Reading W12: Dessalines/Equiana, Part A

Jean-Jacques Dessalines (1758-1806): He defeated French troops and declared a nation called Haiti from it. This was a huge victory and one of his major accomplishments was creating the proclamation for he had no schooling and was a former slave.

(36-39)

"Liberty or Death"

(37-39)

- He is addressing the terrible things that the French had brought upon the people of Haiti who were once slaves to the French.

- He also declares his victory over the French in which he describes how all of the people who were slaves to the French should have never been in that position or situation.

- The French who live and fought amongst them he spares and chooses peace for he does not think they too should be punished for fighting along with him.

Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797): Ola was against the writers who supported slavery and was in competition with them giving them a challenge. He was the first freed slave to write a autobiography which was about himself.

(73-98)

"From The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself."

(76-98)
- Starts off addressing parliament about the slave trade and how it ripped him from his home and those he loved.

- He was the son of a chief and describes how Europeans kidnapped them.

- The slave owners would live with their families within a home while the slaves were dispersed throughout that owner's land.

- The slaves were used to work on their lands and he describes where he was that they used no animals for aid on the lands so it meant harder work for them.

- Where he was a slave they practiced circumcision like the Jews had and even had feasts.

- As he describes conditions of where he was a slave he also includes a writing style which both compares/explains the difference between cultures and homes at which he was apart of.

- He starts chapter two politely talking about how these ideas at which he is bringing up have been implemented in them and he wants to address it while not trying to intrude on the reader.

- Life seemed hard for him because he describes how he was stolen and is now with an entirely new family but was not treated like how family would treat one another.

- He was bought and sold numerous times.

- One of the owners separated him and his sister and from that point he would never see her again.

Dessalines, Jean-Jacques. (36-39) "Liberty or Death", The Norton Anthology World Literature Volume E.

Equiano, Olaudah. (73-98) "From The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself.", The Norton Anthology World Literature Volume E.