Focus: Chapter 1

• What values and cultural practices shaped Equiano's early life?

• How does his portrayal of African society contrast with stereotypes of African “primitivism”?

• What emotions does he associate with family, religion, and daily life?

Focus: Chapter 2 (early section)

• How does Equiano describe his kidnapping and the separation from his sister?

• What coping strategies (emotional, physical, relational) are visible in his response?

• How does this experience shape his understanding of vulnerability and identity?

Focus: Chapter 2 (slave ship experience)

• How does Equiano depict the horror of the Middle Passage from a child’s point of view?

• What sensory details make this part particularly vivid?

• What does this reveal about children’s psychological and physical suffering?

Focus: Both chapters + final background section

• What makes Equiano’s account a powerful historical source?

• How should historians approach the controversy over his birthplace?

• In what ways does his memory both reveal and reshape historical truth?