12 Years a Slave Themes - 1497 Words

12 Years a Slave Assignment The pain and abuse experienced by Solomon Northrup in his 12 years of slavery, like the millions of other slaves who were kidnapped in Africa and sold across the U.S., is a tragic example of the pain one society can inflict upon another group of people. The movie 12 Years A Slave graphically portrays the horrors of slavery in America, and demonstrates the shame of the system, using the incredible irony in the story of Solomon Northrup. Since he had a dpcument that said he was a free black man, he was treated by others as a fellow man, but after he was kidnapped he was considered property, like an animal. There was no change in Solomon himself as a person; only a corrupt system declared that he could now be†¦show more content†¦Also, after noticing another female slave crying endlessly, he told her that â€Å"You let yourself be overcome by sorrow, you will drown in it†. Clearly Northrup tried his best to maintain his dignity, but prior to t he exciting conclusion of his story, there is a very telling scene. Solomon was playing violin at a dance for his master and their friends. The violin represented for him a human experience, as he was able to accomplish more than just picking cotton, and the sound of an instrument is one of the most powerful human experiences. Although, at this ball, as he plays, the sorrowful background music of the movie plays over his song, and clouds out the sound of his violin. After the ball Solomon smashed his violin into thousands of pieces. He recognized that even in a very human activity, he was still serving his master, and the music he played and everything he felt as a result of the music, all belonged to his owner. Despite the dramatization, it still vividly shows the despicable dehumanization suffered by slaves, and even those who tried to maintain their human dignity, eventually had everything stripped away. The slaves who had their humanity taken away were abused so greatly by their masters that for a viewer, it was hard to imagine these masters as human, just as they thought of their slaves. Especially further down the Mississippi, like at Northrup’s plantation in Louisiana, the masters treated their slaves soShow MoreRelatedTheme For History B 12 Years A Slave2487 Words   |  10 Pages HIST 2111 26 April 2015 Theme for History B 12 Years a Slave is an emotionally driven movie and book that exemplifies the painful truths of slavery. Slaves were killed, raped, hanged, and were viewed as property with no heart or soul. The scenes of beatings taken place, and slaves being hung, will make any hearted witness grimace and cringe in despair. This particular genre of entertainment is needed in order to inform and teach the history and stories behind the slave trade. It gives a vivid insightRead MoreAnalysis Of Django Unchained And 12 Years A Slave1543 Words   |  7 Pagesmovie Django Unchained and how it took a somewhat satirical approach on slavery and how slaves were treated in the 19th century. But when I saw 12 Years a Slave, and how it took a more serious approach on how slavery was in the 19th century. There were a lot of compare and contrasts that came up as I finished watching both films. So nonetheless, this is a double feature analysis on Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave. Here I will summarize and d iscuss about the two movies and how they’ve impacted meRead MoreHope And Faith Can Endure And Conquer : 12 Years A Slave1263 Words   |  6 Pages 12 Years a Slave is a historical film adapted from the slave narrative memoir of 1853. The 12 Years a Slave is stirred by an African-American man by the name Solomon Northup who in 1841 was kidnapped while in Washington D.C and later forced into slavery. He worked in farms in Louisiana for a period of twelve years before he was released. Steve McQueen is the director of 12 Years a Slave that was written by John Ridley with Chiwetel Ejiofor starring as Solomon Northup. (McQueen n.p). 12 yearsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 12 Years A Slave 1549 Words   |  7 Pagesfilm 12 Years a Slave, produced by Regency Enterprises and distributed by Fox Searchlight, released on November 8th, 2013, was an amazing film based on the true story of Soloman Northup, a free African-American man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south prior to the Civil War era. This story captures the harsh realities of slave life with little hope for freedom. during one of the darkest periods of our count ry. The two historical themes that best encompasses the history in 12 YearsRead MoreAnalytical Argument: What Deserves to Belong in The American Bible?1110 Words   |  4 Pagesidea for the book. Prothero had many novels and books to choose from and I think he did a great job in choosing works of writing that merged with his principles about America. Based on what I have seen is his criterion, I believe that the film 12 Years a Slave directed by Steve McQueen, rightfully belongs in Prothero’s The American Bible: Whose America is this? This film belongs in Prothero’s text because it perfectly fits and follows all the criteria Prothero used to choose all the works in his anthologyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Years A Slave 1051 Words   |  5 Pages 12 Years a Slave is a drama film about a free African American man, Solomon Northup, who was kidnapped and sold to slavery. The movie was released in 2013 starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, Benedict Cumberba tch, and Brad Pitt. 12 Years a Slave has earned three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe. The movie is based off of a memoir written in 1853 by Solomon Northup. The film is for people who are fascinated with history and enjoy dramatic scenes. However, it is also a movie that informsRead More1850795 Words   |  4 PagesBetsy Rivera Period 5 12-15-10 1850 If we were to write down everything that throughout life had made us become who we are now, we would make a long list discussing different events that happened to us in different years. The United States history in such a matter is similar to that. Many years had to pass in order to make America what it is today. Since the beginning of American history many people and events had made each year differ from one another. When you are talking about the UnitedRead MoreArnt I a Woman? Essay examples1659 Words   |  7 PagesDeborah Gray White’s Ar’n’t I a Woman? details the grueling experiences of the African American female slaves on Southern plantations. White resented the fact that African American women were nearly invisible throughout historical text, because many historians failed to see them as important contributors to America’s social, economic, or political development (3). Despite limited historical sources, she was determined to establish the Afr ican American woman as an intricate part of American historyRead MoreThe Book 12 Year Of Slave : Empathy And Brotherly Love Would Have Saved The Day808 Words   |  4 PagesThe Sufferings of â€Å" 12 Years Slave†: Empathy and Brotherly Love would Have Saved the Day In book The Blank Slate (Pinker 2002), Steven Pinker of Harvard University had presented this argument: Thanks to natural selection, human nature is built around greed, lust, revenge, rage, machismo, and tribalism. The film â€Å"12 Year of Slave† portrays such a human nature in its visceral terms. The main theme of the film is slavery, greed, and tribalism, American life characteristics on a par with apple pieRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Years A Slave 1429 Words   |  6 PagesIn 12 Years A Slave (2013), directed by Steve McQueen, the audience is provided with an understanding of characters, place and main character’s experience through mise-en-scene and cinematography. 12 Years a Slave surrounds a black man named Solomon Northup, who was sold into slavery in the 1850’s. It is a graphic retelling of a slave’s existence in Louisiana. The specific sequence used for analysis is one where Northup attempts to escape, but stumbles upon a lynching ritual. By use of cinematography