Farming and building plantation homes in extreme heat due to the beating sun without water does not seem appealing to anyone with the modern technological conveniences available in today's world. However, slaves around the world were subjected to harsh treatment and grueling tasks like these throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. To spread accounts of these miserable lifestyles, slaves Frederick Douglass and Olaudah Equiano documented their terrifying experiences and published accounts of them. The account of the life of Frederick Douglass and the interesting account of the life of Olaudah Equiano highlight the cruelty towards slaves during the era of realism. Although these autobiographies contain many similarities in manner of poise, including abolitionist motifs and a focus on the separation of families, the different lives of Equiano and Douglass expose readers to the brutality of slavery in a multitude of situations. Both Equiano and Douglass were strong supporters of the abolition of slavery throughout their lives. Although these slaves lived in different areas of the world, they both suffered inhumane treatment from whites. As a result, they both knew that slavery had to end, otherwise whites would take absolute control of black society in the future. Equiano forcefully develops the thesis according to which abolition would be a global advantage. He states: “The abolition of slavery would actually be a universal good. Torture, murder and every other barbarity and iniquity imaginable are practiced [sic] on the poor slaves with impunity” (156). These statements present his view of slavery, but also explain the anguish that slaves of the time felt. Fre......middle of paper......their works describe both the tortures of slavery and their support for the abolition of slavery. At sea and on land, these writers faced countless extreme conditions throughout their lives. Equiano states in his story: “I had foreseen. . . future hopes of freedom" (79). Through dreams of independence like this, Douglass and Equiano worked tirelessly during the era of realism to ensure that all who live in today's world experienced freedom. Works Cited Douglas, Frederick. An account of the life of Frederick Douglass. Cornhill: Anti-Slavery Office, 1845. iBook file. Equiano, Olaudah. The interesting tale of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. London: Union-Street, 1797. iBook file.Longo, Julianne. “Frederick Douglass vs. Olaudah Equiano.” Salesian School. Department of English, Wilmington, DE. February 6, 2014. Lesson.