Brandon Tsay

1. "Their complexions too [Page 71] differing so much from ours, their long hair, and the language
they spoke (which was very different from any I had ever heard), united to confirm me in this belief"
(2).
As to the Whites, the Africans also found them alien to their land.
2. "When I looked round the ship too and saw a large furnace or copper boiling, and a multitude of
black people of every description chained together, everyone oftheir countenances expressing
dejection and sorrow, I no longer doubted of my fate; and quite overpowered with horror and
anguish, I fell motionless on the deck and fainted" (2)
A diversity of African people were taken captive at a time.
3. "I asked them if we were not to be eaten by those white men with horrible looks, red faces, and
loose hair" (2).
Fear of the difference in color lead the African captive to believe in cannibalism.
4. "I had never experienced anything of this kind before; and although,not being used to the water"
(2).
The Africans that were taken were not use to their new environment on the water.
5. ", I would have jumped over the side, but I could not; and, besides, the crew used to watch us very
closely who were not chained down to the decks, lest we should leap into the water: and I have seen
some of these poor African prisoners most severely cut for attempting to do so, and hourly whipped
for not eating" (3).
The Africans were treated poorly and chained, but the were needed alive and well fed.
6. "the white people looked and acted, as I thought, in so savage a manner" (3).
Both cultures viewed each other as savages in many manners.
7. "One white man in particular I saw, when we were permitted to be on deck, flogged so
unmercifully with a large rope near the foremast that he died in consequence of it; and they tossed
him over the side as they would have done a brute" (3).
The Whites also treated their own indifferently and without kindness.

8. "This made me fear these people the more; and I [Page 76] expected nothing less than to be
treated in the same manner" (3).
This attitude made the African captivities more fearful of the Whites since they too will be treated in a
lesser fashion.
9. "the white men had some spell or magic they put in the water [Page 77] when they liked in order
to stop the vessel" (3).
Africans had no idea about sailing or what type of vessel they were being held captive on.
10. "I therefore wished much to be from amongst them, for I expected they would sacrifice me: but
my wishes were vain; for we were so quartered that it was impossible for any of us to make our
escape" (3).
Some wish to die before reaching their unknown destination.
11. "While we stayed on the coast I was mostly on deck; and one day, to my great astonishment, I
saw one of these vessels coming in with the sails up" (3).
African did not know that their could be more than one of these types of vessels.
12. "The stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so in tolerably loathsome, that it was
dangerous to remain there for any time, and some of us had been permitted to stay on the deck for
the fresh air; but now that the whole ship's cargo were [Page 79] confined together, it became
absolutely pestilential" (4).
The toxins release by everyone body and body fluids made the hold a breeding ground for bacteria.
13. "One day they had taken a number of fishes and when they had killed and satisfied themselves
with as many as [Page 81] they thought fit, to our astonishment who were on the deck, rather than
give any of them to us to eat as we expected, they tossed the remaining fish into the sea again" (4).
The Africans were truly treated as property, the white did not even let the Africans have the leftovers
from there own meals.
14. "During our passage 1 first saw flying fishes, which surprised me very much: they used
frequently to fly across the ship, and many of them fell on the deck" (5).
Africans have never seen such a diversity in marine life before.
15. ". This heightened my wonder; and I was now more persuaded than ever that I was in another
world, and that every thing about me was magic" (5).

The African captives could not understand their technology at all and believe it was magic.
16. "They put us in separate parcels, and examined us attentively. They also made us jump, and
pointed to the land, signifying we were to go there" (5).
The Africans were tested upon arrival like property being evaluated.
17. "They [Page 85] told us we were not to be eaten, but to work, and were soon to go on land,
where we should see many of our country people" (5).
They had already captured more Africans before hand and established plantations for work.
18. "We were conducted immediately to the merchant's yard, where we were all pent up together like
so many sheep in a fold, without regard to sex or age" (5).
All Africans were sold regardless of sex or age, they were treat the same as an object or tool.
19. "As every object was new to me everything I saw filled me with surprise" (6)
African had not seen any of these things in or around their country before and was quite puzzled
20. "I found they had many horses amongst them, and much larger than those I then saw" (6).
The captive recognize the horse, but to his surprise they were bigger due to the difference in
breeding.

One important takeaway, I learned from this reading is that although this was an perception of a
young boy view he was treated the same cruel way as property. The young boy saw unimaginable
horror in the vessel that he was chained to. He witness people tortured and punish, even die. The
boy was taken form his native home; he was taken from his relatives and friends. His was brought
onto something unknown and fearful of his fate. The boy was treated inhumanely, and still was able
to live through all of the malice and scrutiny. The was no limit for the Whites as to gender and age to
be taken and sold into slavery of Africans.