This lines describes slavery and the closed space of the ship where the people are cramped in small spaces to be transported to different places. Though with the limited details provided, it could only be probable that it is talking about slavery and by the looks of it, it could well be from "The Interesting Narrative of The Life of Olaudah Equiano".
Explanation:
The lines talk about the autobiographical narrative of Olaudah Equiano wherein he describes his journey from being captured and sold as a slave along with his sister. He ended being bought by an Englishman who gave him his freedom and even helped him get education. He then wrote about his experiences as a slave to emphasize and campaign against the slavery system and the slave trade especially in the Virginia plantations. It was through his book that the enactment of the Slave Trade Act, 1807 also came to be formulated.
