Olaudah Equiano's "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" is one of the most influential slave narratives to present day society. As one of the first widely read accounts of the slave trade, Equiano's style established an effective form of slave narrative that influenced countless authors, including Frederick Douglass. The language sets up credibility and maintains a tone of honesty rather than sentimentality. Through his use of diction, verb tense, and the consciousness of his target audience, Equiano creates a realistic description of slave life that is both powerful and informative.

Much of Equiano's word choice within the description of the treatment of female slaves creates a type of accountability towards the reader. The use of language such as "depredations", "atrocities", and "abominations.".. "Of the chastity of the female slaves" certainly correlates the horrors the females faced with the hypocrisy of the readers who do not...