Answer:
In this harrowing description of the Middle Passage, Olaudah Equiano described the terror of the transatlantic slave trade. Equiano eventually purchased his freedom and lived in London where he advocated for abolition. "excite in [the reader's] august assemblies a sense of compassion of the miseries which the Slave-Trade has entailed on my unfortunate countrymen." He wants the reader to know what African slaves truly experienced on a slave trip along the Middle Passage. Ultimately through his narrative, Equiano intends to persuade his audience, the British government, to abolish the Atlantic slave trade as well as alert them of the harsh treatment of slaves. Equiano was sold to the North American colony of Virginia where, in 1754, he was purchased by Lieutenant Pascal, an officer in the Royal Navy. Equiano traveled extensively and learned the mariner's trade with Pascal, who sent Equiano to London for schooling. The "middle passage," which brought the slaves from West Africa to the West Indies, might take three weeks. Equiano includes the letters to assure the reader of his strong moral character and work ethic. The letters use third-person perspective, which contrasts with the first-person voice that's used once the memoir begins. The book describes Equiano's time spent in enslavement, and documents his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the Bible, and his eventual success in gaining his own freedom and in business thereafter.