Question

Read the passage below from Olaudah Equiano's autobiography:

I was soon
put down under the decks, and there I received such a salutation [greeting] in my nostrils as I had
never experienced
in my life: so that, with the loathsomeness [horribleness] of the stench and crying together,
I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat. |
now wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me; but
soon, to my grief, two of the white men offered me eatables [fopd]; and on my refusing to eat, one of them
held me fast by the hands, and laid
me across I think the windlass [a
the other flogged [beaten or whipped] me severely.
part of the ship], and tied my feet, while What most accurately describes the narrator's ˚umstance in the passage from Olaudah Equiano's autobiography?

a.He is a passenger on the Middle Passage, a ship that carries enslaved people from West Africa to the Americas.
b.He is a slave trader who is hungry, sick, and has trouble breathing on a ship.
c.He is an enslaved person on a ship who wishes to die rather than endure the inhumane conditions he faces.
d.He is one of many prisoners on the Middle Passage, a trade route from West Africa to Spain.

Answer 1

Olaudah Equiano recounts his traumatic experiences during the Middle Passage, emphasizing the oppressive conditions and inhumane treatment on a slave ship.

Step-by-step explanation:

The narrator, Olaudah Equiano, describes his harrowing experience aboard a slave ship on the Middle Passage. He suffered abominable conditions: a suffocating stench, dehydration, and starvation. Equiano recounts his state of despair and wishes for death, which is further compounded when he refuses food and is subsequently tied and flogged by the crew. This passage provides a first-hand account of the inhumane and cruel treatment of enslaved Africans during the transatlantic slave trade, emphasizing the extreme brutality and psychological torment they endured.

Answer 2

Main Answer:

The narrator, an enslaved person on a ship in Olaudah Equiano's autobiography, expresses a desire for death due to the unbearable conditions during the Middle Passage, highlighting the inhumane treatment of slaves. c. He is an enslaved person on a ship who wishes to die rather than endure the inhumane conditions he faces.

Therefore, the correct answer is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the passage from Olaudah Equiano's autobiography, the narrator vividly describes being confined under the decks of a ship, experiencing unbearable conditions during the Middle Passage—the transatlantic journey carrying enslaved individuals from West Africa to the Americas. His intense suffering is evident in his longing for death as a release from the deplorable circumstances.

The mention of a "salutation in my nostrils" and the overwhelming stench, coupled with the emotional distress caused by the wretchedness and crying around him, emphasizes the appalling conditions he endures. The refusal to eat and subsequent brutal punishment by white men further underscores the harsh reality of slavery, where the enslaved individuals were subjected to physical and psychological torment.

This passage poignantly captures the narrator's desperate desire for an escape from the inhumane treatment and dreadful environment aboard the slave ship. It serves as a powerful testament to the brutality of the Middle Passage and the profound impact it had on those who suffered through it.

Therefore, the correct answer is C.