An Analysis Of Aphra Behn s Seventeenth Century Travel...

As Europeans discovered other cultures during the Age of Exploration, travelers returned with knowledge of new religious, political, and economic systems. Aphra Behn’s seventeenth-century travel narrative, Oroonoko, describes the life of Oroonoko, an African prince and slave in Surinam, while contrasting the cruelty of the Europeans with the morality of the Africans and natives of Surinam. Thomas More’s sixteenth-century Utopia displays his subtle criticism of English society behind the words of his character Raphael Hythloday, who travels the world and explores the rationality of Utopia. These authors criticize many of the conventions of their time periods through their characters’ explorations into new ideas and territories. In Oroonoko and Utopia, nature and reason lead the natives’ governments and societies instead of the corruption of the wealthy and noble Europeans. Both Oroonoko and Utopia present forms of government that contrast England and fo rce readers to confront their compliance to convention. According to the narrator, the natives in Surinam live in â€Å"extreme ignorance and simplicity† (2345). Behn states that the natives â€Å"had no king, but the oldest war captain was obeyed with great resignation† (2315). Two warriors compete for the generalship, and the first â€Å"cuts off his nose and throws it contemptibly on the ground; and the other does something to himself that he thinks surpasses him† (2346-2347). Judges choose these warriors for their bravery and