Oroonoko
The Implications of Oroonoko College
Oroonoko was a ground-breaking and revolutionary novella that depicted its African hero in a dignified, even regal, light and is considered to be one of the first works during this time era that showed a compassionate side towards Africans. It is also deemed historically valuable for its being written by a woman, Aphra Behn, a feat to be marveled at, since women were not often well-educated at the time of publication, as well as the simple fact that this was one of the first English novels to be written. Oroonoko showcases the plight of the Africans and the struggles that they faced with the Europeans by using the theme of the moral question of slavery, as well as that of cultural adaptations. These themes culminated to present a short but concise book that influenced the conventional world and quite conceivably served as a precursor to the abolitionist movement.
Aphra Behn wrote Oroonoko for a number of reasons. She wrote because she was poor and needed money; she wrote to become a recognized author and because she liked writing; she wrote to illustrate the misery of slavery; she wrote to tell the story of a person that she may have actually known. Though not much is known of her life, she is still considered to be the...
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