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John Smith And Olaudah Equiano Essay

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The two selections that give the most complete picture of this historical period are The General History of Virginia by John Smith and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Both narratives describe a time in history when man had to overcome vast cruelty including either an outside force such as traders or Mother Nature. The authors of the personal accounts, John Smith and Olaudah Equiano, expressed a tone of courage which fueled their motivation throughout the hardships faced during the time period. Captain John Smith revealed his strength and perseverance when going head to head with the oldest force in history, Mother Nature. One detail that expresses the theme includes "With this lodging and diet, our extreme toil in beaning and planting, palisades so strained and bruised us and our continual labor in the extremity of the heat had so weakened us." The quote not only shows us how difficult life must have been, but reveals nature's harsh conditions on the coming of man. An example of descriptive imagery of the Natives by Smith is "Powhatan more like a devil than a man, with some two hundred more as black as himself, came unto him." One event that highlighted the struggle between man and nature was "The President and Captain Archer not long after intended also to have abandoned the country, which project also was curbed and suppressed by Smith." In a similar way, Olaudah Equiano faced the cruelty of slave traders through his …show more content…
Likewise, in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Olaudah expresses his difficult experiences in the journey from slavery to freedom. Smith's hard work and dedication to his colony allows the reader to understand how goals can be obtained and accomplished. In comparison, Oluadah's endurance and toleration of slavery to freedom shows the reader how courage and perseverance led to

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