IRW 1300
In my first year upon joining senior school, I became more enlightened about the human rights. Previously, I was content with the perception of the society about slaves. I perceived slaves to be lesser humans who were meant to help more superior beings. Slaves, to me, did not have feelings, neither did they have needs other than basic, to keep them going. In short, slaves were more of domestic animals than human beings. In some countries, they were treated with respect, while in others, they were treated with utmost brutality. For example, in Amsterdam, the black men and women could take their masters to court just like their white counterparts. This was, however, different in America.
My turnaround occurred when I read “The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano” by Elauda Equiano. This novel depicts what slaves go through in the hands of their masters. The novel talks about the experience of a young man taken as a slave in America. In his account, he talks about his hometown called Essaka, as well as the customs of his Igbo people. He talks of the communities he passed on his way to the coast and focuses on the brutality of slavery in Georgia, Virginia and the West Indies. In these same places, slaves were denied rights such as the voting rights. Equiano was attached to his faith but almost lost it when a black cook called John Annis was kidnapped and tortured on the island of Saint Kitts. Equiano was stressed by these occurrences to the extend of having suicidal thoughts. He had a negative perception of the Americans and vowed that he would never to visit the country again due to its brutality. Holding on to his faith helped him nullify the thoughts of suicide and rebuild his life after being granted freedom. However, it was not easy for him to get rid of the experience on the brutality committed on his brethren.
Reading this book almost brought me to tears over the cruelty exhibited. I had mixed feelings of anger and range for the only difference between the whites, and the blacks is the skin pigmentation and nothing else. Why would they be treated with such animosity? This experience caused me nightmares and more often, I got startled and woke up at the middle of the night feeling sick. I felt that everybody was responsible and so felt hatred for everyone that I thought was in a position to change things. However, my hatred was not warranted since these events occurred along time ago and none of those present was alive then. The novel changed my perception about human beings irrespective of the race and I treat everybody equally since I knew that they too felt the same way I feel. It enlightened me on several things about human beings and the need to guard their rights. It helped me understand and appreciate the existence of human rights since without them; people with ability would be stepping on other people’s toes without giving a damn.
Until reading this book, I never got to know the different perception of people about others and I never appreciated the tolerance that the slaves showed as they were going through the traumatizing treatment. The book opened my understanding on the importance of humanity and the fact that the human mind cannot erase any evil done on him or his relation.
Works cited
Olauda, Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, the African. The Author, 1794 - 360 pages.
