Review of Week 14: Nov 20

Tuesday, Nov 20 (9:25 class)
by Kristen Barbour

During the beginning of class, Seaman reminded us that our paper 3 topic description is due Tuesday on the 27th and encouraged us to visit her during her office hours on Thursday. She also encouraged us to fill out the course evaluations online.

Then we delved into the second part of Oroonoko which develops more following the conventions of a romance narrative. We can see this in the way Behn introduces Oronooko as a noble savage in part one who performs noble deeds that confirm his identity as an epic hero and romantic hero in part two.He kills an eel that others believe is impossible to kill. He also defeats a ruthless tiger that has been tormenting the people. Upon cutting the tiger open, they discover several bullets of lead in its heart which is unheard of. These actions mark Oronooko as a legendary hero that protects the vulnerable; he is a conqueror and a savior.

We also talked about the scene where Trefry describes Clemene (Imoinda) to Caesar (Oronooko) and presents her as a courtly lady in the way she has many admirers and “inflames” many but remains “ice”. Oronooko asks Trefry why he doesn’t just rape Clemene if he can have her. To have Oronooko ask this represents the belief during that time of the social hierarchy and how those that are naturally superior to others are allowed certain advantages. Behn shows here that some people are “rape-worthy”. Also throughout Oronooko, Behn uses the main character to point out aspects of colonialism, and more specifically, slavery, that are flawed. Oronooko believes that the English reflect poorly on their gods in the way they don’t keep their word. Oronooko soon realizes this and later in the narrative even asks for a signed contract since he knows that is the only way they will actually do what they say.

The story changes once Oronooko and Imoinda become married. Oronooko’s values shift; he becomes devoted to becoming free once Imoinda becomes pregnant. He wants liberty not only for his family but for his people. This increases the conflict to something greater and reinforces his role as an epic hero. His desires for liberty cause the Europeans to treat Oronooko with caution however and the liberties and special treatment that he had before are diminished; he is chauffeured everywhere with spies.

Behn also touches on aspects of colonialism again in the discord between Europeans and local natives. Oronooko goes with the Europeans to talk to the natives and the natives become fascinated with them. In class we also discuss the local natives’ exposure to Europeans and their fascination with them. They inquire whether the Europeans can speak, hunt, swim, and et cetera the same way more civilized people would ask savages. This reversal gives a critique on colonialism and how we interact with natives who we deem as more primitive people. During this scene, Behn also critiques the natives’ religious beliefs and concurs that

Behn also portrays Oronooko as a noble epic hero in the way he wants to converse with the war captains amongst the Indians. In this scene, the natives show how they choose their war captains. Two men show their courage and worthiness to lead an army by slicing off increasingly daring parts of their body and throwing it. This challenges the other opponent to slice off a different part of the body that is more challenging. The last man standing wins. For Oronooko, this expression of courage is too brutal to be applauded.

Oronooko leads a rebellion of 150 slaves. To compel them to action, he questions the legitimacy of serving the Europeans who didn’t win them as slaves in battle. He also questions their moral character. He says they behave inhumanely not only with slaves but with their peers. They are extremely base. This also conveys Oronooko’s belief that the Europeans reflect poorly on the God they serve.

This depiction that they don’t deserve to be slaves because they weren’t won in battle shows that Behn believes in some instances, slavery is justified. This belief is why Oronooko is not an abolitionist narrative.

The rebellion begins and the slaves are able to kill some of the Europeans. However, when the six hundred men arrive, the slaves become cowardly and fearful and back down, leaving Tuscan, Imoinda, and Caesar to fight. Behn shows that these three are worthy of not being slaves because they fight back and are committed to liberty. The others are traitorous.  The governor tells Oronooko to stop fighting in order to be granted freedom, but Oronooko doesn’t believe him. It is not until Trefry convinces him to surrender that he does. Oronooko asks for the truce to be made in writing. It isn’t though. Behn again presents their traitorousness behavior of the other slaves when they whip Oronooko and Tuscan at the command of their slave masters. Imoinda is taken away during this not out of courtesy but because they don’t want to lose her and her baby—precious investments.

From then on, Behn depicts the Europeans as corrupt with the exception of herself and Trefry. The governor’s council decides to kill Oronooko but Trefry defends him and asks that he lives. Oronooko however sees no future in Surinam and organizes a final plan of revenge—to kill Imoinda, enact revenge by killing the Europeans who wronged him, then kill himself.

His first task is to kill Imoinda which she accepts immediately and encourages Oronooko to do. This pleases him and as he goes to kill her, she smiles with joy that “she should die by so noble a hand.” This identifies Imoinda as a noble hero. Once he does however, he is overcome with so much grief that he is too weak to move. He remains beside himself for several days until the Europeans find him by following the scent of her dead body. The Europeans call Oroonoko a monster. Oronooko threatens the Europeans by throwing his body parts at them. Through this we can infer that Behn believes that people who become enslaved ultimate become degenerate and corrupt. Or that maybe Oronooko in the end becomes the savage that he has always been. Either way, this is another way that Behn emphasizes that the worst thing about being enslaved is that it prevents one from expressing his natural inclinations. Oronooko remains noble by never running away or backing down but his actions are reduced to lesser noble things.  Behn emphasizes the destructive power of the treatment of the nobility.

At the end of the narrative, the savagery of the Europeans is greatly depicted. They heal Oronooko just to kill him and do to him what he was already doing to himself. In his death scene, he is smoking tobacco as they tear him apart. The tobacco is symbolic of colonization and his gentleman mentality. Oronooko’s death marks his transition from an epic hero to a tragic hero. Parts of his body are sent to different parts of the colonies but not all accept. Colonel Martin doesn’t. This represents Behn’s belief that not all slaveowners are bad slaveowners. Throughout the narrative we see Behn emphasize the dehumanization, devastating effects of slavery but at the same time the belief that slavery is not inherently evil. Behn’s critique warns of the dangers of colonization and asks for a more systematic approach.

Tuesday, Nov 20 (10:50 class)
by Mimi Gryska

At the start of class attendance was taken and Professor Seaman discussed what was left for the remainder of the semester:

Primarily it will consist of Gulliver’s Travels with particular focus on the main character’s encounter with the Houyhnhnms.  We will need to consider how the discovery of their world compares to the discovery of new worlds and cultures in The Tempest and Oroonoko.  A question to think of going forth include, how are theses foreign cultures idealized?

Next order of business was Paper 3:

The topic proposal for paper 3 will be due on Tuesday 11-27 and the paper is due the following Monday.

There will be no office hours next Tuesday but if you need to speak with her, Professor Seaman is willing to arrange a different meeting time.

Paper 2 will most likely be graded Friday 11-23

Part 2 of Oroonoko:

The feel of this novel changes drastically from Part 1 to Part 2

The first half is structured like a more traditional Romance

Imoinda is so virtuous that men cannot even bare to defile her with rape.

She is ultimately a courtly lady “Inflames everyone but she herself is cold as ice.”

The wedding (pg. 1128) is where things really take a turn for the worse

A wedding is traditionally where a story ends however here it changes Oroonoko’s local position

When Oroonoko arrived in arrived in Surinam very well and like the colonists’ peer despite that fact that he is a slave.  Once he is marries, people distance themselves from him because he has grown impatient for liberty.  His impatience stems from concern for Imoinda and their unborn child.

Oroonoko is fearful that his race will die out and therefore feels it’s necessary to make it sure his baby will be free.

Colonists fear a slave rebellion

Because of Oroonoko’s influence and power, it seems to them that a mutiny will occur.

On page 1131 Behn makes it clear that that if there really were a rebellion the slaves are much better suited to win based on their superior skill and weaponry.  The English therefore have good reason to be afraid.

Descriptions of Oroonoko fighting wild animals:

Oroonoko very bravely battles a tiger and an electric eel

He is very brave and stoic about fighting the animals, there is no denying that he is the hero.

When battles to eel and tiger he is comparable to Beowulf battling the grendel and a sea serpent.

These scenes all seem a bit cartoony and fantastic which furthers Oroonoko’s image as a classic epic hero

Visit to the Indians (pg. 1132-1133)

The question as to why they would endeavor to visit the Indians arises.  These people could be dangerous

There is no leader amongst those who want to visit the Indians because they could be dangerous, so Oroonoko naturally steps up as the obvious leader.

The right column of page 1132 contains vivid descriptions of the encounters.  This sets the reader up for Oroonoko’s later actions.

The Indians come out and admire them (similar to behavior of the  Houyhnhnms)

Indians ask if they have reason or wit and even if they were human.  This is particularly interesting because the Oroonoko’s and the others were wondering the same thing about the Indians.

The narrator does not consider them to be very intelligent and basically wants to do missionary type work with them.  She later goes on to say that the Indians were tricksy and deceitful. Behn’s stong Christianity comes out here.

The Indians do not have a king but have a war captain.  The war captain is decided through a contest in which the candidates must cut off parts of themselves.  The middle column of page 1133 emphasizes the supernatural of their tradition.  We know that this is just a tradition and the way they thought because Oroonoko goes to meet with their leader.  Oroonoko appreciates the extremity of the stamina and valor it must take to do this but does not condone it claiming it is “too brutal”.  This statement later emphasizes how much he has changed and undergone.

Rebellion begins (pg. 1134)

The English generally get drunk on Sundays which allows the slaves to gather together

Oroonoko calls on their noble nature saying this is “for eternity”  He tells them that they are better than slaves.  The Englishmen have not proven themselves to be any superior and therefore should not be considered as such.  He compares the colonists to convicts fleeing a country.  “Should we render obedience…spoke like a king”

Tuscan brings up the issue of their wives and children but Oroonoko says they can find new land to raise their families.

Once the rebellion begins, the slaves quickly surrender with the exception of Oroonoko, Imoinda and Tuscan.

On page 1137 we see that Oroonoko is ashamed for thinking that slaves could be more than what they are.  This emphasizes Oroonoko’s superiority.  With this it seems that Behn is crtiquing those who fight against what they deserve.

Council and Verdict

Page 1138 shows the council (consisting of basic men) trying to decide what to do with Oroonoko.  Here, our narrator is elsewhere, removed from the situation which allows the reader to have an outsider’s description.

Imoinda is removed to save her from seeing the murder.

Oroonoko decides to get revenge and take the situation into his own hands by killing Imoinda and Behn.  This will ultimately save Imoinda from rape.  Oroonoko explains all this to Imoinda and she agrees.  She believes that this will be the most honorable way to die.  She is very heroic and noble.  Once she is dead, Oroonoko desecrates her body so no one else will.

These scenes all seem very anti-colonization because it shows how amoral people can become when removed from their homeland.

Oroonoko does not get the revenge he had wanted because he is too sad once Imoinda is dead. This is where we see Oroonoko become a tragic hero.

Oroonoko mourns her in the woods until people find him by the smell of her corpse.

To prove that he is still in control of himself be beginning to cut himself open just as the Indians did.

Once Oroonoko is captured, the English heal and stitch him up just to kill him as they want to.

Col. Martin tries to protect him but Oroonoko is being lynched and Col. Martin cannot stop it.

As they kill him and chop off his genitals, Oroonoko stands there stoically and almost casually as he smokes.  A lot can be read into the fact that he is smoking.  Smoking was a recreational European habit so he could be considered to be making fun of them.  Also, tobacco is grown in the New World, so it’s very symbolic.

Oroonoko showing no emotion in the face of torture shows that he continues to take no part in what they do.

“Frightful spectacle of a maimed king.” Behn’s royalists views are quite blatant.  She is critiquing the English disregard towards their own monarchy.

The entire novel can be taken as an allegory for the English monarchy.

The fact that she is discussing issues of her own time is very clear but Behn is inconsistent in her discussion of gender, race, and culture.

 

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