ENA - Narrative as Rhetoric Lesson

Much like essays and speeches, stories can also be used to present a particular viewpoint and persuade an audience. Slave narratives have been published throughout our nation's history. This sharing of the specific experiences of slaves has introduced audiences to the cruel realities of slavery, given voice to individuals in a silenced group, moved and angered readers, and helped draw advocates to the cause of abolition.

Before reading one such narrative, please view this video on the Atlantic Slave Trade, which will give you details about the general practice of capturing, transporting, and selling slaves in the New World.

Olaudah Equiano

You will read the narrative of a former slave, Olaudah Equiano, 1745-1797. Here are some details of his life:

• kidnapped from his African village at the age of eleven
• sold to a Virginia planter, who renamed him Gustavus Vassa
• later bought by a British naval captain
• allowed to earn money on the side through his own trading
• ten years of enslavement throughout North America
• bought his own freedom with his savings
• traveled the world before settling in London
• married an Englishwoman and fathered two daughters

In his late forties, Equiano became involved in the British movement to abolish slavery and joined the Sons of Africa, a group of twelve black men who fought for abolition. In 1789, at the age of forty-four, he wrote and published his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Its publication was one of the first by a black African, and its popularity not only made Equiano wealthy but also strengthened the movement for abolition in England.

Please watch the following video for more information about slave narratives and the life experiences of Olaudah Equiano.

Reading Assignment

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African

You will now read a portion of Equiano's narrative. As you read, consider how this story functions as a persuasive text. How do the details of his description build sympathy for the abolitionist cause in ways that a speech arguing against slavery might not? How is the story different because it is told by a slave rather than a slave trader? What strategies does Equiano use to make his narrative more persuasive to his audience? How might this narrative have been influenced by autobiographical accounts by others, such as Benjamin Franklin?

From The Interesting Narrative of the Live of Olaudah Equiano Text Link Links to an external site.

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