In "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" written by himself,
Equiano begins his narrative in the simple, yet enthusiastic voice that carries the reader
throughout his life story. He makes his plans entirely clear, he intends his narrative to
open the world's eyes to the degradation and inhumanity of slavery. Yet he knows, too,
that merely preaching of goodwill towards Africans would not turn any heads. He must
show directly the irony that those naming others "barbarians" were the barbaric ones
themselves. His intensely personal story, with detailed descriptions of what he saw cruel
or ordinary and of how one African dealt with forced encounters with different lands and
cultures, was what it would take for Englishmen to relate and thus to understand. We are
going to look at who Equiano's audience was and how he tried to reach these particular
Equaino writes his narrative in a very honest and informal form, as if he is writing
to someone that he knows well. The audience however, seems to be the people of the
Americas as well as Europe, not just other blacks or slaves. For this reason the book is
published in America as well as Europe several times while Equiano is still living. In the
narrative, Equiano attempts to tell his story with a very fair and accurate historical tone.
By doing this he can gain his reader's trust as an unbiased historian, calling for necessary
action, rather than an angry slave trying to get back at the slaveholders.
For Equiano, staying in England meant working towards his goals through British
culture. This is how his Interesting Narrative gained the structure it has. With Equiano's
reformative intent for the novel, his confusing combination of culture and upbringing, and
the intended audience to hear his reformative cry, his best bet to reach this audience was
mostly by means with which they were fami
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