korea to take to Japan. Due to the shortage of labor in the Japanese economy in the 1920’s, Koreans who wanted employment and educational opportunities migrated to Japan. At this time, most of the workers were mainly men, but there were women as well. These workers engaged in work involving physical labor because they were poorly educated and usually illiterate. The two jobs that were very populated by Koreans were mining and factories. According to the Stanford Program on International and Cross- Cultural Education,” Between 1939 and 1945, the Japanese government brought 700,000-800,000 Koreans to work in Japan.” A large amount of these Korean workers in Japan faced many difficulties such as racial discrimination and economic exploitation, and the Japanese nationals wanted the Koreans to fully assimilate to Japanese society by offering
Read more

My Favorite Restaurant

Image
       Out of all of the restaurants I have been to in the United States, I would say my favorite restaurant is Jardines in San Juan, California. The food is absolutely delightful and the ambiance is very tranquil. My favorite thing about this restaurant is not the food, but the outdoor seating. There are multiple tables located outdoors, and during the beginning of the pandemic, my family chose this restaurant because outdoor seating was required and indoor seating was prohibited. From that point on, this became our go-to spot. Another reason why I love this beautiful and peaceful restaurant is that I can bring my German Shepherd and he can enjoy being with his family. The food is also very delicious, and the menu has a variety of plates. The menu includes all types of Mexican food, but you can order a plate of enchiladas with rice and beans or an a la carte taco of your choice. At Jardines, there is also a woman that sells beautiful hand embroidered masks. I actually bought a lovely
Read more