Equiano's Narrative so far
So far I am really enjoying reading Equiano's narrative. I think that it is a book that comes from a very unique perspective (even if he denies this in the first chapter), and is very interesting to look at in a historical and geographical context. He is a man, from Africa who was a slave, and is now not only incredibly educated in English, which isn’t even his first language, but is such a fantastic writing that he is able to create this text in order to try and persuade members of parliament to end the slave trade. Thinking about who this memoir is addressed to and when it was written adds a lot more to the text and allows the reader in a modern setting to analyze a layer deeper about the word choice and reasons for each section. On the one hand it is a very compelling story that I am excited to continue reading, and I am very interested in the context of its creation, but it is also not the easiest read. It took me a very long time to get through the first thirty-eight pages assigned as the writing was somewhat difficult and certainly dense. I found myself reading and re-reading over and over again. If I started to accidentally skim or let my mind wander I would be completely lost and forced to start back at the top of the page. I think there are two solutions for this problem. Solution number one is annotation. As mentioned in class, annotation helps you stay attentive to the book, organize your thoughts while reading and for class, and helps you keep track of characters, settings and dates. The second solution, although seemingly obvious, is to not try and read it all in one sitting. I think that reading a chapter sitting when I have time sounds like a good plan that I think I could keep up in order to stay on top of my reading.
I also think the story was impressive! To see him so easily pick up not only multiple variations of his own langauge, but English as well was surprising for someone so young. I also had problems reading the story, but found that breaking it into several smaller sessions made it much easier to maintain focus. Annotating helped, too, like you mentioned. I try to read one chapter a day! The book is so dense with meaning and information, so making sure I can get everything possible out of it by reading carefully is a must!
ReplyDeleteHey Griffin, I agree that Equiano must have been an incredibly talented and committed person to be able to learn different dialects whilst a slave in Africa and then go on to be able to read and write in English in such an academic way is incredibly impressive. Many people in poverty in England during that time could not read or write as mentioned in "The Secret River" by Kate Grenville through William Thornhill. So just the fact that a former slave could do so and in such a formal manner is quite impressive. Thank you for the recommendation in reading Equiano's narrative, I'll definitely give it a try.
ReplyDeleteHi Griffin, it's funny you point out how he denies the uniqueness of his story because, like you, I found it to be very interesting and different. His writing struck me as well. You point out that it is not even his first language, and yet he is so eloquent. He is a very gifted individual. I like your strategy of taking breaks in between chapters. I did not do this, and I found myself having a hard time with the third chapter. If I had taken breaks I could see myself understanding the third chapter a bit more. You point out the interest you have in the context of his creation. I have not thought about that but I am now excited to learn the origin as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you have to be very attentive when reading. The books is not clearly broken into sections or paragraphs like other books, so it is easy to get lost of you zone out for a second. Annotation does help with this because it forces you to pay attention more. But I also like your idea of breaking up when you read it.
ReplyDeleteHey Griffin! I agree with a lot of what you said here, I had a lot of the same thoughts during my reading of the first section. I think something that has been really interesting to me so far regarding audience is his use of Christianity. I wonder how deeply rooted in this faith he was, or if he is trying to seem more Christian for the members of Parliament, to make them see that he is "like them."
ReplyDeleteHey Griffin, I agree that this reading can be very daunting. It's difficult to read older literature as someone who is more familiar with modern English. I believe that annotation is very helpful in the sense that it helps you stay attentive.
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