ENGL 4410 IL

When reading Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, it is difficult to point the author's attitude towards the institution of slavery. At times, one might feel that she condemns slavery but at other times, one might feel that she accepts it. In his essay, Captains and Slaves - Aphra Behn and the Rhetoric of Republic , Warren Chernaik explains how Aphra Behn writes about the practice of slavery through the character of Oronooko and how critics interpret her story as a pro slavery narrative. One quote that resonated with me and sounds accurate when trying to decide whether or not the author is pro slavery or not is, "the narrator (Behn) objects to the royal class of people being enslaved, not to the act of enslavement itself” (99). Since the beginning, Behn makes a clear distinction between Oroonoko and the other slaves. At all times, Oroonoko seems to be better than the other slaves, as he is described to have English like values, Roman education and innate beauty. She does not have such a h...

The popular saying says that knowledge is power, but exactly what kind of knowledge? John Locke has an answer to that question. He argues in his work Essay concerning Human Understanding , that the best kind of knowledge is the one that is gained through experience. In other words, he encourages readers to do not receive answers but to rather get the answers, and use proper reasoning to get them. This is why he decided to reject the enthusiasm of faith and choose reason instead. This new way of thinking was transcendental as it led other thinkers to discover new ideas leading society to move from absolute monarchies and   dominant religious dogmas to more popular governments and freedom of faith. Most people agree that Locke's ideas have helped the way society functions today and have influenced different intellectual fields such as law, science and philosophy, but there is little research on how Locke has influence the field of written composition. Even thought Linda Flower, a c...

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan brings together two different types of writings; sacred and fictional. In this work, he ingeniously combines these two for the purpose of making the wisdom of the bible available to everyone who enjoys reading fictional tales. Even after 400 years, Bunyan remains an important author, not only because his works are still being read, but also because other modern authors have follow his footsteps. Authors such as Paul Young , C. S. Lewis , or Francine Rivers have incorporated Bunyan’s ideas to develop their narratives. But Bunyan’s influence goes far beyond the realms of literature. In other arts, such as, film, music and theaters, artist have used Bunyan’s style of writing to engage audiences and transmit religious messages. Another thinker from the Restoration period that remains important in today’s intellectual atmosphere is Sir Issac Newton. In his writing, “A letter of Issac Newton,” Newton utilizes reason to explain the relationship bet...

Anybody that picks up a book with Dryden’s poetry, might find it challenging to understand his satirical writing. For example, in Mac Flecknoe, he references authors, plays, and ideas of his time, that are not popular today. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult for the casual reader to understand his jokes, comparisons and other mechanisms he used to make fun or criticize his contemporaries. Although it is difficult to understand every single idea he wrote, one thing is clear; he knew how to cleverly insult, criticize someone. This idea of satire still exists today, but I think it has change in how it is deliver. Most people today are not going to pick up a book of poetry to read how someone is making fun of someone else. For the majority of people, poetry is not the preferred method to be satirical. Instead, they will produce music videos, write blog posts, create memes, film movies and do any other creative project they feel will transmit their messages. A few examples of t...

The era of the enlightenment was characterized by the emerged of revolutionary ideas that challenged the status quo of the time. These new ideas on religion, politics, art and science, resulted from the need to question authority and find own answers. I believe that during this time, people were tired of being told what to do, how to think, and how to live. They wanted to liberate themselves and were able to accomplish that with reason. That was the main ingredient to this revolution, the use of reason. The ideas of the enlightenment, served people of the time to liberate themselves from archaic ideas that did not follow the new ways of   thinking. People were coming out of a dark period where thinking by themselves was prohibited.   When I read about the enlightenment, I cannot help but to think about our current time. Today, technology is driving the world. There are apps for everything, gadgets that promise to make daily tasks brainless and technology components ...