Equiano vs. Rowlandson

Equiano and Rowlandson both write captivity narratives.  Equiano is held captive by white men while Rowlandson is held captive by the Native Americans.  Both narratives showed the emotional and physical pain they went through while being held captive (ranging from hunger to being beat).  

From Rowlandson: "Being very faint I asked my mistriss to give me one spoonfull of the meal, but she would not give me a taste" (pg.124)

From Equiano: "...two of the white men offered me eatables, and, on my refusing to eat, one of them held me fast by the hands, and laid me across, I think, the windlass, and tied my feet, while the other flogged me severely" (pg.393)

Both narratives reminded me much of propoganda.  Rowlandson writing to her fellow Puritans and to those still in England.  Her message was that they [the whites] are not treating the Native American's in a cruel way but the opposite (i.e., they are savages; killing and kidnapping the white people).  Whereas, Equiano was writing against slavery; telling of the horrors on the slave ship to his experiences with his owners up until he was able to purchase his freedom. 

Some differences I noticed between the two narratives were that Equiano's captors were much more violent than Rowlandson's.  Also, Rowlandson wrote a lot about the Bible (quoting Scripture numerous times throughout) noting that everything that was happening was either a punishment or reward from God.

On the subject of hunger, Rowalandson quotes from Proverbs: "For to the hungry Soul every bitter thing is sweet" (pg.126)

Equiano thought that much of his captivity (the people and the new territory he was going to) all had some magical explanation to it.

"They at last took notice of my surprise, and one of them, willing to increase it as well as to gratify my curiosity, made me look through it.  The clouds appeared to me to be land, which disappeared as they passed along.  This heightened my wonder, and I was not more persuaded than ever that I was in another world, and that everything about me was magic" (pg.395)

Both Equiano and Rowlandson eventually gained their freedom; Rowlandson's ransom was paid and Equiano paid for his own freedom.

Works Cited:
American Tradition in Literature, Twelfth Edition. George and Barbara Perkins. McGraw- Hill, 2009.
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