oroonoko
Week 4: Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko
4. The relationship among the three cultures: English, Coramantien, native Surinam
In her work Oroonoko, Aphra Behn discusses three different types of cultures, the first of which is one that the story’s narrator belongs to – the English. The narrator, a young British woman visiting the colony of Surinam, uses the pronouns "we" and "us" to differentiate the English from the two other groups of people, referred to as "them." Of these two groups, one consists of the native Surimam, while the other consists of the Coramantiens. Both are indigenous people who live in the region of South America.
A. English and the Native Surinamese
i. Superiority by Enforcing Culture
The natives of Surinam are depicted with innocence, parallel to Adam and Even before the fall. The narrator states, “These people represented to me an absolute idea of the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin” (2314). They are also portrayed as having basic human virtues such as creative artistry and modesty (2313).
However, their native innocence is set against the corruption of civilization which is identified with the English. The English robs the innocence of the native Surinamese by introducing vice to them. The narrator states that “Religion would here but destroy that tranquility they possess by ignorance, and laws would not teach them to know offence, of which now they have no notion” (2315). Furthermore, “They have a native justice which knows no fraud, and they understand no vice or cunning, but when they are taught by the white men” (2315). The notion of the European superiority stems from the idea that they have the right to force their culture on to those whom they regard as savages.
ii. Superiority through Slavery (Oppression & Exploitation) A more obvious manifestation of the European superiority is through slavery. Not only are the natives robbed of their freedom and forced into arduous manual labor, but they are treated as dogs –
4. The relationship among the three cultures: English, Coramantien, native Surinam
In her work Oroonoko, Aphra Behn discusses three different types of cultures, the first of which is one that the story’s narrator belongs to – the English. The narrator, a young British woman visiting the colony of Surinam, uses the pronouns "we" and "us" to differentiate the English from the two other groups of people, referred to as "them." Of these two groups, one consists of the native Surimam, while the other consists of the Coramantiens. Both are indigenous people who live in the region of South America.
A. English and the Native Surinamese
i. Superiority by Enforcing Culture
The natives of Surinam are depicted with innocence, parallel to Adam and Even before the fall. The narrator states, “These people represented to me an absolute idea of the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin” (2314). They are also portrayed as having basic human virtues such as creative artistry and modesty (2313).
However, their native innocence is set against the corruption of civilization which is identified with the English. The English robs the innocence of the native Surinamese by introducing vice to them. The narrator states that “Religion would here but destroy that tranquility they possess by ignorance, and laws would not teach them to know offence, of which now they have no notion” (2315). Furthermore, “They have a native justice which knows no fraud, and they understand no vice or cunning, but when they are taught by the white men” (2315). The notion of the European superiority stems from the idea that they have the right to force their culture on to those whom they regard as savages.
ii. Superiority through Slavery (Oppression & Exploitation) A more obvious manifestation of the European superiority is through slavery. Not only are the natives robbed of their freedom and forced into arduous manual labor, but they are treated as dogs –