Olaudah Equiano
...this in “Olaudah Equiano” is the quote of “I had never experienced anything of this kind before, and although not being used to the water, I naturally feared that element the first time I saw it…” (Pg. 95) This caption from the story allows the reader to relate to the fear of the unknown and how scary it can be going into a new situation. Almost every reader can think of a time when they were in a situation like this one, but probably not to such a harsh extent. By reading the text rather than seeing the image, the reader has to more easily relate because of the ability to stop and think about what was just read. “…Anguish…” “…spirituous liquor…”, “…loathsomeness of the stench…”, “…absolutely pestilential…”, these are a few examples of the images that make “Olaudah Equiano” into such a great depiction of the African slave trade. The words used in “Olaudah Equiano” are all very powerful and well placed through out the tale. The images played an important role in the chronicle for example “…This wretched situation was again aggravated by the galling of the chains…”(pg.96). In this instance the images relate to both touch and sight to put a mental picture in your head to ease the reader when trying to relate. Another great passage from the story that has imagery that associates with the senses of smell, taste and even touch is “This produced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became unfit for respiration…”(pg.96). The amazing imagery used during the story by Olaudah Equiano touches all five of the senses each in a unique way. Without images the story would be very vague and a lot less interesting. The style of first person perspective in which “Olaudah Equiano” is told in allows the reader to be more involved in it. An advantage of reading a story in first person perspective is that it is simpler for the reader to put themselves into the shoes of th...