E. The Slave Narrative

Essential Question:
What drives people to seek the American dream?

In this case the American dream was not being sought, but forced upon a people with the justification that we are helping the "dumb savages". This slave narrative, "The Life of Gustavus Vassa" was written by Olidah Equiano, and tells of the gruesome horrors that he went through on a daily basis while and after traveling the middle passage. In his narrative Equiano, named Gustavus Vassa while a slave in America, explains how he was a slave in Africa that was taken from his home and put on a slave ship. He also describes the daily, brutal beatings he and others painfully endured while be delivered like cargo to America, through the middle passage. This shows that the American dream was not a dream for all, but for some a nightmare forced upon them by a misguided and oppressive society. Olidah Equiano was taken from his country, stripped of his name and pride, and forced to work in unknown country. This is not a hopeful dream that he was driven to seek but it is indeed a fearsome nightmare that no person should have to endure.