Aphra Behn Essays

The life of an African slave has historically been considered one of the great tragedies that Europe inflicted on the world. This notion is emphasized throughout the Aphra Behn’s work of prose fiction Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave, wherein the life of the titular character is provided from his time as a Prince in Africa, to that of a slave in the New World. The story is considered to be one that blurs the boundary between fiction and historically accurate facts, with many aspects fitting into both

In her novel Oroonoko, Aphra Behn gives the reader insight into the British Empire, its relationship with other nations and empires, the institution of slavery, and into the lives of those living and working at plantations in Surinam. Whether her tale is entirely true with just the names changed, or intensely embellished in order to provide the audience with a rapt tale of adventure and intrigue, there is enough accurate information to portray these various little worlds of a North African kingdom

Berkin uses a lot of footnotes from an extensive number of sources. She uses primary sources most abundantly including memoirs, diary entries, and personal letters. Some secondary sources are included such as history books, law books, biographies, and newspaper articles. Another primary source I found interesting was the use of a folk music song, “Buttermilk Hill” (Berkin 31). The song expresses the deep sorrow that the women felt being left alone. The author also uses a recipe for making soap supplies

Gender Inequality and the Marxian Theories It is difficult to omit the issue of gender inequalities as well as comparative studies when studying issues dealing with women in SSA. Studies argue that gender inequality spread widely in societies for many years, although scarcely generalized, almost all cultures have to some extent experienced control by men (Goldberg, 1993; Rosaldo & Lamphere, 1974; Sanderson, Heckert & Dubrow, 2005). The only variation is the degree of which gender inequality exercised

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen opens with the Narrator introducing himself as "a spy, a sleeper, a spook a man of two faces" and "a man of two minds" (Nguyen, 1). The introductory characteristic used for the narrator is “spy,” indicating that it is the most important aspect of his identity. Throughout the book, the Narrator also refers to himself as a bastard and brings up his muddled heritage. These characteristics allow him to be "a man of two faces" and "a man of two minds" (1). The Narrator's

The part of the course to which the task refers is Part 4: Literature in critical study. Heart of Darkness is a novella written by westerner novelist Joseph Conrad, published in 1899 and in 1902 to book, about a voyage up the Congo River into Congo Free State, in the heart of Africa, expressed by the story's writer Marlow. Marlow tells his story to friends aboard on a boat tied up on the River Thames in England. This context grant Conrad to create a relationship between London and Africa as places

In this essay, I’m going to discuss the gender roles in the paintings of Dalí, in the film “Un Chien Andalou” by Buñuel and the poems of Federico García Lorca. Gender roles play a huge part within these works. All three of these artists had the ability to showcase something beautiful or majestic through disturbing and off putting imagery. This is what made their work so distinctive compared to many other artists during the surrealist period. The main things all of these artists have in common are

Aphra Behn 's exploration into Surinam and seeing their way of life and rich culture helped influence the creation of Oroonoko. Much of the novel has an in-depth relation to Surinam 's way of life and their social status. Behn creates a story that involves the very nature of Slavery during the 1640 's and the impact it had on their society. Throughout the novel, Oroonoko is tricked, lied and stripped of his rights as a human to serve as a prisoner in the slave trade. Despite the unique characteristics

As feminist issues go, rape is one of the most predominant topics that is brought up when discussing women’s rights. The concept is one that Aphra Behn chooses to write about frequently in her works; from The Rover and The Fair Jilt, which both contain scenes where the (attempted) rape is clear, to her poem The Disappointment, where the lines between consent and force are muddied depending on how the reader interprets her language. This essay will focus on comparing The Rover and The Fair Jilt in

Behn bestows all these great qualities upon Oronooko and it seems as if she describes him in this way against all men. Not only those of the same race as him. Additionally, she utters that “he had nothing of barbarity in his nature, but in all points addressed himself as if his education had been in some European court” (Behn 13). This statement is a perfect example of the “noble savage” trope that suggests that

Sex and Death in Oroonoko and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight “The goal of all life is death” – Sigmund Freud, Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) It is a commonly known fact that human beings cannot avoid paying attention to two things: sex and death (Weinschenk). It is these two things are what connect us all, as a species, regardless of gender or race or time period. In every piece of literature, film, art, music, or theatre, there is either sex or death; the inextricable link and inescapable

Reader’s Response Journal Entry 1: In chapter one, Virginia Woolf uses logos as a literary device to show the relationship between the food someone eats and what they are capable of doing: “The human frame being what it is, heart, body and brain all mixed together, and not contained in separate compartments as they will be no doubt in another million years, a good dinner is of great importance to good talk. One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” (Pg. 18) This quote

Aphra Behn’s play “The Rover”, was performed in 1677, it talks of double standard treatment which disadvantaged her female colleagues’ sexual desires towards the realm of the convent, home or brothel. Her characters express a complicated, active game needed out of women to secure personal happiness. In the play, the writer suggests the manner in which women should either astray or not astray to the masculine tasks of the wooer and possessor. Behn seems to cry over the Late Stuart society, for not

serious romance. This love triangle would be labeled as dysfunctional because the narrator believes both men should show her affection; however, she fails to realize the men’s feelings could be involved and she is using them for her own selfish reasons. "Behn is one whose writings both embody the contradictions of society and, at the same time, offer a critique of it"

greatest limitation may be lack of skepticism, whether it be questioning oneself or an authority. If a person does not know they are unknowledgable, it is because they did not question it to begin with. By contrasting limitations at work in excerpts from Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, The Poet’s Answer to the Most Illustrious Sor Filotea de la Cruz by Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz, and Rene Descartes’ Discourse of Method, the range of knowledge throughout the pieces can be compared. Prince Oroonoko, the least knowledgeable

factor for gender equality is echoed throughout A Room of One's Own. Woolf even goes so far as to claim that the vote is secondary to the "right to enter professions" (Rosenman 9). With the emergence of female authorship, which Woolf attributes to Aphra Behn, girls did not need an allowance because they could "make money by [their] pen" (Woolf 77). Woolf points out that "money dignifies what is frivolous if unpaid for" - emphasizing that the capacity of women's writing to generate

so that means Virginia finds a lot of success. On the other hand, Berkeley at once will team up with the large landowners to try to prevent new large landowners from gaining power and at the same times he will start having secret deals to trade. Aphra Behn, the prolific English playwright and novelist, retells the 1676 events of the colonial uprising in Virginia known as Bacon 's Rebellion, adding a fictional romantic story about the love between an Indian Queen, Semernia, and the colonist Nathaniel

must have a private working space and money to write fiction, but inherently rejects the ability of lower class citizens to become accomplished. Although she recognizes a middle-class woman (while completely disregarding the lowest of classes), Aphra Behn, who faces adversity and earns money on her own, she emphasizes the point of her money over the nature of her literature. She introduces her as

Although Shakespeare’s Othello and Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko had two divergent plots, yet both share the same themes of love, honor and trust; which was specifically portrayed by the main characters Othello and Oroonoko. Who also share indistinguishable qualities. Othello is an example of how Shakespeare masterfully manipulates love as a tragic theme, or cause of misery and sadness, to reveal his characters' vulnerabilities. At the same time, in Oroonoko, love is a theme that allows love triangles to

Renaissance and Reformation of Humanism Humanism is an attitude of thought which gives primary importance to human beings, and its outstanding historical example was the period of Renaissance Humanism from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries; rediscovered and developed by European scholars of classical Latin and Greek texts. During that time, much of the wisdom of the ancient world was lost or destroyed, in which intellectual life was dominated by religion and theology. It is often called the