'The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano Book Review\r'

'Comp are the eighteenth century African break stars back swop to a feisty of chequer. Played on a chequered board of 64 opposing colors, the object of checkers is to capture or block wholly the workforce of an opponent. Careful planning of flak and defense are key ele ments to throw outning. The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano does more than scarcely detail the experiences of a former African slave, it sets forrad the play sequence between the various players intermeshed in the slave shift, the emotions gnarly, the final results and consequences on the players, and the future tense of the game if it were solelyowed to continue. Equiano experienced livelihood as a slave on several continents.\r\nHe endured the savage of the gist Passage and the various physical and randy insults and tortures, which came as a result of bondage to an some other(prenominal) individual. These descriptions are important in establishing the primary players in the slave game . The first is the African player and the other is the White player represented by two Europeans and Americans. The beginning descriptions of Equiano’s tribal life are instrumental in understanding the nature of the African player. Equiano perceives the difference in the African way of life versus that of the European as merely one of time.\r\nThe Africans entertain not had the time to learn and grow as the Europeans have. Equiano maintains the view that existing in a antithetical st ingest of being does not give the European the right to take advantage of their situation in order to promote their own welfare. â€Å"Let the attired and haughty European recollect that his ancestors were once, like the African, uncivilized, and evening barbarous. Let such reflections as these melt the ostentation of their superiority into sympathy for the wants and miseries of their sable brethren and compel them to take that understanding is not confined to feature or color. Equiano u ses scripture to support his idea that all men were created the same and merely existed in different states of progression. The legal age of Europeans did not share Equiano’s views. As a result the rules of the game changed for the Europeans who viewed themselves as superior to that of the African. These views were obligated for the horrors, which umteen Africans faced in slavery. Even those Europeans who seek to treat slaves with respect could not escape the frugal benefits slavery provided them.\r\nAs a result the European was held captive by his own desire to win sort of than to play fair. The European plan of attack was ruthless and he felt he had zilch to fear from the African. Equiano writes that these feelings on the part of the European ate away at the salvation of the European soul. slavery affected not lone(prenominal) the body of the African scarcely also their hope. Equiano describes men in his company who would rather jump off a place and perish in th e sea than endure the atrocities of the Middle Passage. Even those Africans who were granted dethawdom still suffered the ill-use of slavery.\r\n afterwards a horrifying incident aboard the London slave ship the Zong, Equiano, a publish adult male at the time, wrote of the courts â€Å"he adage no help in them, nor by the law. ” Not just was the incident aboard the Zong an practice session of the horrors that existed when people were case-hardened as property but served as an example of how the ideas of superiority on the part of the English served to take on a blow at the hope of the African. The pass off theme of religion in Equiano’s record is important in understanding that one’s actions cannot escape the judgment and eye of God.\r\nEquiano felt shelter and solace in the doctrines of Christianity. It was a force that soothe him when his duties of a slave almost destroyed him and his unfitness to be treated as an equal when giving mystified him. In true Christianity Equiano also saw hope for the Europeans who were losing their souls to the slave trade. In an address of give thanks to the Quakers in G break away Church Court, Equiano states that by lifting the burdens of the Negroes on that point might be in â€Å"some measure, be the possible means, under God, of saving the souls of many of the oppressors. In the checker game of the slave trade, the Europeans did not perpetrate that their men were being lost. They felt they were winning the game in regards to economics. Equiano alerted the reader to the cost the European was compensable for their grasp on wealth and prosperity. Equiano’s notion that men can only be salvage through a combination of faith, works and floor is important in understanding the effects of the trade upon the future of the game. Equiano recognized that there were no enduring winners in the slave trade.\r\nThe Europeans were losing the game because they shoped to see the ceaseless co nsequences of their actions. Equiano believed that the European could still prosper economically without the slave trade if the right plan were to be ascribe into effect. This plan would benefit all involved. Equiano fight for the abolishment of slavery was the tip of the iceberg in his quest. He called for a change of attitude in regards to race relations. He believed this would be the ultimate step in restoring the dignity of all involved.\r\nEquiano had seen first hand that many Europeans still viewed Africans as property even when they were free and treated them as such. Equiano knew that merely breaking the fetter of slavery was not enough to make its effect disappear. Just as men needed all components of the faith †grace equation to be saved, those involved in the slave trade needed a change in attitude to prevail in order to restore hope and eternal relationships. Equiano wrote, â€Å"After all what makes any event important, unless by its expression we become bette r and wiser, and learn to do justly, to admire mercy, and to walk humbly before God? . Equiano’s narrative teaches us that in order for individuals to authentically win they must not compete against one another nor capture or enslave ground on the notion of race. Instead they should look for slipway to work together to find and enjoy the treasures of sapience and salvation Equiano believed were available to all. I believe in Equiano’s message. It was one of powerful humility and quite a visionary for his time. He was no ordinary man as he claims. His insights into his experiences and encounters with both players of the slave trade reflected a depth of understanding no bullion could buy.\r\nHis ability to shed light on the emotions of all players involved opened my eyes to the various sides of the slave trade of the time. His message is applicable not only to these aspects of slave trade of the 18th century but also to other concepts of World History sometime(pre nominal) and present. It is important to recognize and understand the concept that when we fail to recognize the importance of others and try to dominate rather than cooperate the only winner of the game is cataclysm and heartache.\r\n'