1. Why would Equiano’s story have been useful to the cause of abolition? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from the text.
2. Provide an example from the text of an appeal to emotion. How does this appeal help make readers aware of slavery’s injustice? Provide examples from the text to support your response.
3. Provide an example from the text of an appeal to shared beliefs and values. How does this appeal help make readers aware of slavery’s injustice? Provide examples from the text to support your response.
4. In the final paragraph, why does Equiano tell the story of the two brothers? How is this story an example of the use of rhetoric? How does the story relate to the rhetorical questions (questions that are not meant to be answered but asked only to make a point) at the end of the paragraph? Provide evidence from the text to support your response.
5. In the final paragraph, why does Equiano quote the Bible? How does this reference to the Bible support his purpose? How does it connect to other ideas in the paragraph? Do you think this reference is an effective use of rhetoric? Explain your answer, citing evidence from the text to support your response.
6. Reread the final paragraph. What effect does Equiano hope that his narrative will have on shaping the identity of early America? Highlight words, phrases, and sentences that support your response. In your annotations, explain how this textual evidence relates to Equiano’s appeal.
CA-CCSS: CA.RI.11-12.1CA.RI.11-12.6
