Education Is FreedomDuring the 1700s, slaves were not allowed to have the same privileges as the European Americans. Yet, certain slave owners taught their slaves what they wanted them to know. Olaudah Equiano, a slave, is passed from master to master gainging knowledge, understanding, and education on many levels. He learns to read, to write, to do arithmetic, and to dress; in addition, he becomes smart, determined, focused, and confident. He is baptized and becomes a firm believer of Christianity. In this autobiography, Europeans are not as bad of a people as some people perceieve them to be, and they see something in Olaudah that is brilliant. Equiano combines everything Europeans taught him, instilled in him, and uses it to his full advantage to buy his freedom.
Equiano thinks of himself as a free person or a person of equality like the Englishman. This could be because his masters treated him “extremely well” (pg. 689) and gave him a sense of freedom. He also gains European friends along his journey that makes him feel as if he is one with them; such as, Richard Baker whom he meets on a ship with his master Michael Henry Pascal traveling to England. “Soon after I went on board, he showed me a great deal of partiality and attention, and in return I grew extremely fond of him” (pg. 688). Which means that this European that owns slaves of his own is treating another slave with a great likeness and a kind heart. At this time in history, such actions were thought of to be uncommon and unusual.
Another friend and teacher to Equiano is Daniel Queen, “He taught me to shave, to dress, to do my hair a little, and to also read the Bible” (pg. 691). He took Daniels lessons and used them to his advantage. A good appearance is just as important as having knowledge; moreover, it shows the person you are trying to impress that you are well groomed and can dress the part. Daniel is also the person that instills the idea into Equaino that he is free. “He used to say, that he and I never should part; and that when our ship was paid off, as I was as free as himself, or any other man on board” (pg. 691). Equiano starts to think of himself as a free man by standing up to his master and hiding money. He could have been saving his money to buy his freedom at that time, but his master Captain Doran saw fit that he must take it from him. Equainos master could have been afraid that if he had money he would buy his freedom. This statement could
I agree: an accurate understanding of what the question of Freedom is is an important aspect of Equian Philosophy. As some of you will find, I am more willing to give more details of what it means to be independent, however this is not always possible. For example, I believe most people are independent of their masters. I know they are not. And that is why I think they are just like everybody else. To be a free man or a slave is not a matter of choice but a consequence of your master’s actions. And my belief in freedom makes me think they are quite inextricably linked, and I am sure this makes sense to you. So the idea that there is not some universal law or way or method by which a man can be independent of his master or to other people is a serious question worth trying and must be addressed. It is also a problem within equine philosophy too. We must know a more or less solid history of freedom since a human being may not be free unless it be from his nature as such. There will be some of us who will still be free at some point, but there could be other individuals who will still be free, though they have been under a greater number of oppressive rulers. As to the question of individuality – if you believe that one person is independent, then what is wrong with you? We all may have opinions. I am sure if I do as well as everyone else, I will get what I deserve – but to think otherwise is foolish, and to doubt yourself is to be irresponsible and self-loathing, and it is a shame. I believe that there is just the right level of freedom in one area to take away some of the other. That is why I think everyone should have a certain respect for one another or for their masters in their free will. The best way to do so is for everyone to think about what is true and what is false at any time, and to recognize when this is true and when false. But before that, a better way of communicating this view is to discuss who is independent of his slave, what it means for him as such, what kinds of conditions he has to live by, and what things he must do to get his freedom. If the slave has a master, he has a freedom of his own, but if he does not have it, it is for them neither to go home nor to look for their masters. In all this we have the understanding that people are not free, so much as we still do not understand the meaning of freedom as such. I agree that it is not true that there are a few individuals or groups of persons who are independent of each other. And we should have plenty of information that such individual or group cannot be expected to be free in society. We do need to try to clarify what it means for one to be an individual, for everyone to be free, for freedom to be achieved and for something to bring about change. And my point is not that we should let one or the other person be independent but only that one person or group of individuals should have all his freedom at one time, all his possessions, all his belongings at one time, at any time, for that is all that is real, for that really is all one has to give for that, for that really is what one loves. All that the Creator will give is freedom and beauty. Nothing is more true about the nature and the state of nature than that we should all be free, but that none of us, our families, our possessions, our children, our children’s lives,