Themes in Equiano / First Major Project

Madisen Bentzlin / Themes in Equiano – Jeopardy Game

For my visual (displayed in picture form on page three), I decided to choose to do a small jeopardy game including themes in The Life of Olaudah Equiano. On the visual, there are clues being quotes from the reading that the audience or reader would have to match or guess for each theme. I wanted to do this topic because I enjoyed this reading and it is powerful. Although I also think it is broad, which is why I chose to focus on multiple themes instead of just one. 

For the first theme, I picked slavery since it is one of the biggest focuses in the reading. Equiano tells us his life as a slave and all the experiences that complete his journey to freedom. The quote that I chose for this theme being,

“Are they treated as men? Does not slavery itself depress the mind, and extinguish all its fire and every noble sentiment? But, above all, what advantages do not a refined people possess over those who are rude and uncultivated”.

Chapter 1

This quote reveals the theme of slavery by speaking about how dehumanizing and brutal slavery is on a human’s mind and soul. From such a young age, Equiano barely got to have a childhood that was remotely close to normal, although he seems to like other slave traders and owners more than others. Such as the group of white men on the ship that he thought were “evil”. I think that the theme of slavery in the reading takes place in Equiano’s life on mental, physical, and religious levels. Which carries us over to the next theme on the jeopardy table being religion. 

The quote on the table that I picked is

“But as I thought that if it were God’s will I ever should be freed it would be so, and, on the contrary, if it was not his will it would not happen”.

Chapter 6

In this line, I wanted to pick a quote that would relate to freedom which is another theme on the board. I think that religion and God’s will had a lot to do with Equiano’s hope to become free from slavery. Another line I chose was “I could only hope and trust to the God of Heaven; and at that instant my mind was big with inventions and full of schemes to escape”. As I mentioned beforehand, with everything going on in Equiano’s life, I think that having someone and something to live for to reach the end of the slavery journey made it easier to get there. So the theme of religion also relates to freedom, which is the next theme chosen.

I start off by revealing this theme with the line,

“I who had been a slave in the morning, trembling at the will of another, was become my own master, and completely free. I thought this was the happiest day I had ever experienced”.

Chapter 7

Seeing that Equiano finally gained his freedom but he knew it might not have been the right time. I think that Christianity had a lot to do with Equiano’s freedom meaning something bigger to him, and his whole life he was enslaved since he was a child, including being torn away from his sister. Although some may consider freedom just being another part of Equiano’s life and story, it was a major event in the process and I think that it is an important theme in the reading. 

The last theme that I chose was culture, and the clue on the board being

“That fear, however, which was the effect of my ignorance, wore away as I began to know them. I could now speak English tolerably well, and I perfectly understood everything that was said. I now not only felt myself quite easy with these new countrymen, but relished their society and manners”.

Chapter 4

I think the culture overall in this reading, especially the differences between the Africans and Europeans, such as their ways of living and attitudes. This reading was not just about Equiano’s story of slavery and his journey with God, but also the demanding concepts of culture that he had to adjust to. 

Overall, this reading was very interesting to read and eye-opening since I had never come upon a reading like this one. I think that covering themes for my first project was creative to show the audiences of my jeopardy board the different focuses throughout the story. Here is my visual below, and I apologize if it is blurry.