Yopihua1

Vianney Yopihua
Wallis
ENL 142
3/7/16

Analysis on Equiano

A common experience associated with African Americans is the

feeling of a broken or misunderstood identity produced by a conflict of
identities that opposes each othera feeling later labeled as double
consciousness(W.E.B Du Bois.1903). This feeling occurs when the
African American is demanded to embody nearly opposing identities,
resulting in an identity crisis. In often cases when an African American
is asked to maintain and embody the African part of his or her
identity, he/she can become confused on what the African identity
means. The historical journey of the African American is one that has
been defined and overshadowed by the institution of slavery. In effect,
the transition of the African American from
Africa to America through the institution of slavery often results in the
loss of the African culture. However, it is important to understand that
the institution of slavery is built on the binaries of black and white and
the understanding of racial relations based on it. In the first part of
Equianos autobiography the focus is centered on Equianos early life:

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his abduction and forcement into slavery. Equiano writes about his
experience as a slave; the terrors he experiences when he is taken
away from his home in Africa and the cruelty he experiences as a
slave. Although Equiano becomes a free man and is eventually able to
write about his experience as a slave he must maintain a double
consciousness; to speak up about the cruelty that exists in slavery
while maintaining a voice that doesnt negatively depict his intended
readers. Furthermore, Thomas Jeffersons Notes on the State of Virginia
From Query XIV. Laws : Slavery, presents the view of the white man
with regards to slavery. The portrayal and perspective of slavery in the
both text demonstrate the obstacles faced by black writers in the 16th
century and beyond.
Thomas Jeffersons, Notes on the State of Virginia on the focus of
slavery, is a text that discusses the subject of the African race. In the
text Jefferson speaks from an anti-slavery voice in which he promotes
the abolishment of slavery. However, despite his perspective on
slavery as wrong he maintains a bias perspective on race relations as a
whole. Although he is popularly known for his statement: All men are
created equal, his perspective on race doesnt necessarily embody that
philosophy. Jefferson emphasizes that if slavery is abolished there are
important precautions that need to be taken. He states, The slave,
when made free, might mix with, without staining the blood of the
master. But with us a second is necessary, unknown to history. When

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freed, he is to be removed beyond the reach of mixture.(Jefferson,
637) Although Jefferson believed that slaves should become free, he
also strongly believes that they, as a race, should immigrate out of
Virginia. The fear of whites and blacks mixing presents the power of
the belief of these binaries. Even Jefferson, who presented a positive
view on the abolishment of such institution, maintained a bias
viewpoint on the white race as the superior race.
In his article, Thomas Jefferson & Race: The Declaration & Notes
on the State of Virginia, Richardson writes about Jeffersons view on
race as an individual that is product of his society. In his article
Richardson highlights, The declarations first and second self-evident
truths (that all man are created equal) appear to be derived from the
state of nature. The first truth may be taken to mean that all men are
equal in the state of nature, and the inequalities among men,
therefore, must have been imposed on them sometime(Richardson,
450). Richardson specifically criticizes on Jeffersons comment about all
men being created equal and clarifies the intention behind Jeffersons
comment was particularly on men being created equal in nature.
However, at sometime the inequalities among men become
established in society and it then is manifested in the treatment and
perspective between individuals. The inequalities that are spoken of in
Jeffersons, Notes on the State of Virginia, are those related to race. As
previously mentioned, Jeffersons statement that all men are created

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equal is meant to be interpreted as a general perspective of humans
and not within humans. Within society, Jefferson makes clear, there are
differences between race that appoint one as the superior race and
the other one as the inferior one. It is this difference that leads him
to conclude that if abolished, slaves should be forced to leave as far as
possible from the state of Virginia, to avoid the mixture of race.
Equiano, since he is an African, is seen as part of the inferior race,
causing him to have to be careful with the manner in which he writes.
Equiano, being a black author, must speak up about matters that
concern the African people without challenging these binaries and the
status quo of them.
In order to do so Equiano takes many precautions. He begins his
narrative in an apologetic format, which is more likely to appeal to the
white reader. Equiano states, I hope the reader will not think I have
trespassed on his patience in introducing myself to him with some
account off manners and customs of my country.(Equiano, 450) Right
away he apologizes to the reader for writing about accounts and
manners of [his] country. Equiano is aware that as a black author he
does not posses much power or authority in a place that is dominated
by the white race. In his text, Equiano attempts to speak up about the
cruelty of slavery while refraining himself from depicting the white man
as the enemy.

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When Equiano speaks up about slavery he does it in a manner
that presents the perpetuator, the white man, as an abuser of the
black man but also of the white man. He describes, But I still feared I
should be put to death, the whites looked and acted, as though, in no
savage manner; for I have never seen among any people such
instances of brutal cruelty; and this not only shown towards us blacks,
but also to some of the white themselves. ( Equiano,450) Equiano is
aware that his readers know of the horrors that occur in the institution
of slavery. Therefore, he not only limits these brutalities to the black
man, but also emphasizes the way in which they treat each other. The
emphasis of white man to white man brutality is more likely to appeal
to the reader and is then more likely for the white reader to make a
change in its actions.
The experience of Equiano as an author that has to be conscious
about his reader while still being able to send his intended message is
not an experience uncommon among black authors. Susan M. Marren,
one of the contributors to, Between Slavery and Freedom : The
Transsgresive Self in Oladah Equianos Autobiography, speaks about
the challenges facing Equiano an author and advocate against slavery.
She states, Black authors consequently found that race was
inescapable and that it was what had to be escaped if they were to
speak at all. Equiano had to manipulate the terms of racial
representations themselves both to demonstrate a black mans

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capacity for reason and to elude any definitive, silencing racial
categorization. (Marren, 94) The challenge that Equiano faces as an
author is the attempt to try to escape only being seen as black and not
as a black author in its totality. He is aware that he cannot escape the
arbitraries of race and instead attempts to manipulate them.
Furthermore, Equiano also faces the challenge of being a free
man in a society that continues to perceive him as a slave. Marren
highlights, As a freed person. Equiano is entirely marginal; neither
slave nor free, he finds no secure lodgment in the jural-political order
of the slave-holding society.(Marren, 95) Although Equiano is
technically a free man he continues to be ignored in all aspects of
society. He is not considered to be part of mainstream white society
but is also no longer a slave. The in between causes him to face an
identity crisis in which he speaks up about the cruelty of slavery but
also attempt to identify with free white Americans. The arbitraries of
race follows him even once he is a free man; he is still ignored and still
faces prejudice for being black.
The Notes on the State of Virginia demonstrate the power of
binaries when perceived in terms of race. Thomas Jefferson, although
in favor of the abolishment of slavery, continues to be afraid of
mixture. As a leader and a member of the dominant race, Jefferson,
represents the perspective of the Anglo-American society during the
16th century. Furthermore, through his narrative Equiano is able to

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speak to the white reader about the horrors and injustices committed
in the institution of slavery. However, he does it in a manner that
doesnt describe the white reader as a villain-like figure. Aside from
highlighting his slave experience, Equiano is also able to provide
insight on the African culture, a culture lost by the institution of slavery.
Although Equianos narrative was written about five centuries ago, the
effects of slavery are still felt today; thriving to be freed from
stereotypes and negative stigmas established during the time of
slavery. The fight for equal rights for African Americans has been an
ongoing battle even today. In most recent times we have seen the
fight of the African American community to end police brutality against
African Americans a movement titled #blacklivesmatter. Through the
movement the African American community has spoken up against at
the lack of justice that takes place when a crime is committed against
a member of their community. The search for justice for the African
American community reveals the power of binaries; black and white as
the understanding of race is something that is still in place today..

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Bibliography:
Marren, Susan M.. Between Slavery and Freedom: The Transgressive Self in
Olaudah Equiano's Autobiography. PMLA 108.1 (1993): 94105. Web.
The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the
African. Written by himself, 2 vols (London: printed and sold for the author, 1789).
The first edition
Merrill D. Peterson, Thomas Jeffersons Notes on the State of Virginia,
in Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, vol. 7, ed. Roseann Runte
(Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1978), 50.

Richardson, William D.. Thomas Jefferson & Race: The Declaration &
Notes on the State of Virginia. Polity 16.3 (1984): 447466. Web.