Comparing Captivity Narratives
Read these three pieces. You do not need to read them all, as Equiano and Douglass are 200 pages, but enough to get some good quotes.
Olaudah Equiano – The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself”
Frederick Douglass – Narrative of Frederick Douglass
You already read Mary White Rowlandson,
All of these writings are classified as captivity narratives, just like Mary Rowlandson’s. How do you feel the Douglass and Equiano’s compare to Rowlandson’s captivity by the Natives?
Compare and contrast.
What ideas of God animates Rowlandson, Equiano, and Douglass?
What kind of picture does Equiano paint of his African slave experiences, as opposed to his later encounters with slavery in the Western World?
How do Rowlandson, Equiano, and Douglass attempt to engage the sympathy of the reader?
Really, who were Rowlandson, Equiano, and Douglass’ audience? (Remember that these were written over 100 years apart) How does their audience compare to Rowlandson’s?
Give me the WHOLE picture. Remember that the literature that you chose is what you should be focusing on. You MUST use quotes from all three author’s writings. This is NOT simply a biography of the author.
By the way, this should be sent as one document. DO NOT SEND THE WORKS CITED PAGE SEPARATELY BECAUSE IT IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PAPER!
No “I,” “me,” “in my opinion,” or the like permitted in this paper – this is not about you; it is about the authorComparing Captivity Narratives
Links:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/851/851-h/851-h.html
https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/douglass/douglass.html
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15399/15399-h/15399-h.html