Draft

  In the texts from the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equino and the letter of Benjamin Banneker to Thomas Jefferson, and The Mary Anderson Interview I’ve noticed 3 different emotions and feelings from two slaves and one free black man during the slavery era. In my essay I plan on showing to the best of my ability the different emotions these three different people were feeling at those times.

               In the text from the Interesting Narrative of the life Olaudah Equino the story gave me a sad, depressed, and lonely feeling. In this story the reader is taken from the child hood of a young African boy to the adduction of this child for slavery. This story gives the reader a blow by blow detailed account of the adduction and all of the misfortunes this child endures.  Olaudah and his sister where adducted from their home while their parents were gone. Bounded and carried throughout the woods screams for help echoed through out the woods but to no avail, those tears and screams fell on death ears. When night fell the abductors would halt for refreshments and sleep. Olaudah and his sister would then be unbound but weren’t able to eat because the abductors wanted them weak. The only relief that they were afford was some sleep, which allayed their misfortune for a short time. At this point in the story I get the feeling of loneliness and depression.

 As the story goes on Olaudah and his sister are sold from master to master. He was sold and shipped again where he met other Africans from all over Africa who spoke different from him. He talks about the mistreatment of the slaves from the beatings to every way possible his human rights were violated. An example of his Human Rights being violated would be from Olaudah’s own words which were” when these people knew we were brother and sister they indulged us to be together; and the man, to the man I suppose we belonged, lay with us, he in the middle, while she and I held one another across his breast all night; and thus for awhile we forgot our misfortunes in the joy of being together”. Even after a night like that the next morning would serve as a reality check when he and his sister would be separated again this time forever. This left Olaudah worst than he ever felt in his life. This reading gave me a first hand look into how much pain the slaves went through that wasn’t obvious before.

      In conclusion, Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson is a free black man in the slavery era writing about the moral injustices his people face as a whole and in attempt for change he writes this letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was The United States Secretary of State. This letter was a plea for justice for African Americans. Benjamin Banneker was a free African American an astronomer, mathematician, and author of the almanac. He was a self educated man as well as a religious person. In this letter he writes from a religious point of view trying to gain some kind of symphony from Thomas Jefferson. A quote from this letter that really caught my attention is “That your sentiments are  concurrent with mine, which are, that one universal father hath given being to us all; and that hath not only made us all of one flesh but that he hath also, without partiality afforded us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same facilities; and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversified in situation or color, we are all of the same relation to him. I like this quote because he pointed out to Thomas Jefferson that to the universal father we are all his children and no matter what our social status we are all equal in his eyes. This letter was brilliant in my eyes on how he used the universal father and religion get his point across. To me this letter is a letter of frustration, hurt, and restlessness from the injustices his raced faced in those times.

Assignment 1

             In Banneker’s letter to Jefferson and Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative we get two different views of African American’s about slavery. Banneker was a free black American who saw and a felt a great injustice of black people with their human rights. Equaino was an African who was kidnapped from Africa and sold to be a slave. Banneker expressed his feelings in a very well mannered educated and spiritual letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was the United States of America secretary of state. Equiano’s reflection of his life was a real life experience of being kidnapped to be transported around and be sold for slavery. In my essay I will try my best to show how I interpreted the feelings of both of these men during those times they write about in these stories.

              After reading Banneker’s letter’s to Jefferson I got the impression of an highly self educated man hurt and pain reflected in a letter to Jefferson about the unfair and morally wrong doings and happenings to his race as a whole. In Banneker's letter he expresses the pain and injustice he witnesses on a regular basis to his race as a whole. Banneker's seems to be very religious in this writing and seems to believe that Thomas Jefferson is just as religious as him. Banneker’s is a Christian; most people in those times were Christian. In the letter Banneker refers to a higher power, how we are all children of the universal father. He also mentions how the universal father not only made us of one flesh, but also without putridity, afforded us all the same faculties, and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversired in situation of color, we are all of the same family, and stand in the relation to him. I believe that he was writing out of hurt and frustration to Thomas Jefferson about all of the injustices his race was facing on a daily basis and having their human rights compromised. To me this letter was a cry to Thomas Jefferson to honor the human rights of all people and not only to a selected few no matter what role or position they may hold in society.

               In the story The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano I believe he was emotionally distressed, fearful, and terrified. In this very detailed account of his life Olaudah  describes to us his views first hand from being kidnapped from Africa to being shipped around to Barbados where the cargo which were slaves were sold and dispersed around the world to slavery. He details the time from when he and his sister were kidnapped from their home while their parents were gone. They were bounded and carried away deep into the woods. It happened so fast they were carried away before they could even get a scream out or rather a cry for help. The only brief relief since being captured was the short time they had to sleep. He describes the accounts of not wanting to eat anything but was forced feed. Cries for help were screamed from far and away only to fall on deaf ears. Moved from slave master to slave master Olaudah recounts the pain, frustration, and confusion of what was really going on. He recalls being moved around so much he almost got use to it until he was sold and separated from his sister.  He talks about slavery and the hardships, mental break downs, and emotional wear and tear that slavery put on him. During his time of being shipped around Olaudah was introduced to or rather shipped around with other slaves from different parts of Africa with who spoke a different African Language. This story reminded me of Alex Haley’s movie and book Roots. It reminded me of the struggles African’s went through from being hunted like animals captured bounded shipped away and forced to work long grueling hours or be beaten and possibly killed. Families were destroyed and Generations of family histories were erased or rather hard to trace due to the separation of many families. After watching such a powerful movie and reading such a heart felt story such as this I felt as if I was right there experiencing the same sorrow as these men were. The pain, fear, and misfortunes this man has endured are almost unbelievable.

                       I believe that these two readings were very motivating in the learning experience of the slaves point of view in a time where slaves were treated worst than or equal to an animal. The emotional distress of these readings only confirms my thoughts of the readings that the slaves were experiencing things that I truly believe that no one word could possibly explain  to make a person understand what they were going through. There was no one or no where a slave could possibly turn to, to escape the inhuman conditions of slavery.

Language Essay

For as long as I can remember language has influenced my life. I know now that language is taught to us at a young age from parents, teachers, and the environment in which we are raised in or surrounded by. Language is used in our everyday life whether it’s our personal lives or in the work field. Each language is unique in its own ways.

             We all deal with language from birth. The very moment that we are bought into this world our parents or parent begin to communicate with us. I don’t believe that we understand language at first but as time goes on we get familiar with the words, sounds, and actions that are being communicated to us. At the tender age of 4 maybe 5we all begin to speak fluently. Around that age we begin school where we are taught different ways to communicate or rather the proper way to communicate with the language taught to us. An example of this would be a child who attends kindergarten knows how to speak but everyday that child attends school they are taught the alphabet, how to count, how to read, and how to identify various things thus expanding their vocabulary in language. The environment we live in forms the way we use language as well as friends, family, and even strangers we interact with on a daily basis influence our language and its usage. The way a person speaks to his or her loved ones may seem different versus the language used in school or the workplace. An example of this would be a person greeting a friend outside might say what’s up or something to that effect. A person in school or at work may greet a person by saying good morning or good afternoon. Lastly television, the media, music videos, and reality tv also influences our language.

In my lifetime I have learned that there are different ways we use language! Language is extremely important in different scenarios.

 I learned that in schools and at work that the way I formulate my words and the tone of my voice could have a dramatic effect on how my words are received.  Keeping in mind that if I'm not speaking correctly my words can be taken in the wrong way. When amongst family I am not so proper I tend to swear and talk out of content. However, when speaking to new people I am always mindful to speak clearly and think how my words may affect people.

    I believe that the slaves in this story were terrified. I believe this due to the fact that if they were caught they would be beaten or even killed. In the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah  Equiano he describes the emotions of being terrified. He talks about how night was approaching and it was aggravating all of his fears.  He figured if he could escape all the animals from the woods, he could not escape those of mankind, thus feeling like a hunted deer. He was faced with the obstacles of trying to run without getting caught, finding his way home without getting lost in the woods, and not dying.

     I believe that Olaudah  Equiano was emotionally terrified in this story. From the beginning of the passage that I have read Olaudah talks about laying in bushes and shrubberies to conceal himself from strictest search. He mentions how the neighbors continued looking for him the whole day and several times coming within yards to where he lay and hid. He was fearful that if caught he would be punished by the Master. He also mentions the neighbor’s talks about him returning home would be hopeless. They talked about the distance was to great, and the way being to intricate, that he would never reach it and would get lost in the woods. When night began to fall it aggravated all of his fears. He did not believe his journey home would be fruitless and believed if he could escape all other animals, he could not escape those of Human. Thus making Olaudah  Equiano feel like a hunted deer. Throughout this passage Olaudah Equiano describes different scenarios of why he was feeling the way he did at that present moment. All he wanted to do was return home but he was faced with numerous obstacles from being hunted like deer from the whole neighborhood, the fear of being caught and punished by master, the fear of get lost in the woods and not finding his way home, to the fear of escaping all other animals only to being caught by humans.

I chose this class as a way to better my communcation skills. I figured that by taken this cluster i could better my verbal communcation as well as my written.I have a major where it is very important to know how to present yourself in the work field,as well as to the community.