Equiano
Questions
Some
of the questions below can be answered with a sentence or two;
we have identified these questions with an "S". Others
will require a paragraph; we have identified these questions
with an "P".
1) (S)
In Essaka – as reported by Equiano -- what was the punishment
for kidnapping? For Adultery?
2)
(S) In Essaka – as reported by Equiano -- what was included
in the traditional dowry?
3) (P) What four pieces of evidence can you find that Equiano
– though he never saw an European before he reached the
African coast – lived in a village that participated in
long-distance trade that linked together Europe, African, and
the Americas?
4) (S) Before Europeans traded rum for enslaved Africans, did
Equiano’s village know alcohol? How do you know?
5) (S)
How does Equiano think that Eboes compare to other groups in
Africa? How do you know?
6)
(S) What sort of armed forces did Equiano’s village have?
7) (P)
What evidence can you find that Equiano’s village took
pride in their military strength?
8) (P) What evidence can you find in Equiano’s narrative
that lends credibility to Claude
Meillassoux's assertion that the manufacture of trade goods
for urban markets within Africa both expanded and transformed
the practive of slavery in Africa?
9) (P)
Does Equiano's society have a central government? How do you
know? What might the relationship be between the nature of government
in Equiano's society and the slave-trade?
10)
(P) Many have argued that the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was
especially brutal in its execution. What does Equiano say regarding
the treatment meted to him and his fellow prisoners/enslaved
Africans during the middle passage from West Africa to Barbados?
11)
(S) During his short stay in Jamaica, what does Equiano purchase
and why?
12)
(P) How does Equiano justify his activities on the Moskito
coast? How do you know?
13)
(P) Several Moskito Indians accompany Equiano on his voyage
to Nicaragua. What evidence can you find that might suggest
Equiano’s perception of the Indians’ faith and traditions?
14)
(S) Why was Equiano unhappy with his life among the Indians
in the Meskito Coast?
