The Slave Narrative, Essay Example

In Equiano’s narrative, he attempts to appeal to white men with power during his time period. As a consequence, he uses his narrative to in part evoke emotion from individuals that have knowledge of, but have not shared his experience. According to Ronald Paul, in “I Whitened My Face, That They Might Not Know Me’: Race and Identity in Olaudah Equiano’s Slave Narrative,” we learn that Equiano had to adopt a “white mask” in order to finally achieve freedom. This is important to note because it demonstrates Equiano’s ability. Like white men, he is clever and is able to navigate the established social structure, but he is only able to do so because of the apparent color of his skin.

Equiano appeals to the values of someone in a higher position in society because he demonstrates his ability to have become a self-made man. He shows that through hard work, he is able to accomplish many great things. Overall, the ability to work hard for meaningful results is what separates people in society, and it is easier for white men to have accomplished this than it would be for people of color. It is expected that a white man would be able to connect to Equiano’s story because hard work is the basis of the American dream. The ability to build one’s self from nothing is what makes this country so great. Even individuals that supported the slavery structure would agree with this fact. Therefore, by representing America, Equiano demonstrates that he should have the ability to be free just like white men. In the process, he encourages others that they could accomplish the same with hard work.

Works Cited

Paul R. “I Whitened My Face, That They Might Not Know Me’: Race and Identity in Olaudah Equiano’s Slave Narrative”. Journal of Black Studies 38(2009): 848-864.