The passage that I chose to refer to is the short passage on pg. 61 (refer to your specific edition for the page number, as they differ). As an overview, the passage opens with Caesar (formerly known as Oroonoko) traveling with his lover, Imonida who is now showing signs of her pregnancy. Upon this realization, Imonida mourns the reality that her baby will be born a slave and that she, her baby, and Caesar will remain slaves for the rest of their lives. It’s in this epiphany that she realizes that they will never be free. Witnessing this, Caesar plans an unsuccessful rebellion against the English masters.

The online resource of Contexts from the British Library provides essential information needed for readers to gain a deeper understanding of the text, as well as ground them in the political and historical context that the novel is written in (see link). For example, this resource states, “As a young woman, Aphra Behn was a spy for Charles II's government in Antwerp and probably in South America. Two decades later, she used these experiences to write Oroonoko, the story of a prince kidnapped from West Africa, enslaved and taken to a British colony in South America.” This provides important information regarding the author’s background and influences. By reading this, particularly the sections pertaining to the author’s life, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the text. As cited earlier, Behn was working as a spy and using these experiences to inform her creation other novel. This shows in several instances of the text, but more particularly within this excerpt, as she lacks some of the details of Oroonoko’s travel or inserts herself into the story. Furthermore, readers can understand the perspective lens that the story is written, which is an essential piece to understanding any bias or shortcomings on the author’s part.

Works Cited

Todd, J. (2018, June 21). Retrieved from Oroonoko: Historical and political contexts: https://www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/oroonoko-historical-and-political-contexts

Link here: https://www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/oroonoko-historical-and-political-contexts