The Middle Passage by Oloudah Equiano
One day, when we had a smooth sea, and a moderate wind, two of my wearied countrymen, who were chained together (I was near them at the time), preferring death to such a life of misery, somehow made through the nettings, and jumped into the sea: immediately another quite dejected fellow, who, on account of his illness, was suffered to be out of irons, also followed their example; and I believe many more would soon have done the same, if they had not been prevented by the ship’s crew, who were instantly alarmed. Those of us that were the most active were, in a moment, put down under the deck; and there was such a noise and confusion amongst the people of the ship as I never heard before, to stop her, and get the boat to go out after the slaves. However, two of the wretches were drowned, but they got the other, and afterwards flogged him unmercifully, for thus attempting to prefer death to slavery. In this manner we continued to undergo more hardships than I can now relate; hardships which are inseparable from this accursed trade. - Many a time we were near suffocation, from the want of fresh air, which we were often without for whole days together. This, and the stench of the necessary tubs, carried off many.
Equiano, Olidah. "The Middle Passage". April 16, 2008. http://www.brycchancarey.com/equiano/extract3.htm.
REFLECTION: The imagery in this passage is spine-chilling. Equiano's vivid description of his terrible experience holds nothing to be desired. It evokes so much anger and sorrow; often the brutal reality is hard to hear. To think that conditions could be so horrible, and that so many people would jump to their deaths is truly tragic. And yet, it makes so much sense. Most accounts of immigrants (voluntary or not) from this time period display the lack of humanity we truly are capable of. But I wonder how common it is for these immigrants to become suicidal; I know how much it really takes so much for it to come to that. The fact that Olidah lived to tell his story demonstrates the strength of a person who values life. He deserves applause for revealing the truth behind the Middle Passage to so many ignorant Americans.
DEAR DIARY: This ship is so sickening. Despite the crowded quarters, the worst part is the filth. So many bodies are pressed together in this dark, smelly abyss under the deck. But I have hope, because I get to go above deck today. I cannot wait for the fresh air to fill my deprived lungs and rejuvenate the life in me that has long since been smothered by this floating cage. I talked to a friend of sorts earlier today who was supposed to go above deck...the only thing she would say was "i'm getting out of here today" with this eery smile on her face and numb eyes, lusterless eyes. I knew what she meant, but I did not want to, so I played dumb. I have not seen her since...I do wonder of her success.
The Question Is...What impact did the decisions and cultures of those who began the American community have on today's modern community setting and life as we know it?: Had slaves not been transported to America, I doubt there would be so many different and unique races and ethnicities in America presently. If these slaves had not told their stories, we might never would have outlawed it ourselves.
1 comment:
You're diary entries are amazing! You really capture the character's thoughts and emotions you are trying to portray. I agree the people jumping to their deaths is tragic, but would their destination be much better? Probably not, which makes the situation so upsetting.
"But I wonder how common it is for these immigrants to become suicidal; I know how much it really takes so much for it to come to that." You would think they would capture strong people, which makes me realize just how terrible the conditions were to be able to break them down to the point of suicide. I agree that Olidah is a very strong-willed person to be able to endure such torment. It is amazing that he was able to live to tell the tale.
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