Education Led to Freedom - Douglass and Equiano - Essay Example

?Wendell Batista ENG 2850 Dr. Kelly Nims Education led to Freedom Both Douglass and Equiano are some of the most celebrated African s with analogies dating back to the slavery ages. In 1845 Douglass escaped from slavery and the narrative was first published to narrate the ordeal of Douglass in Slavery. The narrative by Douglass has been further affirmed by William Lyod, who argues that Douglass narrative is true and nothing has been written in malice (Douglass, viii).The narrative is therefore a true story of Douglass while in Bondage. Equiano on the other hand narrates a story with a happy beginning and takes the reader through the process in which slaves were robed off their cultural heritage and taken to live in unbearable circumstances in slavery. However, there are slight differences between the experiences of Douglass compared to the one of Equiano. From these narratives, there is an acute contrast concerning the lives of slaves and the determinations they had as a vehicle towards freedom. Douglass at the start of the narrative raises a confusion regarding his childhood, and the dilemma concerning his family clearly, Douglass as he narrates about his family leaves more unanswered questions regarding what he knows and not rather what he doesn’t about his family. This is more so as he says that “I have no accurate knowledge of my age” (Douglass 1) and he cannot even accurately recall his father. The fact that he was separated from his father and mother reveals families in crisis, and he insists that he only saw his mother two or five times in his life “I never saw my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life” (Douglas 1). Douglass means that he has never had a decent family upbringing and even does not know how being in a family feels like. Equiano on the other hard explains his family to be a royal family with his father being the chief. His father was revered man and Equiano grew up in a protective family headed by a chief. Unlike Douglass who cannot remember his age, Equiano tells about his cultural background and cultural practices, which signifies that he had been in the set up for some time to learn all the cultural practices. Douglass lived a painful life and introduced to brutality at an early age. He remembers the whipping that the slaves had to undergo both the young and old, men and women who were tortured as Douglass recalls his screaming aunt being tortured, “he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood.” (Douglass 26). This explains that his story is a representation of stories by other slaves undergoing the same predicament. Throughout the initial narrative, Douglass tells of a painful experience that slaves have to endure under their masters such as Edward Lloyd. The lack of a decent living place and inhuman conditions through which the children had to endure tells of a cruel life that robbed off the innocence of children. In contrast, Equiano explains of his lovely child life in a place of plenty where he argues that nature was prodigal of her favors and their wants were few, “As we live in a country where nature is prodigal of her favours, our wants are few and easily supplied.” (Equiano 17). The land is very rich and fruitful with all kinds of abundance, where agriculture is the main practice by the rural folks. Equiano narrates a representation of a story that each child would dream to have, and by both of them (Equiano & Douglas) being black, the contrast in their lives is sharp and boundless. While Equiano is boasting of a life of plenty, where nature could provide everything, Douglass laments of unfairness in nature that introduced him to the life of torture and robbed him his childhood compared to the lives of his fellow Africans back at home. At the age of seven, Douglass is sent to child labor in a ship carpenter in Baltimore. To Douglass this was like freedom as he comments, “a city slave is almost like a freeman, compared to the slavery in the plantation.” (Douglass 34). This remark shows the climax of the inhumanity that Douglass had to undergo, as well as the other slaves in the plantations; the experience was degrading. Being transferred to the city makes Douglass to have a feeling that the new life is so close to freedom due to the new acquaintances and the new things he has to learn. This is a sharp contrast to the happy and merry life of plenty and loyalty that Equiano narrates. The deep cultural background in which Equiano lived much resembles the bondage that Douglass endures, the difference being the lack of whipping and forced labor. Equiano is in bondage of cultural practices that make him to view each aspect in terms of cultural belief. The presence of magicians and wise men in the African culture who are serious revered, and Equiano connects stopping of the vessel in the water to magic, which amazed him “and the white men had some spell or magic they put in the water when they liked in order to stop the vessel.” (Equiano 31) largely explains the mental trout that Equiano being brought up in a purely African set up has to under ergo. These men calculated events to the future, and their words were taken to be law and revered that no one dared question their actions. The belief in poisoning that Equiano elaborates about is also a case of mental slavery and bondage. According to Equiano, “The natives are extremely cautious about poison. When they buy any eatable the seller kisses it all round before the buyer, to show him it is not poisoned;” (Equiano 21). This explains that, as Douglass and the slaves viewed their white masters with too much reverence and caution, the natives in the African state such as Equiano still observed one another cautiously. It is not clear how in a land of abundance a buyer can poison his clients, and this is mental slavery by the cultural set up. In Baltimore the new city that made Douglass to feel a sense of freedom creeping in his life, Douglass as he remarks feels more at liberty and portrays another positive dimension of the masters as the new boss allows him to exercise more liberty as Douglass described, “ He is much better fed and clothed, and enjoys privileges altogether unknown to the slave on the plantation.” (Douglass 34). The master’s wife; Sophia is kind enough and starts to teach Douglass the basics in A, B, C…. As Douglass narrates, “it gave me the best assurance that I might rely with the utmost confidence on the results which, he said, would flow from teaching me to read.”(Douglass 33). The new acquaintance and Sophia represent a sense of both physical and mental liberty to Douglass, and through Sophia, Douglass hope is increased, meaning that Douglass sees another positive part of life away from the slavery and mental anguish. True to his remark, Douglass takes the lessons by Sophia in heart, and sees a new hope to break the painful past that has dotted his childhood memories. The slavery is though pertinent as Douglass offers bread to hungry children in exchange of reading lessons. The determination and feeling of hope makes Douglass to break away from the past and now sees a brighter future in the learning lessons. Equiano on the other hand breaks his life of riches to a new life of suffering by being taken as a captive for slavery in North America. The contrast between life of plenty and the life of suffering and slavery makes Equiano to wish to be dead in passage “I often wished for death, though at the same time convinced I was altogether unprepared for that awful summons”(Equiano 91). In addition to the bondage, Equiano just like Douglass is subjected to mental torture by being set alone where he cannot talk to anyone. The narrative of Equiano portrays the similarities between the cruelty faced by slave in both palaces, both women and men. To him this was more than possible. He could not believe that there were such differences between the harmony he was used to, and the life of cruelty. However, Equiano seems to have a different life compared to Douglass in slavery. As Douglass has lamented, slave in the city is almost free compared to the one in the plantations. Equiano was most of the time in high waters traveling from city to city as he narrates his order to London as described in the passage, “but, as I wished very much to be in London, I declined remaining any longer there, and begged he would excuse me.” (Equiano 104). Equiano unlike Douglass who was faced with much physical abuse suffers more form psychological torture. The main difference is that while for Douglass religion seems not to play any part; Equiano is deeply religious and constantly pleads with God to end his predicament. All through chapter four and five, Equiano narrates of the vast voyages that he had to make as well as several instances when he could be bought and sold to different masters. However, his masters were rather friendly and his work and behavior were attractive to the different masters, and this made Equiano to live a life more decent than Douglass in slavery. The different acquaintances with the white where Equiano learns to make business as he is sent to buy items on the ship are a contrast between him and Douglass. An example is Doctor Perkins who had hidden him to the disgust of his master, as mentioned by Equiano “as I did not return to the ship all night, my captain, not knowing where I was, and being uneasy that I did not then make my appearance, he made inquiry after me;” (Equiano 271). On the contrary Douglass escapes end as he escapes from bondage to found a family and settles at Massachusetts, and married Murray a fellow black slave now free, as Douglass narrates, Mr. Ruggles called in the Rev. J. W. C. Pennington, who, in the presence of Mr. Ruggles, Mrs. Michaels, and two or three others, performed the marriage ceremony, and gave them a certificate, of which the following was an exact copy: —“THIS may certify, that I joined together in holy matrimony Frederick Johnson† and Anna Murray, as man and wife, in the presence of Mr. David Ruggles and Mrs. Michaels.”(Douglass 117). Douglass through the education he had has advantages over other free slaves and recalls how he made a public address before an audience of abolitionists calling for the end to slavery. The future is left at this point where Douglass leaves it for more positive and hopeful events. For Equiano, his is more work and travel than slavery as he lives the story preparing for another journey to Montserrat. From the two stories it is clear that the two slavery stories varied greatly, with Equiano having a rather mild episode compared to Douglass. Equiano puts his hopes in obedience and handwork that make him to have favors from his masters and this dilutes the severity of the slavery episode. Douglass on the other hand puts his determination in education, which lastly buys his freedom. The different phases of slavery are therefore clear from the two narratives and the strategies in which the two slaves employed to ensure their freedom. Works cited. Douglass, Frederick, The Norton anthology of world literature volume E. Boston: Anti Slavery Office, 1845. Equiano, Olaudah. Gustavus, Vassa, the African vol. 1. London Read More