Notes for Oroonoko

ENGL 460

Section 0101

Notes for Oroonoko

While reading and analyzing the archival material, The Christian’s Duty to render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, presentation and the manipulation of history was the most palpable element within this piece. For example, when being introduced to this piece readers are struck with a sense of self-importance and elevation under the guise of Christain faith and or beliefs to support this thinking. At the beginning of the text, it read, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.”. The text is a Biblical verse that encouraged humans to submit to Earthly authority. Moreover, the text furthers this notion by connecting the concept of serving under one earthly King and then that King is under God. More importantly, this can be related to understandings of the Narrative of Oroonoko by Aphra Behn because it shows how Europeans justified slavery with the use of the Bible. First, they would employ Biblical verses to their advantage and then force it upon those who they thought were beneath them. In Oroonoko, there was a moment where Oroonoko recognized that Christianity was used by slave masters to manipulate slaves into thinking that they must follow them because they have a divine calling. This material was not used to justify slavery but to encourage people to pay their taxes. As simple as this comes, it shows how the Bible was used to absolve slaveholders, traders, and masters alike of all the wickedness of slavery. Behn may have intended to create the narrative of Oroonoko for traveling, but in a contemporary sense its worth is meant to reveal the manipulation that existed.