tion of dancers, musicians, and poets" (Equiano, 14). The pride he has is not an obnoxious pride, but a pride that says the Africans can express themselves similar to the ways Europeans express themselves through dancers, musicians, and poets. Therefore, Equiano is humbly pointing out that they too, like the Europeans, are a civilized culture and thus deserving of freedom. He even goes as far as to say that he has scarcely seen dancers with such variety as the Africans (Equiano 14). This implies that they are capable of being skilled in or mastering an activity which is another indication that the Africans are a civilized culture and therefore have the right to freedom. To generalize Equiano's use of tone in the above passage, the fact that he takes time to mention something as minor as dancing and music shows the reader that his attitude is one of pride for his culture. Therefore, the reader should be compelled to realize that the Europeans themselves have a similar pride in their culture thus qualifying the Africans for humanity and freedom just like the Europeans.Equiano's diction is another literary element used to support the sub-theme. He uses the words married men, married women, young men, and maidens to let the reader know that these people make up the African's society (Equiano 14). Society means companionship or association with one's fellows (Webster, 1094). Since the meaning of society does not change with culture, the Africans are, once again, just as civilized as the Europeans. Equiano purposely divides the society into these four categories so that the reader can see that a society existed. Had he simply used the word "society," in place of the people that actually make up the society, the audience would not have the same appreciation for the idea of a society. Also the fact that Equiano wrote his narrative in English shows the reader that if he has the capacity for learning a language in just a few years, oth...
