Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave - Aphra Ben

Question 1

What is the Triangle Trade?

Answer 1

1) England to Africa (bring manufactured products to sell to the colonies)
2) Africa to USA (bring slaves to help on the plantations)
3) USA to England (bring the products not transformed yet to be manufactured)

Question 2

What is the “other”?

Answer 2

The “other” is the perception someone has on someone else: fear, discrimination, ignorance, curiosity, inferior/superior, difference, object, etc.

Question 3

Who are the “others” in “Oroonoko”?

Answer 3

The Indian Tribes and The Black Slaves

Question 4

Explain why the Indians cannot be colonised.

Answer 4

They are strong and cannot be defeated by the colonial people. They are considered exotic because they have a totally different culture but also because the white see them as prelapsarian (as pure as Adam and Eve) because they walk naked. (p.1010-1011)

Question 5

Why is Oroonoko accepted by the Whites?

Answer 5

Because:

1) He was taught by European (education)
2) He is naturally gifted (smart)
3) He has a Roman nose and different lips (attractive)

Question 6

Why naming slaves is important?

Answer 6

Whites have authority over Blacks because they are only slaves (rebaptizing). It also a symbol of shame and it is a way for Whites to dehumanized them by taking away their identity.

Question 7

What is Oroonoko doing with his slave name?

Answer 7

Even though he was renamed after a great leader (Cesar), he retakes his name back (p.1049). He stays true to himself.