Comprehenshion Check Questions To Equiano's Slave Narrative

Comprehension Check Questions:

For what crimes were slaves punished? And what was the punishment?

-- The slaves are punished because they were hungry & they stole the fish from the white men. Their punishment was that they got beaten for stealing the fish.

Critical Thinking Questions:

Interpret: Why does Equiano blame the illness aboard the ship on the “improvident avarice” of the traders?

-- Equiano blames the illness because there was a limited amount of space within the slaves. The slaves literally were on top of each other on the shop. The traders didn't care that any of the slaves died cause they had so much slaves aboard the ship. They knew no matter how many died, they would always have more.

Support from the text: How can you tell that Equiano has a great zest for life despite his assertion that he wanted to die?

-- He had a great zest for life because he wanted to know the result after the boat ride.

Infer: What does this passage reveal about the author?

-- This passage reveals that the author is educated, because of the vocabulary that he uses. He was most likely self taught.

Draw conclusion: Explain what a variety of languages indicates about the slave trade.

-- A variety of languages indicates that in the slave trade, the slaves were taken from different parts of Africa, or even different parts of the world.

Thematic Focus: When one culture dominates another, what troubles might society face?

-- Different cultures could have different point of views on certain things, which can cause controversy. For example, one culture might accept something while the other does not. It can cause many problems in a society.