Finial paper

Equiano is looking to appeal to a large, white, British audience within his narrative. He does this by maintaining a certain distance from the text as well as appealing to certain natures of his audiences’ lives and connections he has with them.  One of the main connections he draws between himself and the white people is religion, Christianity. Christianity plays a large part within the historical time line as well as Equiano’s personal growth within his narrative. He comes to frame himself as a sort of modern day prophet, a chosen one of God. He uses the shared religion to show he is on the same side as those he appeals to. Some would argue that Equiano’s religion develops and changes from a nature centric religion to Christianity because of his hardships and experiences as a slave; that God and his image of heaven saved him from his tragedy. I will argue against this, showing that Equiano’s religion changes and develops as he encounters new people and places; it is the people and places that change him rather than his own tragedy. I will carry the reader through Equiano’s religious transformations from a youthful magic to a mature understanding of God.
Equiano starts his narrative where his life started, in Africa “ in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka.”(p.35). His religion, like his life, revolved around the land with ceremonies and dance. His was a religion full of good and evil spirits, without office or a place of worship. “…The natives believe that there is one Creator of all things, and that he lives in the sun, and is girted round with a belt; that he may never eat or drink, but, according to some, he smokes a pipe.” (p.41). Here Equiano had a sense of nature, life and death but no concept of eternity or the Christian after life. Without an idea of a heaven or judgment day, Equiano lived his life from moment to moment seeing the magic of life everywhere. His religion soon changes when he is kidnapped and whisked away to whole new worlds.
“As the waves were very high, I thought the Ruler of the seas was angry.”(p.62). Equiano’s youthful sense of magic and spirits is maintained through the beginning parts of his travels as a slave. It clearly comes out in a scene on a trade ship when, after someone falls overboard, the wind stops as well as the boat. “ I believed them to be the rulers of the sea; and as the white people did not make any offering at anytime, I though they were angry with them; and, at last, what confirmed my belief was, the wind just died away, and a calm ensued, and in consequence of it the ship stopped going. I supposed the fish had preformed this, and I hid myself in the fore part of the ship, through fear of being offered up to appease them, every minute peeping out and quaking.” (p.62). Here is another example of where Equiano comes from, a clear example of his understanding of Divinity and the powers of the gods.
The first turning point for Equiano’s religion comes soon after while aboard the same ship. Here Equiano encounters the idea of the Christian God for the first time with his experience of snow. “I then asked him what it was; he told me it was snow, but I could not in anywise understand him. He asked me, if we had such a thing in my country; I told him, No. I then asked him the use of it and who made it; He told me a great man in the heavens named God.”(p.63). This is the first time Equiano hears mention of God. God appears in Equiano’s life not as a savior or as a protector for him and the other slaves, but instead He appears as a creator. The whole scene is calm, gentle and beautiful not harsh or tragic.
After this event Equiano goes to church where he is “ Amazed at seeing and hearing the service.” (p.64). Thinking the whites happier then the African people of his home. He sees God and the white people who preach Him full of wisdom. He sees Christianity as a religion of its people; full of its people- people he aspired to be like. This wanting to be like the white people comes out clearly through the text as a connection Equiano has to his audience. He uses the shared religion to his advantage as he trundles on towards his goal.
Equiano follows this new God, this new religion; into England where he is baptized for fear he might not go to heaven. Here we see a real change from the young boy who believed in spirits to a man who is converting to Christianity. A decision based on sin and afterlife, but mostly because someone told him that he couldn’t good to heaven unless he was baptized first. Equiano is so easily influenced by the people around him, that when someone tells him to convert for his eternal soul he does it. The places he went to, lived in changed and so did he. The people he meets show him God and Heaven changing him along the way.
Two important people or teachers as I will call them, come into Equiano’s life at this time, The Miss Guernins. They play a great role in Equiano’s religious transformation as well as his schooling. These lovely women not only send Equiano to school to help him improve himself but also stand by him at his baptism as Godmother. These women bring a full picture of God and the kingdom of heaven to Equiano’s attention.  “… [They] Took great pains to instruct me in the principles of religion and the knowledge of God.” (p. 125). The Guernins are Equiano’s first religious teachers.
From here he is taken to, yet again, many new places. The seeds of feelings for God as a protector and Savior start to grow and flourish. We see Equiano encounter near death situations time and time again. Every time he comes out alive. A sense of being special or God’s chosen one starts filling the spaces in his narrative.
Equiano is one day “ directed” by God to the house of an old sea-faring man who expands Equiano’s knowledge of God; particularly considering the afterlife.  After their discourse the man invites Equiano to a love-feast that night, which Equiano is happy to accept and attend. “There were many ministers in the company. At last they began by giving out hymns, and between singing, the ministers engaged in prayer.”  (p.154). Equiano is readily engaged into this almost gospel experience of learning what God means to others. A layering of personal experiences, the gospels and singing.  The whole experience inspires his love and trust in God, vastly expanding his religious outlooks. “The last twenty-four hours produced in me things, spiritual and temporal, sleeping and waking, judgment and mercy, that I could not but admire the goodness of God, in directing the blind, blasphemous sinner in the path he knew not of, even among the just…” (p.155). This seafarer brings Equiano to an experience that shows, teaches and changes his religious outlook, expanding yet again his Christianity.
Two others that help Equiano’s faith expansion are Mr. G—— a local reverend, and Mr. L——– a friend of Equiano’s who was a chapel clerk. These two bring clarifying ideas of redemption and salvation to Equiano’s life as well as an encouragement to read the Bible. Equiano who has been obsessed with his eternal soul and heaven since his baptism jumps to learn more of what he can do to save himself. It is interesting to note that Equiano is always trying to save himself and his eternal soul for all his wrong doings i.e. swearing and breaking the Sabbath, while suffering through the hardships and tragedies of being a slave. With the encouragement of Mr. G—— and Mr. L——– Equiano starts reading the Bible expanding once again his understanding of Christianity.
As Equiano travels either by his own will or by force, he experiences new religions along with new people and places. He moves from a young boy who sees the spirits of everything everywhere to a man full faith for a Christian God. The people such as the Miss. Guernins and the seafarer help Equiano discover Christianity as a religion and community. With the additional help of Mr. G—– and Mr. L—– Equiano’s knowledge of what it means to have faith in God and Heaven expands. He also learns more of the meaning of his eternal soul and what it takes to save himself. Christianity comes to Equiano in a beautiful fashion and is expanded by decent influential people throughout his narrative. Christianity becomes a major part of Equiano’s life as well as his connection to his readers. “ What does it avail a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (p.174). These words bother Equiano towards the end of his narrative fore he is worried that he will lose his soul. Though I would propose that by traveling and experiencing the world he found he has found Christianity and therefore his soul.

Mangled tales and questions

In class we discussed why Caleb was telling his story. I like to think that it is because he needs his truth stated. In every society there is that someone who comes along and the changes the story. He is trying to give some concrete foundation of what his story is, what his truth is.

This question brings to mind another question: why do writers write books? Is it for the or the readers? is it to tell a story, a truth? is it to provide a world filled with romance, adventure, mysteries and murder which the reader would never encounter in real life. is it to impart some wisdom or knowledge to the reader? and why do we read books? is it for the stories, the characters and the action? do we read for leaser or to gain some knowledge?

It has come up in class several times that a piece of writing is only the writers till someone comes along and reads it, then it becomes the readers. The reader can find and take what they want from it. the piece belongs to the reader. in the same way i guess this blog belongs to you the readers. I ask that you judge lightly. And that the class belonged to those who attended, to us the students. I hope you all have a pleaent holiday season and wonderful next semesters filled with classes that you enjoy fore they belong to you.

Good or Evil

A question was raised when we were discussing Waverly of what makes a hero? I think that C.W raises a similar question: what makes someone good or evil?

Godwin does an amazing job of giving all his characters the humanistic qualities of having good and bad or at least of having past actions that can be considered bad. questions such as: is it the actions of a man that make a man evil or he himself? arise. I like that its hard to tell and that we are sort of at the narrators manipulative hands in this one. my opinions of Falkland certainly changed several times as the story went on. I dont think that Falkland is bad or that Tyrel was evil and i just find Caleb annoying.

I dont think we ever really came to a conclusion for the question of what makes a hero and i dont think that there is a right answer for this one either. but thats what makes this book a little more fun, a little more mysterious and engaging.

Curiosity killed the cat

Curiosity drives C.W. influencing him to snoop and be sneaky. It pushes him into trouble at just about every turn. His curiosity is unwanted and in some way unwarranted.

My big question for Tuesday’s class was: How does trust play into the characters relationships with each other. loyalty vs. suspicion vs. trust.

now it seems that no one character trusts another which seems a very realistic human trait. I think that it is the fact that there are no certain heros that ups the readers curiosity of the story while C.W’s curiosity is heightened by the lack of trust.

ultimately without Caleb’s curiosity there would be no story no interest for the reader. But at times it is annoying and at others seems down right idiotic. who snoops through their masters chest without having a look out? I mean really!

Thoughts on travel

Now that I have started and almost finished my finial essay I come to think of a lot of awesome ideas for the finial, all centering around this main theme of travel. If I was close reading this course, looking for themes and big questions I would trip over travel alot. Every character traveled in their own way, some by land, some by sea and some by carage, some by foot.I think that the different ways people traveled tell us alot about their character, the writer and the times that the book comes form.

A big question that might arise is why do the characters travel? and for each the answer would be different but it would have been an interesting paper. another would be How does the traveling effect the characters differently? what if everyone had been traveling in planes or on bikes? the stories would be sooo different, the characters now changed- different values and goals.

I would like to now turn that back to all of us.How does travel effect us? How do the modes of transportantion change our experiences?In what ways does it make our characters different? Is it just what we see- the hungry, the beutiful, the ocean for the first time- that changes us? or how we get there? do both play equall roles or does one tip the scales?

Thriller

As Caleb Williams is widely known as the first thriller novel I thought it would be fun to write a post about how his thriller novel sort of influenced other thrillers and eventually movies and tv.

For a very early age we learn from characters such as curious George and Nancy drew that curiosity isn’t always a good thing but  The Good always pro veils over The Evil. These story lines sort of go back to the Gothic novel where the outlines of the characters are clearly drawn, the good on one side the bad on the other. I enjoy books that don’t follow this, where the characters have more human characteristics like unpredictability. i like to read to the last chapter not knowing what is going to happen.We also have this in movies, tv and pop culture, the twisted ending. the surprise that no one saw coming. Its interesting to think that some of what inspired your favorite detective novel or tv show was influence by this book, merely by the fact that it was a mystery with human characters.

I would have liked to end it with a video of M.J.’s thriller but cant as I have a crapy computer so you should all google and watch it anyways, just for the thril.

First Impressions

My first impressions of this finial book are as follows:

- What is up with the power struggles within almost all the books we have read? there is always a question  of how has the power? who is the hero? who is the villain? If there is a theme of good and bad within this course it is coming to a climax here in this book.

- I dislike C.W. fore his complex, very similar to Equiano’s. somehow both of them warrant their actions, Equiano with his god- chosen- one complex and C.W with some personal self busting ego.

- I dislike Faukland mostly because the narrator does.

- There are no heroes, anti-heroes in this story and an over all question everyone semes to be asking is what makes anyone of them better than the others? what makes any of them good? or great?

Finial paper draft

Equiano is looking to appeal to a huge white British audience within his narrative. He does this by maintaining a certain distance from the text, dissociating from it. He is never accusatory to all white people, he never proclaims hate. But instead shows a fascination and want to be part of the white English culture. He draws connections to his audience mostly through Christianity. He frames himself as a sort of modern day prophet, a chosen one of God. He uses the religion to show he is on the same side as those he appeals to. Some would argue that Equiano’s religion changes to Christianity because of his hardships and experiences as a slave, that God and his image of heaven saved him from his tragedy. I will argue against this, showing that Equiano’s religion changes and develops as he encounters new people and places; it is the people that change him rather than his own tragedy.

Equiano starts his narrative where his life started, in Africa “ in a charming fruitful vale, named Essaka.”(p.35). His religion, like his life, revolved around the land with ceremonies and dance. A religion full of good and evil spirits, without office or a place of worship. “…The natives believe that there is one Creator of all things, and that he lives in the sun, and is girted round with a belt; that he may never eat or drink, but, according to some, he smokes a pipe.” (p.41). He had a sense of nature, life and death but no concept of eternity or the Christian after life. Without an idea of a heaven or judgment day, Equiano lived his life from day to day seeing the magic of life everywhere. His religion changes over the narrative, moving from this youthful belief in the earth, magic and spirits to a rich understanding of God and Christianity.

“As the waves were very high, I thought the Ruler of the seas was angry.”(p.62). Equiano’s sense of magic and spirits comes out in a scene on a trade ship when, after someone falls overboard, the wind stops as well as the boat. “ I believed them to be the rulers of the sea; and as the white people did not make any offering at anytime, I though they were angry with them; and, at last, what confirmed by belief was, the wind just died away, and a calm ensued, and in consequence of it the ship stopped going. I supposed the fish had preformed this, and I hid

myself in the fore part of the ship, through fear of being offered up to appease them, every minute peeping out and quaking.” (p.62). Here is a clear example of Equiano’s understanding of Divinity and the powers of Gods.

Soon after while aboard the same ship Equiano encounters the idea of the Christian God for the first time with his experience of snow. “I then asked him what it was; he told me it was snow, but I could not in anywise understand him. He asked me, if we had such a thing in my country; I told him, No. I then asked him the use of it and who made it; He told me a great man in the heavens named God.”(p.63). God comes into his life in such a beautiful way with the appearance of snow. We see here that Christianity comes to Equiano not through a horrible, tragic event but a beautiful one, through snow and the people aboard the ship.

After this event Equiano goes to church where he is “ Amazed at seeing and hearing the service.” (p.64). Thinking the whites happier then the African people of home. He sees God and the white people who preach Him full of wisdom. He sees Christianity as a religion of its people; full of its people- people he aspired to be like.

Equiano follows this new God, this new religion; into England where he is baptized for fear he might not go to heaven. Here we see a real change from the young boy who believed in spirits to a man who is converting to Christianity. The places he went to, lived in changed and so did he. The people he meet in these said places changed him as well showing him God and Heaven.

Two of these people who play such a large role in Equiano’s religious transformation are the Miss Guernins. These lovely women not only send Equiano to school to help him improve himself but also stand by him at his baptism as Godmother. These women bring a full picture of God and the kingdom of heaven to Equiano’s attention, they are his first religious teachers. “…took great pains to instruct me in the principles of religion and the knowledge of God.

Fin

Equiano came to drive me slightly nuts with his self-appointed attitude as a Witness for God or a chosen one. I think that this helped him appeal to his audience of his day. I think that a lot of the themes within this book tied well into those of other books especially the constant theme of slavery and freedom and the power within both. we have seen this theme in the past with the Tempest with the dynamics of master and servant. Within Equiano there is this mix of memoir, essay, letter, political and personal opinions, history and religion themes. ultimately Equiano seems to be a combination of all the themes and writing frames of the other books we have read this semester.Equiano is a lot to take in and though I found him annoying I think that his way of writing and his goals for the narrative were all in the right places.

Project proposal

I would like to write a 5-7 page paper on the book Equiano. Because we have to write with travel in mind I would like to write about where he travels to, the places, cultures and how they affect him. Specifically England’s effect on his religion and America’s effect on his trust in the white man.

Questions within paper:

Why is Equiano so influenced by the places he travels?

What changes once he gains his freedom and is traveling for himself?

Thesis statement will be something like-  I will be arguing that the countries, cities and towns that Equiano finds himself in, either by  force or personal choice, effect him, his outlook on life, his religion and his relationships with others, specifically the white man.

Challenges will be finding changes connected to everyplace he travels to- then narrowing those down to the most important changes within his life- self. Intense close reading of the book with lots of notes should help this.

I think that this will be an informative piece about Equiano as well as a fascinating piece about travel. Travel and how the places we go change us.