Comment on the narrative style in “Oroonoko” and illustrate your answer.

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Comment on the narrative style in Oroonoko and illustrate your answer Aphra Behn s - novel Oroonoko tells the story of a noble African prince The way the story is told is very important The narrator is part of the story She shares her personal feelings and thoughts The writing sounds like a report It is honest but also full of emotion Her style helps us to feel the pain of Oroonoko The narrator makes the story seem real and close to us First-Person Voice Behn tells the story using the word I This is called the first-person voice She says that she saw many events herself She also heard the rest from Oroonoko This makes the story feel real and true We trust her words more It also helps us to see Oroonoko as a real person She talks to the reader like a friend This style makes the

pain and loss more personal and deep The following quote by the narrator supports this point strongly I was myself an eye-witness to a great part of what you find here Personal Feelings The narrator shares her own thoughts often She says what she loves and what she hates For example she admires Oroonoko s noble look and brave heart She also feels angry at the cruel people She talks about her surprise sadness and respect These feelings help the reader to feel the story strongly Her feelings guide us in how to think about Oroonoko We begin to see him as a hero and not just a slave This proves the power of narration as the writer says The pictures of the pen shall outlast those of the pencil and even worlds themselves Self Vs Other The narrator sees herself as different from the people she writes about Oroonoko is noble but still seen as other She says he looks white even if he has dark skin She thinks he is not like other black people She sometimes pulls herself away when she feels close to him This shows that even when she respects him she cannot see him as the same as her This creates a big gap between her and Oroonoko Use of Exotic Words The narrator uses special words to show the beauty of Oroonoko She describes his face and body with words like Roman nose and perfect shape She also writes about Imoinda s beauty in a soft and dreamy way She says To describe her truly one need say only she was female to the noble male the beautiful black Venus to our young Mars She also describes the natives as harmless and innocent These words make the story sound magical It feels like a dream from far away This style shows that Behn is surprised by things that are not European In conclusion Aphra Behn s way of telling the story is powerful She mixes her personal voice with strong feelings She uses soft and rich words to talk about beauty and pain Her style shows how much she feels for Oroonoko Still she cannot fully accept him as one of her own This mix of respect and distance makes the story more touching The first-person voice romantic words and deep feelings help the reader feel the pain of the noble slave

Oroonoko

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Comment on the narrative style in “Oroonoko” and illustrate your answer.

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Aphra Behn

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