Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

The author first offers an apologia, stating why he has chosen to write his narrative. He does not wish to be vain, which is the danger with writing about one's self. Rather, he wishes to celebrate God, for God has made him a favorite and bestowed him with a great deal of favor, especially in contrast to his enslaved African countrymen. If he is able to provide a little satisfaction and promote "the interest of humanity" to the small circle of acquaintances which has requested this narrative, he will consider the narrative a success.

Olaudah Equiano is born in the African territory of Guinea, in the kingdom of Benin, in the remote province of Eboe, in 1745. In his childhood, he never encounters a white man. His father is a village elder, called Embrenche, a term of great respect. Scarification of the...