Historical Film; 12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen adopted the 1853 memoir in the movie 12 years a slave. The movie is the precise picture of American slavery. The film has received many awards due to the verifiable account of slavery before the civil war. Also, the film uses basic facts of time, people, places, and the activities that existed. As a result, the film emerged the best film in 2013, and Director McQueen became the first black producer to win the best picture award. McQueen portrays the struggles of African Americans through the character of Solomon Northup. Generally, in the 19th century, the whites considered the African Americans fewer humans and subjected them to slavery. However, Northup was born and free, and his beliefs try to negate the societal perception of African-Americans.

Northup was born in a slave-free environment and believed in inequality among races; despite the American societal norms in the 19th century. During the 17th and 18th centuries, whites kidnapped Africans and forced them to work as savants on their plantations. However, the union victory freed hundreds of slaves as a result of civil. Northup believed in freedom and lived happily with his family. Also, he was a multifaceted labourer and violin player. Moreover, Northup embraced his family, and his passion for music was thrilling.

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Northup represented the primitive African Americans who believed that American society was free from slavery. Additionally, the black men quickly trusted white men after the freedom and were confident of the quality among different ethnic groups in the society. However, white men still believed that slavery was the best economic practice.  Thus, they psychologically tortured the free African Americans by enslaving them back to the hostile environment. The two white men Brown and Hamilton, who offered Northup lucrative work playing the fiddle in circuits in Washington DC, represented the whites against the abolition of the slave trade in the United States. Northup portrays the character of the ambitious African American who wanted to better his life when he accepted the job in Washington DC, not knowing the job was fictitious.

During the slavery error, African Americans had no power over their freedom. The white men controlled them. Also, the white men severely whipped those who resisted their rule. The movie 12 years a slave illustrate a perfect picture of white oppression during slavery. The slave owner Epps is ruthless, beats his slaves and rape the black women, particularly the patsy.

Similarly his wife humiliates the servant Patsey was a subject of oppression during slavery. The movie narrates how women suffered and had no way to defend themselves, just like Pastey. African American women were more submissive compared to me.

  Patsy submitted to the oppression without employing any defence. In contrast to Northup, who fought Tibeats when he wanted to whip him. The character of   Northup is significantly essential in history because; Northup represented the blacks who fought oppression and were never submissive to slavery. Moreover, Northup plays a vital role in American society because he opposed the brutal nature of the whites during slavery. Also, Northup believed that inhumanity never goes unpunished when he described Tibeats, who has become an impoverished drunk. The slave owners degrade dignity,  desensitizes his emotions and the inhuman nature robs him the fundamental human grace, including love, justice and integrity.

 Northup believed that African Americans must live rather than survive. Therefore he thrived on freeing himself throughout his 12 years of slavery. For instance, music enabled him to overcome misery. Northup plays music at the whites’ party and earns money.  Also,  he made rafts for fishing. Northup is the African American hero who loved and never survived during slavery. Music comforted the minds of the suffering by bringing joy. Slaves who played music used their talents to their advantage to entertain the white southerners (Cimbala, pg. 17). African Americans earned a lot of money and self-respect when they played their music at the whites’ party.  Northup charms the whites who gave him a lot of money at the grand party. Northup represented the African Americans who made their way out of slavery. 

To conclude, Northup is an accurate representation of the determination and power of the human spirit of the African American. The whites deceived him, kidnapped, abused him, and deprived him of the freedom to stay with his family. Yet, he stayed unbroken and was willing to overcome the oppression. Throughout the 12 years of slavery, he hoped that that freedom would prevail. Northup escaped captivity and reunited with his family. The experience of Northup is the ultimate emancipation of the abolitionist movement in the 19th century.

Work Cited

Cimbala, A. back Musicians from Slavery to Freedom: An exploration of an African-American folk elite and cultural continuity in the nineteenth-century rural south. The Journal of Negro History 80(1) 15-29, 1995.

Amazon.com: 12 Years a Slave: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael … https://www.amazon.com/12-Years-Slave-Chiwetel-Ejiofor/dp/B00G4Q3KOC

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