Tarzan of the Apes and Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano :: Sociology Essays Research Papers

The Primitive In Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African When societies judge other cultures their judgments are often biased and ethnocentric. In Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan, â€Å"the perfect specimen of white masculinity and testament to the viability of white civilization,[1]† projected many ideals and views of European society. Olaudah Equiano gave a first hand account of his life from his captive into slavery through his liberation in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African. In these two novels members of the European and African society classify the other’s culture as â€Å"primitive†. These classifications lead the reader of both novels to question: What is primitive? Raised in the jungle by apes Tarzan never lived in European civilization yet he â€Å"inherited† the mannerisms and ethics of that society. Burroughs positioned Tarzan at the top of the hierarchy of civilization while he placed the African Mbongo tribe at the bottom. As Tarzan watched the cannibal rituals of the Mbongo, â€Å"[he] began to hold his own kind in low esteem[2]†. Many in Burroughs’ society disregarded the cultural practices of the Africans by writing them off as being primitive and lacking value. Overlooking the social structure and the established customs, Europeans considered the Africans primitive because they were different. Tarzan did not interact with the Mbongo he found them to be savage and uncivilized. This ethnocentric lens that created distinctions and separation transcended the cultural borders. At age 11, slave traders kidnapped Olaudah Equiano, a child who never knew any culture outside of his own. When he first encountered white people, his initial reaction showed the same culture shock and ethnocentric view displayed by Tarzan. â€Å"I came among people who did not circumcise, and who ate without washing their hands. They cooked their provisions in iron pots, and had European cutlasses and cross bows, which were unknown to us; and fought with their fists among themselves. Their women were not so modest as ours for they ate, drank, and slept with their men. But, above all, I was amazed to see no sacrifices or offerings among them.