"The mini-series Roots Provides an accurate account of the experience of African Slaves"

Essay by joeycharltonHigh School, 11th gradeB, October 2007

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Roots provides, to a great extent, an accurate account of the experiences of African Slaves during the time of their capture, the Middle Passage and the slave auctions. The eye-opening series visually captures the barbaric nature of which the Africans were stolen from their homeland then packed into ominous ships only to be unloaded, sold and sentenced to a life of slavery in America. However some minor details have been omitted and distorted from the series for viewing purposes. Other sources such as the diary of Olaudah Equiano and Alexander Falconbridge support the main views shown in Roots on this disturbing chapter in history.

The capture of slaves in Africa as demonstrated by Roots paints an accurate portrait of the lives and experiences of some of the Negroes; however some aspects involving the capture of African Slaves were not shown in the series. The capture of Kunta Kinte in Roots occurs while he is alone in the bush, following a warning he received from elders cautioning him never to travel alone.

He is ambushed, captured, then left in chains to cry and scream until he can no longer muster the energy to fight. Equiano (a former slave) explains a similar situation in his diary. He describes his capture as taking place so quickly he cannot even cry out, let alone resist. Equiano was bound, gagged and taken away. Previous to his capture, Equiano was told to be aware of kidnappers, especially when he was not supervised. (Equiano, O. 1995 'Equiano's autobiography' in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Written by Himself [Accessed 27/2/2007]).

When Kunta Kinte arrives at the coast he is confronted by the sight of distressed Negroes, chained and confused. He searches for his friends and family, only to be separated from them. This...