Similar to Phillis Wheatley, Equiano used his exposure and writing to gather sympathy for those enslaved. It is interesting with an ironic twist that Equiano was a part of the Back to Africa delegation but never made it to his destination, a freeman that fell short of complete liberation. Although Equiano was more outspoken against slavery than his counterpart Phillis Wheatley he was not as patriotic, the effects of slavery curbed his manner in speaking out. It would be a mistake to compare Equiano and Wheatley to how modern day African Americans would respond to slavery. Keeping in mind the times in which these two writers lived it is understandable why they stayed within the establishment.
Unlike Phillis Wheatley, Equiano looked back on his native Africa with pleasant nostalgia describing it as "Edenic" saying, “I look back with pleasure on the first scenes of my life”, Equiano writes in his autobiography. This appreciation for his native land and other countries he traveled to provide a glimpse of the worldview Equiano held. Clearly Equiano saw his self as someone who was the exception not the rule where slaves are concerned, “a favorite of heaven” is how he describes himself. Not comfortable being associated with North America Equiano was closely aligned with European countries, a pattern many African American writers would follow hundreds of years later. Equiano was a diplomat on a mission and his writing draws comparisons to Robinson Crusoe, If only his writing was a fictional tale.
An early leader of African American literary tradition took different approaches in dealing with their oppression but each made an enormous impact in their world. Now after all these years we can look back at the accounts of slavery and see clearly the suffering and misery that these people endured and recognize the accomplishments of individuals like, Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. Sharing a life of advantage and each of these early writers anticipated a future hope. This hope took shape in education, spiritual renewal and freedom from slavery. As survivors of unspeakable horrors and as a spokesman and spokeswoman for there people these two early pioneers of African American Literature maneuvered within the confides of Colonial America to emerge as strong voices for their time and beyond.
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