Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano was just a young boy when he was enslaved. In his narrative he describes the conditions forced upon him and his people. He describes the hold where the slaves were as unbearably hot. It was so hot people could suffocate. Also the hold was not clean at all. All those people in one compact place at once was not the healthiest. Disease spread around quickly. He explains how the children fell into the tubs that people were going to the bathroom in. There was no where for the slaves to bathe either. Another thing was that there wasn't enough fresh air getting to the hold so people were getting very sick. The only time a slave went up on deck was when they were near death and absolutely needed fresh air. Equiano explains how the men that enslaved him and his people beat his people to near death if they acted up in any sort. Despite all of the bad things that have happened to him and his people, Equiano recognizes some good things. He recognizes the fish and that a crew member taught him what a quadrant was and how it was used on a ship to navigate.