[lit-ideas] Re: The Life, Times, and _Opinions_ of Olaudah Equiano
- From: "Judith Evans" <judithevans1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:23:35 +0100
>Indeed, I also found it gave too much of a _parliamentary_ account of
>abolitionism. Indeed,
I haven't seen it, JL -- thanks for the corroboration. To be fair, it wasn't
meant to be more
than a bio-pic of Wilberforce. And without Wilberforce (and Pitt, who
encouraged him)
the extra-parliamentary movement would have had a far harder time (getting a
bill
through parliament). The thing is, in Britain abolition was judicial and
parliamentary, albeit
without the support of the people it presumably would not have occurred.
>I expected Wilberforce to be more of a 'man of action'
Clarkson etc. did the rushing around the country, but in liaison with
Wilberforce
>I too thought the title was misleading.
I assume they chose it because it's so well-known. Newton wrote it, yes, but
he's
a somewhat equivocal character (I saw the part of the movie that made him look
a bit like a church custodian!, the reason's that he became a curate)
http://www.anointedlinks.com/amazing_grace.html
>Indeed Thomas Clarkon's role was so diminished that I don't know who he was
he was really important,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Clarkson
>I expect Olaudah Equiano was a 'freed slave', and I remember an 'ethnic' cast
>type there,
there's some doubt about his early story, but he was a slave, yes, who bought
his freedom
and came to England, where, basically, he could be assured of not being made a
slave
again. He became a leading abolitionist speaker and writer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaudah_Equiano
-- the "'ethnic' cast type" you saw is Youssou N'Dour, who is really really
good; he's been
very polite about the very small role in _Amazing Grace_!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youssou_N%27Dour
>but like Equiano, their role was mainly to make the British aware
>that there is something like a _living_ aborigen culture
I wouldn't have said that was Equiano's role. He was an independent actor
within the
abolition movement.
Judy Evans, Cardiff, UK
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