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Equiano And Franklin

Although it may seem unreasonable at first, the lives and experiences of one of the fathers of the revolution, Benjamin Franklin, and a former slave child that was abducted from his home and sold to slavery, Equiano, have played out to be very unique and similar. Both were exposed to the amazing opportunity of education and worldly lessons that allowed them to develop and grow into well educated and respected individuals. It can be argued that both were very similar and exposed to the life of a British subject.
One boy, the youngest of 7, was born to parents of considerable respect and standing. Since he was the youngest, his mother took special care and attention for him, teaching him many things, including the art of war. His father was “one of those elders or chiefs… importing the highest distinction…” (Equiano, pages 5-6). His land was “ a nation of dancers, musicians and poets.” (Equiano, page 10). He came from a proud nation that worked hard for a living. There was much respect for tradition, humble work and respect. Crimes came with steep punishment. Those convicted of war crimes or even adultery, could be sentenced a life of servitude. For this reason, it was very common for a family, such at this boy’s, to own slaves. The next boy was also the youngest in the family. He too came from a hardworking, honest way of life built of values and tradition. While his brothers and sisters worked, he was allowed to attend school and learn the art of writing and math. Although his father wished for him to take a path to the clergy, his ambitions led him to writing. Just as the first boy, this family also owned slaves. These two accounts of the boys’ lives seem very similar up to this point. Both had loving and hardworking families who tried to install a sense of worth and meaning to their boys’. As the first boys story continues, the great parallels begin to diverge. At the tender age of 10, he was kid-knapped and sold into slavery. He was soon taken to Barbados, and...