Oroonoko

 Oroonoko is a tragic story about Prince Oroonoko of Coramentien. His secret wife is first taken into slavery after she refuses to marry Oroonoko's Grandfather, and later on Oroonoko and his men are tricked into boarding a ship for trading slaves. He is taken into custody by the British and shipped to Suriname. The text states, "And in great Admiration of the Ship, for he had never been in one before; so that he was curious of beholding every Place where he decently might descend. The rest, no less curious, who were not quite overcome with drinking, rambled at their Pleasure Fore and Aft, as their Fancies guided ’em: So that the Captain, who had well laid his Design before, gave the Word, and seiz’d on all his Guests; they clapping great Irons suddenly on the Prince". Oroonoko makes the great mistake of letting his guard down and letting his curiosity out. He had been drinking, and this may have led to his lapse in judgement. He is immediately seized, and almost at once, he has shifted from being in the highest nobility in his homeland, to being the lowest on the totem pole as a slave.

    In addition, the way that Oroonoko came to a conclusion was shocking. the way that Oroonoko was killed was incredibly surprising and out of the blue. Most stories like this nowadays have a positive ending. In this one though, his revolt was unsuccessful and ultimately led to his demise. He was killed in the end and, he was made out to be almost a savage for also killing his wife. I believe this was a way for the author to show that white Europeans were far superior to the people of the new world at the time.