Question

Read the excerpt and answer the question.

"Night, too, began to approach, and aggravated all my fears. I had before entertained hopes of getting home, and had determined when it should be dark to make the attempt; but I was now convinced it was fruitless, and began to consider that, if possibly I could escape all other animals, I could not those of the human kind; and that, not knowing the way, I must perish in the woods. Thus was I like the hunted deer—"

This excerpt from Equiano's autobiography best illustrates which central idea?

a.) the dehumanizing experience of slavery
b.) the brutality with which man treats his fellow man
c.) the power of hope and the Christian faith
d.) the untamed wilderness of the American South

Answer 1

a) the dehumanizing experience of slavery

Step-by-step explanation:

The strongest evidence for me is his last line 'Thus was I like the hunted deer'. Him saying this is him comparing himself, a slave, to animals which are below human.

You are able to rule out the other answers, too.

d) the wilderness acts more like a metaphor to his central idea, than his central idea itself

c) Equiano doesn't mention the Christian faith anywhere

b) the brutality that he was treated with is implied but not illustrated. He doesn't describe how he was beat, cheated, or otherwise mistreated. We can infer he was treated with brutality because we know about the nature of slavery.

hope this helps!