LiteratureWork

Though Warren Chernaik argues that Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko is anti-slavery, I would counter-argue that Behn’s portrayal of Africans de-humanizes them as much as a pro-slavery stance. Oroonoko’s extreme solution towards the fate of Imoinda could not have been well received by the Christian audience of 17 th century England, however, if the audience already had a mindset stereotyping Africans or savages, Oroonoko’s actions would have seemed justified. Therefore, Behn’s portrayal would only serve as reinforcement to these stereotypes. Behn’s acknowledgement of Oroonoko’s beauty is based entirely on Oroonoko’s physical characteristics that mirror the ideal values of a fellow Briton. In a way Behn is implying that she and those of her race, are suited in determining the worth of others. In eschewing Oroonoko original name, giving him the name of Caesar, and then referring to him as such throughout the rest of the narrative, shows cultural belittlement. Perhaps in the narrative, Oroonoko was

It can be reasonably argued that the liberties of modern Western society stem from the Enlightenment period. The case is especially strong for the United States considering that Thomas Jefferson used John Locke’s phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence. The American and French revolutions can both attribute their inceptions to Locke’s tenacity for advocating independent thought. By independent thought, I mean thought and ideas the thinker has come to by method of his or her contemplation and who’s thought and ideas align with the thinker’s own philosophical systems. In this regard, even if the idea is detrimental to others, the idea comes from an unshackled thinker. Once thought was freed, the body followed. Both the Church and the Crown, entities whose survival depends on governed thought, were weakened by Locke’s ideas. This weakening, however, pre-dated Locke by half a century. The Scientific Revolution of the 16 th century champione

As technology continues its rapid evolution and begins to near concepts that one hundred years ago would have been deemed science fiction (AI, Mars exploration, self-driving cars, etc.) spirituality has also decreased. Spirituality in this sense is not synonymous with religion. By spirituality I mean the innate sense of camaraderie to nature and the acceptance of the unknown within and beyond us. In no way am I against scientific progress but one must acknowledge that the techno-space created by the advent of wonderful gadgets (smartphones, smart TV’s, ) has insulated an environment in which notions lacking scientific background, though not rejected, are not readily given the attention that our predecessors bestowed to them. Naturally religion would be the most affected. Bunyan Pilgrim’s Progress offers us an analogy to our current situation. We are in Vanity Fair. Materialism follows its promiscuous nature and wants us all. Facebooks, Instagrams, and Snapchats demand we share our s