Self & Society: British Lit @Hood College

"Oroonoko kills Imoinda" from the program of a 1776 performance of the stage adaptation by Thomas Southerne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_savage       It is interesting to not that Trefry only takes serious interest in Oroonoko after learning he spoke English and noted his physical appearance (already summarized as "only issue is his color"). Only when he learns of Oroonoko's status as royalty does Trefry express genuine sympathy and indignation at Oroonoko's enslavement (page 2204).      As good as the intention behind the writing is, this means of generating sympathy is problematic. It places the emphasis of value on ways an individual is "more like a white person" rather than emphasizing the humanity of Africans as a whole. It is easy to see the progression from "this individual who has learned European languages and has facial features that do not look like the stereotype is worthy" to the situation which caused the horror