Feigning Disinterest to Gain Interest

I was intrigued by a suggestion from Professor Cervantes after class two weeks ago that perhaps Equiano constructs disinterestedness, in a similar manner as Franklin in his autobiography. Though his extraordinary life journey as a slave intuitively seems to qualify him to speak against slavery, Equiano instead establishes his authority on the subject by working to convince his readers that he represents British welfares. By feigning a disinterest in slave rights, Equiano makes his audience believe that his suggestions embrace the best interest of the public.

Equiano frequently likens himself to the British as a principle means to make it seem less like he acts out of an African interest. In his personal moments, this kinship often takes the form of adoration or longing for British culture: “I had often observed, that when her mother washed her face it looked very rosy; but when she washed mine it did not look so; I therefore tried oftentimes myself if I could not by washing make my face of the same colour as my little play-mate (Mary), but it was all in vain; and I now began to be mortified at the difference in our complexions” (68-9). This episode subtly wins over Equiano’s British audience by showing them as so superior in his regard that he would alter the appearance of his body, if he could, to more closely resemble them. Not only does Equiano take a liking to the British, but also in some ways, he demotes his origins: “I was now amongst a people who had not their faces scarred, like some of the African nations where I had been. I was very glad I did not let them ornament me in that manner when I was with them” (68-9). This rejection of his old culture to belong in British society would appear as a favorable conversion to Equiano’s English audience.

After accomplishing the subterfuge that he is ‘one of them,’ Equiano makes arguments of reform that relate to practicality and economics, as these principles were in the interest of Europeans (but also slaves). He explains how treating slaves humanely increases efficiency. Slaves would conserve energy for work and not spend much of the night visiting their spouses if masters did not make men punish their wives. Moreover, senseless cruelty simply leads to wasted resources: “I have seen a negro beaten till some of his bones were broken, for only letting a pot boil over” (167). Equiano further underscores the senselessness of this widespread cruelty by contrasting it to his personal experiences under a master he felt inclined to please because the master had treated Equiano humanely, even providing instruction in mathematics.

Having outlined his intentions as noble to the British, Equiano successfully gains the attention of this audience and consequently gains greater ability to reform slavery—albeit in a colluded manner.