Question

directions: 1. students pair up to annotate two excerpts: one from olaudah equiano’s memoir, another from a british trader’s justification of slavery. 2. annotation task: highlight/circle bias signals (loaded words, missing voices, justifications vs lived experience). 3. after annotation, groups share findings in a fishbowl discussion: inner circle discusses while outer circle tracks which types of bias are most common. part a – excerpts excerpt 1: olaudah equiano (1789) “when i looked round the ship and saw a large furnace of copper boiling, and a multitude of black people of every description chained together, every one of their countenances expressing dejection and sorrow, i no longer doubted my fate. i was soon put down under the decks, and there i received such a salutation in my nostrils as i had never experienced in my life: so that, with the loathsomeness of the stench, and crying together, i became so sick and low that i was not able to eat.” excerpt 2: british trader (late 1700s) “the trade of slaves is as old as history itself. it is sanctioned by the practice of all ages and nations, and it is justified by necessity. africa is a land of savages who gain from our industry and commerce. we give them civilization and religion in exchange for their labor, which is the foundation of prosperity in the colonies.” part b – annotation task • highlight loaded words in each excerpt. • circle where bias shows up. • put a ★ next to anything missing or silenced in the account.

Explanation:

For Excerpt 1 (Olaudah Equiano):

• Loaded words: "dejection", "sorrow", "loathsomeness", "stench", "sick", "low" (these words carry emotional weight about the harshness of the slave ship experience).
• Bias signals: The account is from the lived experience of a slave, so the bias here is the absence of the trader's perspective (but the task is to find bias in the text; the text itself is a personal narrative, so the bias might be in how it contrasts with the trader's justification. The missing voices here could be the traders' or other slaves' different perspectives, but the main bias signal is the emotional loaded words showing the negative experience.
• Missing/silenced: The perspectives of the slave traders, the positive aspects (if any) from the traders' view, or other slaves' varying experiences are missing.

For Excerpt 2 (British Trader):

• Loaded words: "savages", "sanctioned", "justified", "necessity", "civilization", "religion", "prosperity" (these words are used to justify slavery, with "savages" dehumanizing Africans, and the others framing slavery as beneficial and legitimate).
• Bias signals: The trader's justification is biased as it ignores the suffering of slaves (like in Equiano's account). The use of "savages" shows racial bias, and framing slavery as a trade of "necessity" and for the "prosperity" of colonies is a biased justification.
• Missing/silenced: The lived experiences of slaves (like Equiano's), the negative impacts on African societies, and the exploitation aspect are missing.

To complete the annotation:

1. In Excerpt 1, highlight the loaded words mentioned, circle the parts where the emotional description (showing the bias of the harsh reality vs the trader's justification) is, and put a star next to the missing trader's perspective or other slaves' diverse stories.
2. In Excerpt 2, highlight the loaded words, circle the justifications (like "sanctioned by...", "justified by necessity", "land of savages", "give them civilization...") as bias signals, and put a star next to the missing slave experiences and the harm done to Africans.

Answer:

Excerpt 1 (Olaudah Equiano)

• Loaded words: "dejection", "sorrow", "loathsomeness", "stench", "sick", "low" (highlight these).
• Bias signals: Circle the description of the slave ship conditions and the emotional state (e.g., "a multitude of black people...chained together, every one of their countenances expressing dejection and sorrow", "I received such a salutation...loathsomeness of the stench...I became so sick and low").
• Missing/silenced: Put a star next to the absence of trader's perspective, other slaves' varied experiences, or positive aspects (from trader's view) of the situation.

Excerpt 2 (British Trader)

• Loaded words: "savages", "sanctioned", "justified", "necessity", "civilization", "religion", "prosperity" (highlight these).
• Bias signals: Circle the justifications ("The trade of slaves...sanctioned by the practice of all ages and nations", "justified by necessity", "Africa is a land of savages...We give them civilization and religion..."), and the dehumanizing term "savages".
• Missing/silenced: Put a star next to the absence of slave experiences (like Equiano's), the harm to African societies, and the exploitation of slave labor.