Comparing And Contrasting Phillis Wheatley And Equiano
The Middle Passage was a dreadful journey of vessels that carried slaves and went from Africa to other European colonies. Two Slaves who went through this voyage from their homeland recollect their experience. Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano were two slaves who were kidnapped from Africa at a young age. They both share their views and experiences of slavery into literary pieces. Phillis Wheatley's "To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth" and Equiano's selections from "The Life of Gustavus Vassa" are literary pieces that talk about their views, experiences, and ideas in relation to slavery. Like Phillis Wheatley, Olaudah Equiano was born in an African village. During a recreational event with his younger sister, both of them were kidnapped and sold into slavery to another village. From there they moved into yet another village and eventually they were captured and sold to European slavers. In Equiano's Autobiography he describes in detail his appalling journey through what was known as The Middle Passage. While he was a slave under a certain owner, he developed the
Olaudah Equiano's and Phillis Wheatley's view of slavery is different in the sense of their tone and attitude. Since Phillis Wheatley's poem was addressed to a person of high power, it is obvious that as a black young female her tone of voice had to be pleasant and respectful. "Since in thy pow'r, as in thy will before, To sooth the griefs, which thou did'st once deplore..." She reminds her recipient that he has the power to "sooth the griefs" of the slaves. Furthermore, she pleads and praises him by writing certain glorifying statements. For example, "for favours past, great sir, our thanks are due." However, Equiano uses a different approach to his recollection. Since his literary piece was a narrative, he records the details of his life beginning from the day of his kidnapping. He talks about each event specifically. For example, when he is on the ship heading towards the European colonies on The Middle Passage, he claims that when he was put down under the decks he "received such a salutation in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life..." In his account he doesn't leave
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Approximate Word count = 735
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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