Twelve Years A Slave

The film 12 Years is an accurate and verifiable account of the common slave experience in the United States in the antebellum South. 12 Years a Slave is set in the mid to late 1800s and tells a true life story of the life of Solomon Northup a free Black man sold south into slavery. He was the son of an emancipated slave. Northup was from upstate New York, and was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Northup lived, worked, and was married in upstate New York, where his family resided. He was a multifaceted laborer and also an accomplished violin player. He was subjected to the cruelty for the next twelve years while he survived as the human property of several different slave masters, He continually struggled to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada he was was finally freed and is taken home. After being unsuccessful in prosecuting his kidnappers, Northup continues upriver to New York, where he is finally reunited with his family and where he meets his grandson, Solomon Northup Staunton, for the first time. In the end, Northup gives one final, powerful argument against the evils of the slave industry, pointing not to rhetoric or debates, but lifting up his own life story as a vivid commentary for viewers to consider. The main idea of the book was to share with the reader and give

The first movie to discuss is 12 Years A Slave. Three details to be discussed for this film are: Solomon being captured as a free black man and being sold back into slavery, harsh treatment of slaves, and Solomon finally being rescued by his friends proving he was a free man and bringing him back to his New York home. These details reflect multiple social contexts such as: race relations and social inequality. As for race relations, the relations between whites and blacks during this time of slavery were very corrupt. Whites marginalized African Americans in a way whites believed that they were insignificant or not as important as them, hence the reasoning for having them as slaves. Slavery also depicted social inequality as the whites viewed

There are several personal slavery narratives that account of all the horrors of slavery. An example is Solomon Northup’s autobiography, 12 Years a Slave, which provides a personal account of slavery, all the violent and gory aspects that enslavement holds, and the terrible acts of people who dishonored the attributes of a true American. Northup describes in vivid detail the dreadful actions committed against him. Published in 1853, the autobiography has lost momentum over the years, but was recently revived by Steve McQueen’s 2013 film adaptation.

[1] Before I start this essay, I feel the need to remind the reader that I find slavery in all its forms to be an oppressive and terrible institution, and I firmly believe that for centuries (including this one) bigotry is one of the most terrible stains on our civilization. The views I intend to express in the following essay are in no way meant to condone the practices of slavery or racism; they are meant only to evaluate and interpret the construction of slavery in film.

Not that any kind of slave owner was morally correct, but 12 Years a Slave shows the different kind of slave owners and interesting relationships they had with slaves while some were treated not as poorly as others. A slave owner named Ford brings up a different side of slave ownership and shows a substantial contrast between how he treats his slaves and how master Epps treats his. He’s a slave master, but he doesn’t personally beat anyone, and he has some sympathy for the plight of the lead character, Solomon Northup. Even more interestingly, Ford is seen as 'good' in Northup's eyes because he doesn't practice any of the cruelties and physical abuses quite usual and even acceptable in that time and place and because he is genuinely devout and sees his slaves as his equals before God. Not only did some slave owners treat their slaves better than others, but some men who owned slaves used them as sexual partners. For example, Eliza in the film is a female slave who is sexually abused by her master Edwin Epps and becomes his mistress. The most disturbing part is that Eliza becomes the mistress of her master because she is promised freedom for herself and her children if she will live Epps after his separation from his wife. Another female slave named Harriet is kept also kept as a mistress, of Master Shaw, a nearby farm owner. She plays along with the master’s affection as long as it continues to help her

12 Years a Slave was an outstanding representation of the lives of a slave. It was accurate, heartfelt, and detailed. It portrays the feelings of Solomon and the other slaves perfectly. The film really makes you think about the people and the situation back in the 1840’s. It is an exceptional historical film that teaches you the slavery times and the life of Solomon Northup. A freeman turned to a slave and put through a terrible life experience that no one should ever have to go

Slavery is known as one of the most inhumane, callous and unjust practices throughout history. A powerful picture of Solomon Northup tells the story of a once respected individual to a man who had been crippled by slavery in the trailer 12 Years A Slave. Steve McQueen 's trailer exposes slavery in its rawest form. McQueen appeals ethically, emotionally, and logically through music, strong voice-overs, color contrast, and character expressions to convey his belief that slavery devalues a person and their dignity.

They both give life to a story that applied to many who were stripped of their freedom and taken from their families. The narrative served as a powerful and important tool for abolitionists. Northup’s narrative is at times forgiving to those that enslaved him as he says himself, “If I have failed in anything, it has been in presenting to the reader too prominently the bright side of the picture” (Northup 321). In contrast, the film paints an image of slavery as unforgiving, biased, and absolute cruelty. As a piece of art, the film adaptation of 12 Years of Slave received many deserved accolades for its distinctive and honest portrayal of Northup’s narrative. While violence is normalized in both narrative and film the film adaptation, the film captured key moments in Northup’s experience in an exceptional manner through cinematic techniques. McQueen used still images in place of Northup’s descriptive settings, music and lack thereof to invoke stillness, and talented actors all to create a vivid picture. Most importantly, the film adaptation is a manifestation of Northup’s account that invokes compassion for those enslaved while not taking anything away from the original message. The vivid images created by McQueen leave an indelible impression on contemporary

12 years a slave is a reenactment narrated by the author of “Twelve years a slave” written in 1853 by Solomon Northup, an African American man kidnapped and sold into the southern American slave trade, with his family. Solomon is tricked into kidnap and capture by two men offering him a job, and he finds himself being sold on between slave owners, his work ranging from sugar cane plantations to cotton fields, until he is finally freed twelve years after his capture, returning home to his family. I enjoyed this film because it was eye opening to watch the directors interpretation of Solomon’s story, and how he was treated as a black man, and I enjoyed the happy ending.

Before the Reconstruction which took place after the Civil War, many slaves began to acquire their freedom by many things, including escaping plantations, buying their freedom, or being granted freedom from their former owners. Once slaves entered the North, they were able to finally be seen as a free African American. The thing that scared African Americans the most, frequently happened, being sent back to the South into slavery. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup gives a recap of how his life, filled with joy and freedom one day, became a living nightmare the next. Northup, a self-taught, master violin player is fooled into traveling with “gentlemen” to share his talents for a small fortune. Leaving his family behind, he decides to go with the men and once he reaches New York City, the men convince Northup to travel to Washington D.C. Solomon soon began feeling sick and one day wakes up chained in a cell. Next thing he knows, he is being sold into slavery. He lives a life of a slave for twelve years until he is rescued by Henry B. Northup, who saves Solomon while he was working in the field. Once back in his own home, Solomon writes an autobiography of his experiences. After many decades, a historical movie retelling Solomon’s autobiography was released. Throughout the movie, many differences are present. For example, the wife of Solomon’s master was portrayed to be an evil woman in the movie, but in the book not so evil. Another example is while slaves did not fight back

thesis:Twelve Years a Slave, is a vivid memoir of Northup's captivity as free man in the slave ridden south. Solomon's experience was one of countless millions kidnapped, and sold into slavery. What makes his Solomon's story unique, is that he lived to tell the, horrors and atrocities of slavery.

Current generations need to learn of the effect of slavery so that these mistakes are not repeated. Thus, films like 12 Years a Slave help educate modern audiences through different mediums the extent of slavery. Not only does the film tell the story, but it shows it. The story goes beyond words, but it transpires into real

The movie «12 Years a slave» is based on the book «12 Years a Slave» by Soloman Northup. It's his life story of how he got lured in a trap and kidnapped in 1841. It's about how he was sold into slavery in the south, and what happened during those 12 years a slave .

12 Years a Slave is a historical drama, directed by Steve McQueen, which was released in 2014. The film won best picture at the 87th Academy Awards, and budgeted over 187 million dollars worldwide at the box office. The brutally violent film is about a slave named Solomon Northup, and all his struggles through being a slave. It starts with Northup thinking that he was offered a job, but instead is brought into slavery. Perhaps the most despicable character shown throughout the film is Edwin Epps. He not only beats his slaves, but is also shown frequently raping Patsey, who is also a slave. One of the characters in the film, Samuel

This film is a depiction of the cruelty of American slavery in the 1800s. Made by the British director, Steve McQueen, is enough to show the Americans reticence on the subject. Slavery may have stopped many years ago, however, it still plays a significant role in people’s attitudes today.