Essay, Research Paper: Slave Narratives

Slave Narratives

The Middle Passage was almost inconceivable. Hundreds upon hundreds of Africans
were abducted from their homes to go on boats to America. They were stacked like
books on shelves in order to bring enough Negros for a profitable slave trade. The life
on the boats on the way to the New World was so bad that the Africans preferred
death to their gruesome future.

The conditions on the boats were hellish. The slaves on the ships were packed like
sardines and chained together. Among the gripping words that Olaudah Equiano, a slave
abducted when he was just eleven years old, used to describe the Middle passage are
hopeless, low, brutal, and wretched. The temperature in the disease- infested rooms
was inconceivable. There was no fresh air for the Negro inhabitants. The feeling of
shock and isolation only added to the sorrow and horror of the situation. Alexander
Falconbridge, a surgeon aboard these slave ships, recalled that the "hot floor was
covered with blood and mucus. It was like a slaughter-house." The sickening stench
was great due to the loathsome filth from the pestilential heat. As Olaudah Equiano
said, "sleep was the only [temporary] refuge." The dejection and despair of the
circumstances caused many people to bitterly cry, shriek, and groan in inconceivable
horror and fear. The savage cruelty of the slave traders and boat crew was terrifying.
The Negros were deprived of food and health treatments, and due to the crammed
conditions this caused great waves of sickness and disease. These ships created an
absolute hellish existence for the abandoned Africans aboard them. Although
describable, the anguish of these people cannot be fully understood.

The African's, due to these excruciating conditions, were completely and utterly
terrified. During the slave trades, the noise and clamor was so frightening that many
slaves attempted at running away in the tumult. On the boats, many people tried to
jump overboard. Attempted suicide usually just increased the despair of the situation.
Negros were punished for any attempt at escape or purposeful personal harm. If one
did not eat, they were flogged until they ate the disgusting food.

The slave traders expressed brutal cruelty to the slaves aboard the ships. They treated
the Negros as if they were imported typical goods. They spent the least amount of
effort and money in making the conditions aboard the boats tolerable in order to ensure
a higher profitable outcome. Occasionally the crew would have intercourse with some
of the women slaves. They branded, beat, flogged, starved, and tortured the innocent
and terrified Africans because they needed to keep their power. They lied to the slaves
and told them that they were gods who controlled the water. The slave traders also
made sure that the Africans would not know the location of their destination. They
made all of the Negros stay below deck. To them, the slaves were just typical cargo
that was a little bit more difficult to handle.

The Africans felt complete shock and isolation at the harsh brutality of their slave
traders. They were utterly paralyzed at what was going on around them. They had no
control and were therefore completely terrified. They felt hopeless and despaired. They
felt extremely isolated and abandoned. The thoughts always led to back home, when
life used to be happy. Their attitudes were not optimistic. The future was unknown.
Few had any actions of rebellion towards the slave traders. Amistad, one of the ships
that was used to haul this "cargo" to America, was taken over through mutiny by the
Africans on board. However, most Negros on the ships were too terrified and shocked
to rebel.

Once arriving in the New World, things began to get better, relatively. They were still
horrible wretched, but there was still a little bit of hope. Olaudah Equiano felt optimism
when he heard that once he got to America, he could work. Working, to him, was much
better than the pestilential conditions aboard these ships of the Middle Passage. There
were bitter cries at the unknown future; some thought that they would be used as
food for the cannibals aboard the New World. However, in order to inspire hope, the
slave traders let slaves from land come aboard and tell the Negros that they would be
able to work and would see their country's people. The selling of slaves was absolutely
miserable. There was clamor and noise that was utterly terrifying. Families were broken
up and Africans were crying.

It is impossible to imagine these experiences and conditions accurately. Without being
there, one cannot truly empathize with the "cargo" aboard the ships in the Middle
Passage. The hellish existence of these passengers is inconceivable. Since that time
there have been few incidents as horrible, brutal, and full of despair.