Jessica Rodriguez Essay -- English Literature

Moton and ParadiseHistorical Accuracy in Equianos NovelOlaudah Equianos autobiography, The Interesting account of the Lifeof Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written byHimself, has be summate a very important piece of literature. Equianoestablished a new type of literature with this novel. It was the prime(prenominal)autobiography/slave narrative ever written. Many other slaves, suchas Fredrick Douglass, followed his example in writing autobiographiesor slave narratives. Equiano not only(prenominal) gives detailed descriptions ofhis homeland, of which we still know little about, he also gives apowerful account of the inwardness Passage. Despite these captivatingaccounts, many critics have come to question the authenticity ofEquianos history. Many do not believe that he was the man he claimedto be. Although there is some evidence to suggest this, there is notenough to discredit Equianos accounts. Equianos autobiographyoffers a powerful and truthful account of the authors history, andhis experiences with the slave trade and the Middle Passage. Despitethe critics accusations, Equianos novel is historically accurate.Olaudah Equiano was born in the southern part of Nigeria known asIsseke (or Essaka) in the year 1745. Equiano provides muchinformation on their customs and rituals. He explains in detail thedress, religion, dance, and customs of the Igbo people. One recurringtopic is cleanliness. Equiano states . . . our cleanliness on all occasions is extreme. . . (9). After his kidnapping, he is astonished at the lack of cleanliness he encounters. He also describes how important dance is in his culture. Equiano claims, we are almost a nation of dancers, musicians, and poets. Thus e... ...e to witness the fruits of his hard labor, just now he did notquit fighting for what he believed in until the very end. OlaudahEquiano is a historically accurate novel worthy of being treated as aviable piece of literature. Works CitedCarretta, Vincent. Olauda h Equiano or Gustavus Vassa? New Light onan Eighteenth-century Question of Identity, Slavery and Abolition,20, 3 (December 1999), 96-105Costanzo, Angelo. Surprising Narrative Olaudah Equiano and theBeginnings of obtuse Biography. New York Greenwood P, 1987.Equiano, Olaudah. Interesting Narrative of the Life of OlaudahEquiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself. New York.Modern Library. 1789.Slattery, Katherine. The Igbo People Origins and History. November 1999. Queens University of Belfast. April 2005.http//www.qub.ac.uk/en/imperial/nigeria/origins.htm.