--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first object which saluted my eyes…" description: "\"The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then riding at anchor, and waiting for its ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/olaudah-equiano-72712_anchors_the-first-object-which-saluted-my-eyes-w_3168564.jpg" --- # The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on… ![“The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then riding at anchor, and waiting for its cargo. These filled me with astonishment, which was soon connected with terror, when I was carried on board. I was immediately handled, and tossed…” quote by Olaudah Equiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/olaudah-equiano-72712_anchors_the-first-object-which-saluted-my-eyes-w_3168564.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/olaudah-equiano-72712_anchors_the-first-object-which-saluted-my-eyes-w_3168564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/olaudah-equiano-72712_anchors_the-first-object-which-saluted-my-eyes-w_3168564.jpg) > “The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then riding at anchor, and waiting for its cargo. These filled me with astonishment, which was soon connected with terror, when I was carried on board. I was immediately handled, and tossed up to see if I were sound, by some of the crew; and I was now persuaded that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits, and that they were going to kill me.” [Olaudah Equiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaudah-equiano/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes the shocking sight of a slave ship, feeling awe and terror, realizing he is in a deadly, hostile world. **In simple terms:** Seeing a slave ship caused fear and realization of danger. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront oppressive systems. Themes slavery fear survival Mood somber reflective Type historical educational When to use this quote - historical education - anti‑slavery activism - personal reflection Key Concepts colonialism human rights psychology of trauma Questions to Reflect On - How does confronting history affect your worldview? - What actions can combat modern oppression? A Different Perspective Trauma can be overwhelming without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anchors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anchors/) [Astonishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishment/) [Boards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boards/) [Cargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cargo/) [Coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coast/) [Connected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connected/) [Crew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crew/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eyes Arrived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-arrived-5757412/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kill me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-me/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riding/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slave Ship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-ship-1739504/) [Slave ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-ships/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) [Terror Carried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror-carried-5757411/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Nobody had ever instructed him that a slave-ship, with a procession of expectant sharks in its wake, is a missionary institution, by which closely-packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/nobody-had-ever-instructed-him-that-a-slave-ship-with-a-procession-of/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [The success of the abolitionist movement lay in its making real for people in Britain and America the slave ship's pervasive and utterly instrumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-rediker/the-success-of-the-abolitionist-movement-lay-in-its-making-real-for/) [Marcus Rediker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-rediker/) > [It's time for Black people to stop playing the separating game of geography, of where the slave ship put us down. We must concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/it-s-time-for-black-people-to-stop-playing-the-separating-game-of/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [from the slave ship to the citizenship we faced a lot of bullship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/from-the-slave-ship-to-the-citizenship-we-faced-a-lot-of-bullship/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [“A slave ship of the skies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gucci-mane/a-slave-ship-of-the-skies/) [Gucci Mane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gucci-mane/) > [“How many movements began when an aesthetic encounter indelibly changed our past perceptions of the world? 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Today’s slaves, though no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/progeny-of-the-middle-passage-the-leaky-little-tubs-which-the-sea/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immigrant-ships-my-foreparents/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [The Islamic community today is faced with a new version of an old struggle. My late mother used to say it doesn't matter whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/the-islamic-community-today-is-faced-with-a-new-version-of-an-old/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [Africans in the United States must remember that the slave ships brought no West Indians, no Caribbeans, no Jamaicans or Trinidadians or Barbadians to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/africans-in-the-united-states-must-remember-that-the-slave-ships/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/america-has-been-the-best-country-on-earth-for-black-folks-it-was/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [People can be slave-ships in shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/people-can-be-slave-ships-in-shoes/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [I be off the slave ships, building pyramids, writing my own hieroglyphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-be-off-the-slave-ships-building-pyramids-writing-my-own-hieroglyphs/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) ## More by Olaudah Equiano > [I believe there are few events in my life which have not happened to many; it is true the incidents of it are numerous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaudah-equiano/i-believe-there-are-few-events-in-my-life-which-have-not-happened-to/) [Olaudah Equiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaudah-equiano/) > [“...and I had a great curiosity to talk to the books, as I thought they did; and so to learn how all things had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaudah-equiano/and-i-had-a-great-curiosity-to-talk-to-the-books-as-i-thought-they/) [Olaudah Equiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaudah-equiano/) > [Is it not enough that we are torn from our country and friends, to toil for your luxury and lust of gain? Must every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaudah-equiano/is-it-not-enough-that-we-are-torn-from-our-country-and-friends-to/) [Olaudah Equiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaudah-equiano/) [Explore all 4 Olaudah Equiano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaudah-equiano/) ## More Anchors quotes > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [Where it all ends I can't fathom, my friends. If I knew, I might toss out my anchor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/where-it-all-ends-i-can-t-fathom-my-friends-if-i-knew-i-might-toss/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [My mom taught me the power of love. I learned to focus on the long-term big picture from my father. His sense of humor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/my-mom-taught-me-the-power-of-love-i-learned-to-focus-on-the-long/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) > [The past is an anchor with suffering written on the rope. I don't live there now. I am cutting myself free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/the-past-is-an-anchor-with-suffering-written-on-the-rope-i-don-t-live/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I was born imagining myself with an apron on, with pies cooling on the window sill and babies crying upstairs. I thought that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-was-born-imagining-myself-with-an-apron-on-with-pies-cooling-on-the/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [It's all still about having a good story. You have to have a good story as your anchor, as your main focus. So for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/it-s-all-still-about-having-a-good-story-you-have-to-have-a-good/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Women and God are the two rocks on which a man must either anchor or be wrecked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/women-and-god-are-the-two-rocks-on-which-a-man-must-either-anchor-or/) [Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/) > [Footnote: 79) The anchor is gigantic and must weigh a hundred tons, and -- delightfully -- it really is anchor-shaped, i.e. the same shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/footnote-79-the-anchor-is-gigantic-and-must-weigh-a-hundred-tons-and/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Up anchor! Up anchor! Set sail and away! The ventures of dreamland Are thine for a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-weir-mitchell/up-anchor-up-anchor-set-sail-and-away-the-ventures-of-dreamland-are/) [Silas Weir Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-weir-mitchell/) > [Cast all your cares on God; that anchor holds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/cast-all-your-cares-on-god-that-anchor-holds/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I'm single, footloose and fancy free, I have no responsibilities, no anchors. Work, friendship and self-improvement, that's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/i-m-single-footloose-and-fancy-free-i-have-no-responsibilities-no/) [Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/) > [I get an adrenaline rush from "playing with the big boys." I consider myself a tomboy and was an athlete in high school, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-alexander/i-get-an-adrenaline-rush-from-playing-with-the-big-boys-i-consider/) [Megan Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-alexander/) > [Ultimate hope constitutes the anchor of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/ultimate-hope-constitutes-the-anchor-of-the-soul/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [Experience had quickly taught her that she could not survive the storms without the anchor of the constraining love of Christ and what she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/experience-had-quickly-taught-her-that-she-could-not-survive-the/) [Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/) > [Kids are anchors of mothers' life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/kids-are-anchors-of-mothers-life/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Browse all 358 Anchors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anchors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then riding at anchor, and waiting for its cargo. These filled me with astonishment, which was soon connected with terror, when I was carried on board. 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