The Writing of Olaudah Equiano and Phillis Wheatley in a Different Cultural Perspective

Both the prose of Olaudah Equiano and the poetry of Phillis Wheatley are similar in style of writing to the works of white British and American writers of the period. Even though Equiano’s writing describes in some detail the life of various African peoples, his artistic delivery is thoroughly Westernized. Wheatley, on her part, does not even have the distinction of describing indigenous cultures, instead devoting almost all of her attention to God. Even though there are some elements of interracial relations in some of her work, those are not much different from other, white writers. Since there is little chance to contrast the works of Equiano and Wheatley with the Western writers, it is therefore interesting to compare the thought process and cultural worldview of the two authors to those of their native cultures to determine whether or not their style of artistic presentation would make them successful storytellers among their own people.

The difference in the work of the two aforementioned authors would come from the differences in social, political, and religious life of their indigenous culture and that of the Western one. Equiano’s story, for example, consists mainly of his various experiences as a slave, and his horror and disgust at the institution of slavery is clearly understood by the Western readers. Had he been writing within his own culture, the description of his experiences would be more subdued and matter-of-fact because slavery was an integral part of the Ibo culture and viewed as a normal state of affairs. Perhaps one reason for this was the fact that both slaves and masters belonged to the same race. In fact, the life of the Ohu slave was not that difficult or different from that of his or her masters, except for the fact that these slaves did not possess personal freedom. Ohu slaves were often absorbed into the lineage of their master and married within the family-an unimaginable occurrence for slaves in Western countries.[1]

Another element that is missing in Equiano’s writing is the spiritual one. He does mention God or any other divinity in his writing, which is peculiar considering high spirituality of his native culture. The Ibos deeply believed in spirits, especially those of the dead ancestors, which is part of the reinforcement of the importance of lineage in their culture. Equiano describes a number of meals in his story, but in none of them does he mention the Ibo tradition of throwing the first bite of food on the ground during every meal while invoking the names of one’s ancestors.[2] Neither does Equiano mention anywhere in the story that he tried to appeal to his ancestors to relieve his condition of slavery, even though it is acceptable and expected to turn to the spirits of one’s ancestors for help when one experiences a long run of misfortune.[3]

Unlike Equiano, Wheatley was born in either Gambia or Senegal. For the purpose of this work, the two may be considered one because they border one another, and since Gambia is a small country with no natural borders like rivers or mountains, many Senegalese had drifted there from Senegal over the last two centuries to settle there to make the two cultures practically homogeneous.[4]

Wheatley was not likely to be shocked by a large number of ethnic groups once brought to America. Gambia itself was always home to people from all over the neighboring territories. The main difference for her was in drastic differences of religious beliefs. It is clear from Wheatley’s poetry that she was a deeply religious person and a Christian. She also apparently had come to view her ending up in America as a “deliverance” from the “land of errors, and Egyptian gloom” of pagan Africa.[5]

Additionally, if Wheatley had remained in Africa rather than been moved to America, she might have expressed her talent for storytelling through dance and song rather than writing, although Gambia’s written traditions are not altogether unimportant. However, her social position would not be that much different from the one she occupied in America, even after she had been manumitted. In Gambia, the griots-oral storytellers and historians, often accompanying their recitals with song and dance-were on the lowest rung of the social order, below common artisans and just above slaves.[6] As the only keepers and distributors of the society’s history, tradition, and art, the griots were highly respected and valued, and this treatment also makes them similar to important artists of the Western culture.

It is also not surprising that Wheatley chose to write poetry rather than prose. The strongest Gambian artistic tradition aside from song and dance consists of epic poems and family histories, also recited as poems.[7] This means that, had Wheatley been writing within her native culture, she would also chose poetry as her form of expression.

Overall, it is clear that Western cultural traditions clearly influenced both writers discussed here. It does appear, however, that Wheatley would have had less adjustments to make to be a successful storyteller in her own culture than Equiano would.

[1] Khoi Ta, “Ibo Tribe.” Online at http://members.tripod.com//ih8_tuxedos/index3.html

[2] Khoi Ta, “Ibo Tribe.” Online at http://members.tripod.com//ih8_tuxedos/index5.html

[3] ibid.

[4] “Gambia-Culture Overview.” Online at http://expedition.bensenville.lib.il.us/Africa/gambia/culture.htm

[5] Phillis Wheatley, “To the University of Cambridge, in New England,” Line 4.

[6] Lonely Planet World Guide, “Gambia Culture.” Online at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/gambia/culture.htm

[7] ibid.