The Reversed Ambivalence Of Slavery In Robinson Crusoe

Decent Essays
The Reversed Ambivalence of the Slavery
The novel “Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave” (1688) by Alpha Bhen observes the slavery system in a many different point of views. The author Bhen uses the specific physical description of the main character Oroonoko, to narrate his ambivalent idea of the slavery system through the novel. The In relates to the “Oroonoko”, the other novel “Robinson Crusoe” (1719) by Daniel Defoe, also observes the slavery system in the story by explains the physical differences of the characters in the novel. The two characters Oroonoko and Friday has similar characteristics and as well as physical descriptions in each of novels. The novel “Robinson Crusoe” linked to the first novel “Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave” as supportive
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According to the literary context part two of the novel “Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave”, the “Robinson Crusoe” described as “Defore himself defended the slave trade in his periodical essays in the Review and in several pamphelts” (Behn 199), which is states the novel includes the facts of the slavery system in that time. The main character Robinson Crusoe is a rich merchant, who never worried about being slave in his life time which is similar to Oroonoko. He became a slave capture by the natives during his sailing. Despite the fact that he did not agree to stop the slavery system, it is easy assume that Robinson Crusoe could willing to have his own slaves. In fact, he did actually own his slave named ‘Friday’ in the novel even though he used to be a slave as well. Robinson Crusoe describes Friday in European term just as Oroonoko and made him as his slace. Robinson Crusoe excused himself by the reason that Friday used to be a cannibal, so he can save him and stop by make him into a slave. “He had all the sweetness and softness of an European in his countenance too, especially when he smiled. His hair was long and black, not curled like wool…his nose small, not flat like the Negroes, a very good mouth, thin lips” (Defoe 203). This emphasizes that description of the foreign character as non-Negro. Friday described as a man who does not have typical Negro characteristics by Robinson Crusoe. The fact of Friday’s physical description analogize that Crusoe has specifically chosen to save the one cannibal who does not have the typical features of Negro. By the same reasons in the novel “Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave”, as the description of main foreign characters as the figure of

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