Unit 2

10/27/2013

14 Comments

 

Olaudah Equiano

Comments are due before November 6, 2013.  Take note: 2 questions must be answered. 
How do we account for the horrible cruelty by human beings Equiano told about in his autobiography?  What might be happening in our society today that tells us that human nature hasn't changed?
14 Comments
DrayS
10/31/2013 01:56:27 am

In his autobiography, Equiano truly conquered something most people would not. That is being captured and sold into slavery. The cruelty he faced was astronomical. He was torn away from his family and was put in a random family that was surprisingly somewhat good to him and lived on a slave ship. His hardships during those events were crazy which goes back to the horrors human beings can do to a person. In today's world racism is still around which means some people don't change sadly. Hopefully nothing like what Equiano faced happens again.

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LexyP
11/3/2013 10:12:18 am

I agree with you DrayS! Some people will never change. Equiano had to live on a slave ship that consisted of thousands of salves crammed together. Most of the slaves died of diseases or suffocation. No one deserves to live like that!

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CalvinM
11/5/2013 01:05:11 am

I like your statements DrayS. Slavery in Equiano's day and slavery today has made progress. Today there aren't slaves that are slaves because of their race.

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LexyP
11/3/2013 10:08:22 am

Slave labor was forced in Equiano's time. The slaves had to work on the sugar plantations in the Caribbean. Equiano was kidnapped by Africans who were involved in the slave trade. He was sold to many different families who did not care about him, besides one family. Slavery was not a joke. Equiano tought himself how to read and write to show people his experience and that slavery should never happen again. Equiano faced what some people still face today, segregation. Kids get taken to different homes because their parents can not take care of them. Those kids sometimes never get to see their brothers and sisters again because they had to get split up.
Human nature today has not changed. People today still get judged because of the skin color, appearance, and beliefs. History will always come back some way. Their are still those kinds of people who think certain races should not be alive and their race is superior over another. It will never change. Their is always going to be different opinions and thoughts that not everyone will agree with. Human nature has changed because of our technology. We have more access to history and important facts that were not as easy to find as they are now.

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DrayS
11/4/2013 10:25:16 am

LexyP I love the way you put this together! Today and maybe forever some people will not change! I just love the way you put that! Absolutely nobody had to go thru what the African people had to go thru! Slavery is defiantly not a joke to be reckoned with!

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BryceE
11/4/2013 06:15:18 am

I don't believe it is possible to account for what happened to slaves. Not just Equiano, but every slave was treated terribly. Slaves were treated like property which is one of the worst ways a human being could be treated. It is not possible to account for such a horrible crime that spanned years and years. Slavery tore apart lives and families. No way can that be fixed.
There are terrible things happening to people today, such as slavery. Although slavery is less common now, there is still racism and discrimination today. Although, there is hardly anything in recent times as large scale as slavery was back then. There is still places where certain races aren't allowed. Just because someone is of a race does not make them inferior, but there are people who still feel that way.

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ShaunaJ
11/4/2013 07:32:53 pm

I agree with you LexyP. Your comment was well put together and you stated many reasons about your opinion. No one deserves to go throught what Equiano did and racism is still going on throughtout our country. Also, BryceE there are people today that still feel a way about racism. We can not change the way they feel, but us as individuals would think it would come to an end because of what people in slavery went through. I acknowledge every last one of you who commented thus far because I agree with every comment.

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ShaunaJ
11/4/2013 07:53:24 pm

In his biography, Equiano overcomed something that most people did not. He was apprehension and put up for sale in slavery. Even though i was not a slave, I could not imagine how it was being away from your family around that tragedy time. He was put together with different families and they did not show much admiration. Equiano was granted his freedom, but was forced into more slavery. He was forced to load and unload his ship realizing how hard slavery was. The cruelty Equiano went through was strenuous. Although, slavery is not very common anymore, we still go through racism. There are still people in this world who will not allow certain race around. It is a disgrace how unsympathetic people can be after all those years of slavery human beings went through.

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ben mac
11/4/2013 12:05:27 pm

Their is no possible way to account for the atrocities that occurred during Equiano's time. He was stolen from his family and forced into slavery. Slaves being thrown overboard in the middle of the ocean off of the zong because the owner wanted to collect insurance. Their is no possible way to account for that the only thing you can do is stop it from happening and punish the men responsible and move on. That sounds heartless but progress will be made.
Society today shows that we haven't learned anything from Equiano's time in human trafficking of sex slaves across the border. We as a society have not learned to abolish every ounce of slavery because it is wrong and their is no reason what so ever for us to use slaves. Their is no way to justify it.

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LexyP
11/4/2013 08:38:37 pm

I agree with you BenM! Everyone knows how the slaves were treated, but people still display slave like actions. There is no reason for anyone to need slaves.

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DrayS
11/5/2013 12:55:10 am

BenMac I agree with you man! The men back then were just heartless and mean and I totally agree. You are right again about how slaves have changed over the past decades now into sex slaves so you really opened my eyes. Our society needs to come together and stop this abusement. Once again, you are truly right, there is no reason for us to use slaves at all.

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CalvinM
11/5/2013 01:03:08 am

I completely agree ben mac. Although slavery has gotten smaller and somewhat better over time there is still too much going on in other countries to completely control it.

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CalvinM
11/5/2013 01:00:35 am

Slavery has existed since early in human times. Although slavery as we know it is mostly gone there are still forms of it in todays world. Sex slaves, drug slaves and many other kinds of slavery are still present. The slavery in Equiano's time was definitely worst and larger than the slavery we have today. But, slavery will more than likely always be present in the world in some form, that doesn't mean it is right or should be allowed but some people just never change.

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ShaunaJ
11/5/2013 06:53:31 am

CalvinM, I agree with you. Some people will never change because of all the occasions that took place in the past. Your comment made me want to read on because it is ridiculous how cruel people in today's society can be. Reading on and reviewing events from the past would make human being want to think different instead, they are all stuck on slavery juncture. On one occasion, your comment is amazingly accurate and i agree slavery does not change people.

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