British Literature: The Problem of Identity

 Introduction

“Any history of slavery must be written in large part from the standing point of the slave”. It has commonly been said that “only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches”. Therefore, the struggles and uncertainties that accompany slavery are best observed from the experiences of a slave and not the master or an outsider. This is precisely because the master will be biased on the pains caused by the vice when they had enforced the cruel or inhumane treatment. However, that does not mean that a slave’s view or that of their sympathizers could not be biased in certain ways. The history of slavery is best written from the perspective of a slave than any other person to give a full account of life at that time.

The Problem of Identity and Equiano’s Views on Slavery

Writing custom essay colonial or slavery history from the perspective of a slave gives life to the encounters of those who experienced its brutality. Therefore, it exposes the abuses and the suffering of a slave giving a clear picture of their own challenges with the system. On the other hand, the slave owner or a master is the architect of the oppression and thus prejudiced against a slave. Olaudah Equiano is such an example of a writer with their own experiences of the brutality of slavery, having gone through it firsthand. Though in recent times the topic of his birthplace has equivocally been given prominence over his views and memoir, his opinion is still valid and should not be undermined. Equiano’s experiences of slavery in his childhood were real and have been largely undisputed. As such, whether he was born in England, Nigeria, or New World, this does not despite the fact that he experienced the cruelty of slavery. In his memoir, Equiano gives an account of what he has gone through from the suffering of his fellow villagers and kidnapping to becoming a slave at a tender age. In fact, his work had become influential in giving slave narratives it his memoir emerged as best seller in 1792. The memoir has been published in several countries in Europe as well as in the United States. Probably Equiano’s experiences in slavery differed from what other slaves had experienced as he learnt to read and write and had the advantage of working in trade. Nevertheless, this did not stop him from being observant of fellow African slaves’ experiences and writing to capture their experiences.

Slavery was more than a denial of freedom for those who experienced it. It was a negative force that destabilized families, cultures, religious beliefs, and own personality. Experiences of slavery are not something that could only be explained by noting the brutality of what slaves went through in terms of violence and forced labor. Slaves lost an opportunity to be with their families and were treated and made to believe they were lesser beings to their masters. Such experiences cannot be interpreted by working for no pay only but as a change in a way of life. The effects of slavery have existed long even after the abolition of the vice, begging the question of how it should have been documented.

An account of slavery from a master’s or slave owner’s view would only identify the lack of freedom for the slaves as probably the only bad thing. These views would be quite different from a slave’s perspective as has been noted from Equiano’s work. The description of the experiences of slavery from his childhood tells of a destroyed village and a broken family. Under such circumstances, it would be necessary to note that most slaves had and would eventually lose the significant aspect of family attachment. This would create an impression of hopelessness and being alone with no other choice than to serve their masters.

Again, the mental effect of slavery requires one to have a deeper view of the encounters of slaves. Most slaves had a devastating experience in their daily routines both physically and mentally. The cruel treatment of slaves denied them the basics of a fair life and regarded them as property of the owner (Snyder). Therefore, women were not only raped but also forced to abscond their role as mothers as was the case with African tradition. This forced separation of a mother and child gave the women the worst experiences and to some extent even traumatized them. Besides, the women were also at times treated as sex objects with rape being a common thing. Such experiences detached these slaves from the reality of life forcing them to adopt a lifestyle that accommodated their pains. This meant changes in their culture.

For long, African Americans had been viewed as having a ‘not caring’ attitude, but this could have been a reminiscence of the personal hardships they had gone through. When the slavery history is documented from other perspectives from that of a slave, it would fail to capture such pains and their results (Snyder). Therefore, to understand the real-life experiences of slavery, the history should be written from a slave’s perspective. This will not only ensure the capturing of the events during slavery but will also give life to those accounts and experiences. As such, the slave history will not only be viewed as fictional stories but real experiences whose effects could be felt to this day. This is necessary to make society understand the dangers of slavery in not only destroying those who directly experience it but also the generations after them.

Conclusion

A proper understanding of the history of slavery can only be achievable from the perspective of a slave. This is mainly because they were the individuals who experienced the worst of the slave trade and were literally the center of slavery. To them, it was not just loss of freedom but cultures, traditions, families, beliefs, and dignity. Equiano perfectly covers this in his memoir. Although the information is presented as life experiences and doubts have been raised on his birthplace, most of the other information on slavery experiences by Equiano is verified and proven correct. Hence, his work on slavery cannot be dismissed on mere account of unsubstantiated birthplace.