After reading the texts from the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, the letter of Benjamin Benneker to Thomas Jefferson, and The Mary Anderson Interview, I will to the best of my ability show the different emotions and feelings of enslaved Black men and a free black man during the time of the slavery era. In this essay I will elaborate on what I took from these readings and the emotional and mental distress, as well as the physical hardships these men endured during those times. I will also show some of the similarities that these men might have had that can relate to certain movies such as roots and modern day people.

              In the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano the story gave me the impression that Olaudah was emotionally depressed, fearful, and mortified beyond any means of an average person. Olaudah was from a family of seven children. He was the youngest of six boys and older than his only sister. He was his mother’s favorite child, and he was trained in the art of war. His daily exercise would consist of shooting and throwing javelins in which he excelled. As A reward for hard work and progression his mother would reward him with emblems that resembled those of great warriors in his community. At the tender age of 11 life was over as he knew it and his happiness was put to an end. One day as the Adults of his neighborhood traveled far into the fields as they always did do labor they were approached by kidnappers. Olaudah and his sister were left at home alone to mind the house while their parents were off to work in the fields. The kidnappers made their way over the over the walls and seized both children, They grabbed them and bounded their mouths so fast the children didn’t have a chance to let out a scream before being carried through the woods.. When nightfall arrived the robbers would stop at a small house in which to get refreshments and shelter. The children would then be unbounded at this house but still was not feed for the kidnappers wanted them weak from hunger to prevent escape. The children were overpowered by fatigue and grief, and their only relief was some sleep which allayed their misfortune for a short time. At this point in the story I started to feel the pain of two young children being taken away from their home terrified, and starving. As the story goes on it talks about Olaudah being shipped from slave master to slave master. It also talks about being separated from his sister to one brief encounter with his sister to never seeing her again. Every slave master he encountered was different from the last. Some were abusive and mean while others weren’t. I believe the real turning point in his life is when he was first put on a slave ship and shipped off! That’s where he first saw men of a different culture who spoke a different language they were of pale complexion with long hair. Olaudah thought he was going to be eaten by these people instead he found out he was being sent away to be enslaved. On the slave ship Olaudah witnessed injustices he has never seen before or thought were even humanly possible. After the slave ship Olaudah was sold! In his words I quote ‘Surely this is a new refinement in cruelty, which, while it has no advantage to atone for it, thus aggravates distress, and adds fresh horrors even to the wretchness of slavery.” That quote to me summed up everything Olaudah was feeling from enslavement until freedom.

                 Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson is a free Black man writing about the moral injustices his people were bestowed upon as a whole and in attempt for change he expressed himself in this letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was the United States of America secretary of state. This letter was a plea of justice for African American people! Benjamin Bannekker was a free African American, an Astronomer, Mathematician, and An Author of the Almanac. He was a self educated man as well as very religious. In this letter he writes from a religious point of view trying to gain some kind of sympathy 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 faculties; and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversified in situation or color, we are all of the same family, and stand in the same relation to him”.  I like this Quote because he pointed out to Thomas Jefferson that we are all children of the universal father regardless of our social status we are all equal in his eyes. His letter was to me was brilliant in terms of using the universal father and religion to get his point across. To me I took from this letter Frustration, Disbelieve, hurt, and restlessness from the moral injustices his race faced on a daily basis.

             Lastly, in the memoirs from the slave narrative collection there is an Interview of a lady named Mary Anderson who was born on a slave plantation in North Carolina on May 10, 1851. The thing that mostly caught my attention was the fact that she didn’t have the same story of misery that most of the slaves shared. The interview was conducted by Pat Matthews and Mary Anderson was 86 years old during this interview. In the interview she describes her slavery days as more pleasant than the horrific tales we’ve grown accustomed to hearing. She talks about her Slave Master Sam Brodie and his Missus Evaline being more family structured and nurturing rather than cruel and abusive people. Her master Sam Brodie provided all of his slaves with good food, afforded them with plenty of warm clothing, and kept them housed comfortably. She described her experience as a slave as most pleasant and comfortable.  The interview for me was very refreshing because it showed me a different side of slavery. It showed that not all Slave Masters were brutes in those days.

                In conclusion, the texts I have read remind me of the movies Roots and Armistead just normal people longing for freedom. Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson reminds me of the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr's I have a dream speech. All of these texts are powerful in its unique way of slave’s feelings in the time of the slavery era. I now have a more profound respect for people who endured slavery. I am more thankful that times have changed. Slavery is still alive in America just not in the form of bondage. Free at last free at last thank god almighty we’re free at last.

              

My twitter is dontewigg

In The text The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano I have noticed A contraditiction in feelings. In the story Olaudah talks about planning an escape to return home. He was in charge of the poultry. One morning while feeding the poultry he tossed a pebble and killed one forcing him to flee earlier than planned. He wasn’t ready to flee but the fear of being punished by the slave master made him flee.” This alarmed me very much, and I expected an instant flogging, which to me was uncommonly dreadful; for I had seldom been beaten at home, I therefore resolved to fly; and accordingly I  ran into a thicket that was hard by and hid in the bushes”(Equiano 10). While hiding from the slave master Equiano acquired A bunch of mixed feelings which made his thoughts of being free a contradiction. He talks about the joy of wanting to be free but the fear of being caught.

Donte Wiggins

SSP 245

9/30//11

 The topic I chose to write about is the Death Penalty. The reason that I chose to write about the Death Penalty is because I believe it’s morally wrong and violates Human rights. In this proposal I will use several case studies. Two of my case studies will be Troy Davis and Raymond “Tookie” Williams. One man was sentenced to death and executed but many believed he was innocent. The other man was also sentenced to death and executed but accomplished more in prison than most people accomplish in a life time. In this proposal we will examine the moral beliefs of people who trust in this system and the people who are against it. I learned that the purpose for the Death Penalty was to be the ultimate punishment to Capital crimes. Some people believe that the death penalty is being used as a form of revenge for families of the victims and the judicial system.

           In the texts from the Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah equiano, the latter’s of Benjamin Benneker to Thomas Jefferson, The Mary Anderson Interview, and From other related sources I will to the best of my ability show the different emotions and feelings of enslaved Black men and 1 free black man during the time of the slavery era. In this essay  I will try to elaborate on what I took from these readings and the emotional distress, Mental as well ass physical hardships these men endured during those times. I will also try to show some of the similarities that these men might have had with certain movies and modern day people.

              In the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano the story gave me the impression that Olaudah was  very emotionally depressed, fearful, and mortified beyond means of any average person. Olaudah was from a family of seven children. He was the youngest of six boys and only older than his only sister. He was his mother’s favorite child. As A child he was trained in the art of war. His daily exercise would consist of shooting and throwing javelins. As A reward  for hard work and progression his mother would reward him with emblems, After the manner of their greatest warriors. This was how he was raised until the tender age of 11when all of this was put to an end as well as his happiness. One day as the Adults of his neighborhood traveled far into the fields as they always did to labor A bunch of kidnappers showed up in the neighborhood. Olaudah and his sister were left at home alone to mind the house while their parents were off to work. The kidnappers made their way over the over the walls and seized both children. The kidnappers grabbed them and bounded their mouths so fast the children didn’t have a chance to let out a scream before being carried through the woods. The childrens hands were tied and mouths bounded then carried through the woods. When nightfall came around the robbers would stop at a small house in which to get refreshments and shelter. The children would then be unbounded at this house but still was not feed for the kidnappers wanted them weak from hunger to prevent escape. The children were  overpowered by fatigue and grief, and their only relief was some sleep which allayed their misfortune for a short time. At this point in the story I started to feel the pain of two young children being taken away from their home terrified, and starved. As the story goes on it talks about Olaudah being shipped around from slave master to slave master. It also talks about being separated from his sister to one brief encounter with his sister to never seeing his sister again. Every slave master he had was different from the last. Some were abusive and mean while others weren’t. I believe the real turning point in his life is when he was first put on a slave ship and shipped off. That’s where he first saw men of a different culture who spoke a different language. They were pale complexion with long hair. Olaudah thought he was going to be eaten by these people. When he found out that he was being sent away to be a slave he eased up thinking it was gonna be similar to what he just experienced. On the slae ship olaudah witnessed injustices he has never seen before or thought were even humanly possible. After the slave ship Olaudah was sold. In his own words I quote ‘Surely this is a new refinement in cruelty, which, while it has no advantage to atone for it, thus aggravates distress, and adds fresh horrors even to the wretchness of slavery.” That quote to me summed up everything Olaudah was feeling from birth until the remainder of his time as a slave.

                 Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson is a free Black man writing about the moral injustices his people were bestowed upon as awhole and in attempt for change he expressed himself in this letter to Thomas Jefferson who at that time was the United States of America secretary of state. This letter was a plea of justice for African American people. Benjamin Bannekker was a free African American, an Astronomer, Mathematician, and An Author of the Almanac. He was a self educated man as well as a religious man. In this letter he writes from a religious point of view trying to gain some kind of sympathy 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 faculties; and that however variable we may be in society or religion, however diversified in situation or color, we are all of the same family, and stand in the same relation to him.  I like this Quote because he pointed out to Thomas Jefferson that we are all children of the universal father and no matter what our social status we are all equal in his eyes. His letter was to me was brilliant in terms of using the universal father and religion to get his point across. To me I took from this letter Frustration, Disbelieve, hurt, and restlessness from the moral injustices his race faced on a daily basis.

              In the memoirs from the slave narrative collection There is an Interview of a lady named Mary Anderson. Mary Anderson was born on a slave plantation in North Carolina may 10,1851. She was born a slave. The thing that mostly caught my attention was the fact that she didn’t have the same story of misery that most of the slaves shared. The interview was conducted by Pat Matthews; Mary Anderson was 86 years old during this interview. In the interview she describes her slavery days as more pleasant than the horrific tales we grown accustomed to hearing. She talks about her Slave Master Sam Brodie and his Missus Evaline being more family sturcted and nurturing rather than cruel and unusual abusive people. Her master Sam Brodie provided all of his slaves with good food, Afforded them with plenty of warm clothing, and kept them housed in comfortable housing. She described her experience as a slave as most pleasant and comfortable.  The interview for me was very refreshing because it showed me a different side of slavery. It showed that every Slave Master wasn’t a brute in those days.

                In these three texts that I have read it reminds me of the movies Roots and armestead not to mention Benjamin Banneker’s letters to Thomas Jefferson reminds me or rather is similar to the Rev.Dr Martin Luther King jr’s I have a dream speech. All of these texts are powerful in its own unique way of slaves feelings in the time of the slavery era.

              

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.