Topic > A comparison between African and global slavery from Equiano's perspective

From Equiano's perspective, how did slavery in Africa compare to slavery in the New World? Slavery in Africa was less brutal. African slavery did not involve much flogging or separation from the master. The relationship between slaves and masters was friendlier than that of Europeans in the New World. Equiano was allowed to eat with his master and his son free and to play with his son. He was treated fairly in some ways until he felt like he was adopted rather than enslaved. Equiano considered slavery in the New World worse than a death sentence. Daily flogging and treatment as strictly property and inhumane were found only among white men. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What was the most difficult part of the experience psychologically for Equiano? Cite evidence from the autobiography to support your answer. The most difficult part of the experience psychologically for Equiano was the separation from his sister. Equiano was the youngest of six children and his only sister was the youngest child in the family. Therefore, he had a closer relationship with her than his older brothers. Equiano was shocked when his sister was separated from him: “I was left in a state of indescribable distraction. I cried and grieved continuously; and for several days I ate nothing but what they put in my mouth." She saw her sister again months later on the coast, and they cried and hugged without speaking. They stayed together that night, but the next morning she was torn from him forever. “The misery of my situation was doubled by my anxiety about his fate. . . your image has always been fixed in my heart, from which neither time nor fortune could remove it.” Equiano's emotional pain over her sister's separation resulted in her past life in Africa being gone forever. What made Equiano's arrival in the New World so terrifying? Merchants and planters came aboard to inspect Equiano and the other slaves. This inspection involved blowing them up and finishing with the examiner pointing to the ground. On the day the slaves were sold by the merchant, the buyers would rush into the yard where the slaves were kept and choose the person or people they wanted. This was terrifying for Equiano and other Africans because family ties were broken, friends were separated, and they would most likely never see each other again. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay What is Equiano's assessment of his captors? He initially thought that “ugly men” would eat him. Equiano also thought his captors possessed magic. He deduced this from talking to his compatriots about how the kidnappers sailed onto the ships and anchored them. When Equiano saw the men on horseback, he thought that the people of the New World were “full of nothing but magical arts.” Equiano continually saw or endured the cruelty of white men: "Every circumstance I encountered, served only to make my condition more painful, and sharpened my apprehensions and my opinion of the cruelty of white men"..”