12 years a slave

12 years a slave

Introduction

12 Years a Slave is a thrilling film that exposes the brutal truth about the grief of brutal slavery. It is a real story film that revolves around the bitter life Solomon Northup, who is the main character. His own experience as a slave inspires it for 12 years of his life. The film has its setting in Louisiana; New York; Washington D.C. Solomon Northup uses his account a slave to depict the struggles slaves undergo, among other themes. The protagonist and narrator, Solomon Northup sails through his strenuous journey as a slave, sharing his grievous experiences to his eventual freedom. He faces many hardships in the hands of different slave owners. He depicts his oppression in the hands of his cruel masters, the antagonist. Solomon, towards the end of his book says, “My suffering I can compare to nothing than the burning agonies of hell,” to show his atrocity as a slave. It has a gripping effect on the readers as it ventures through grave slavery atrocities, giving them a touch of the writer’s emotions to the extent that they hold hands during some scenes in the play. Through perseverance, handwork and dedication, Northup must survive and endure all the 12 years of slavery. It is a captivating must-watch film for all the lovers of cinema and art.

The narrative begins with an assurance to the readers that it will not disappoint, which indeed is the case.  Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. In the course of his working as a farmer and carpenter, he is approached by two white men, Abraham Hamilton and Merrill Brown, who deceive him into music business deal, which entails enormous profits. He travels to Washington, D.C to attend to the business without informing is family, with the illusion that he would be back before he was missed. He is drugged and wakes up to his day one of slavery, chained and imprisoned in a dark room. With his mindset of being a free man, he fights his antagonists. However, he is brutally whipped. “I am a freeman,” he declares.

Along with him in that room are other slaves, including a woman called Eliza together with her two children, Randall and Emily. Eliza and Solomon manage to be bought by one kind man who treats them like his children named William ford. Due to financial constraints, Ford sells Solomon to Tibeats, who does carpentry work for Ford. Solomon escapes death thinly by his cruel master. He is personified by this new cruel slave owner who shows no mercy or kindness. As a slave in New Orleans, (Platt) he works in the plantations where his masters abuse him.

Every day, he watches and hopes for a chance to get papers that he can be able to write to his family. Days turn into weeks and months of hard and strenuous labour in the cotton farms, sugarcane farms, construction projects, carpentry, etc., depending on what every new employer does. Sometimes he works in the music industry, the sole reason why he had travelled to Washington, D.C, where he plays the violin for his masters. On special occasions such as the Christmas seasons, he plays his violin,  which is an excellent source of joy and consolation for him.12 years into his unforgettable account, Solomon meets a Canadian abolitionist named Bass. This makes a complete turnaround in his life. The two meet at Epps’ construction project. The two occasionally meet behind Epps’ back, because Bass has a sharp antislavery mind. Finally, through a legal process of reaching out to the family and lawyers back in New York, Bass manages to set his new friend free from slavery. Solomon manages to return home, expressing gratitude to all who helped him in obtaining his birthright freedom.

Solomon’s work is undeniably impressive and seductive to the readers in the manner that he uses figurative language and other aspects of literature to draw the reader’s attention wholly. In a way, this piece of art keeps the audience fixed to the theatre rather than asking them out. The story has been told in an exclusively effective and attractive method which is evidently old-fashioned Hollywood-style. Using the horror technique was a wise move as it puts the hero under pressure from the beginning of the story to the end, making the reader have the urge of following up to the very end. It is vividly real without any touch fabrication, Solomon quotes, “my narrative is at an end…what is the region of Red River is truly and faithfully delineated in these pages. This is no fiction, no exaggeration” (Northup, 217). Retaining the fact that the story is no fiction, the writer wisely teases out the horror out of the masterpiece, which was a bold move.

The film writer’s opinions and ideas are well composed and the play roles well given to the most appropriate persons. Twelve years a slave is exclusively unique in the manner that it reminds. The central and graphic performance is well done. The flashback scenes are entirely incorporated to bring about a good flow of the events. He plays well with time, 12 years, and using flashback structure. Instead of telling the tale chronologically, he begins with the main character Solomon already in slavery. This technique gives the story a shocking and captivating start, making the reader wanting to know how the latter got there. There is more to admire in these film, 12 years a slave, inclusive of the bright, unsentimental quality image. Despite all the thumbs up for 12 years a slave, it has its weaknesses as well. The hero of the story, Solomon, is a decent man of no good flows thought the tale; this portrays him incapable of changing character. This deprives the audience the pleasure of seeing him overcoming his inner flaws. Moreover, there was an evident lack of a definite plot in the story.  There is usually the case for most slave stories.

Furthermore, the fact the hero is passive is a letdown to the author. Solomon is a slave and can take almost no action to reach his goals, whereas the antagonist masters have all the choices. Finally, the title of the film is so direct such that the reader is most likely to predict the outcome without any reasonable doubt

The film is significant in enhancing knowledge about slavery and life in general. Watching this film has helped me learn some vulnerable lessons that are applicable in daily life. Just like Solomon, we all go setbacks in life we least expect. As he was living with his family happy, he did not know that the next 12 years of his experience would be a living hell. “Thus far the history of my life presents nothing whatever unusual –nothing but the common hopes and loves, and labours of an obscure coloured man, making his humble progress in the world,” he says, (Northup 11). Endurance and humility are significant takeaways for me. Secondly, acts such as racism are learnt than natural. The film, 12 years a slave clearly shows how racism was used as a symbol for human wickedness. Besides using racism to show barbarity, the book argues strongly that racism is a learned behaviour. Young master Epps, who is Epps’ son, learns from his father to whip and mistreat the slaves. Due to his father, Young Master Epps sees black people as animals. At one point, Bass asks him the difference between a black and a white man, and he answers, “all the difference in the world…you might as well ask what the difference is between a white man and a baboon.” It is possible that he learned this from his father. Thirdly, the film evoked in the feeling self-worth, being lucky and blessed. Having watched a real-life story of how Solomon suffered as a slave, I appreciate and acknowledge my freedom rather than complain about little the small atrocities of life. Lastly, I have learnt to be live that even in this cruel world, there are still good people like Bass. In many other slavery stories, white people are always the bad guys; however, Bass helps Solomon out without expecting anything in return.

Concerning slavery in other books and film, 12 years a slave does not represent resistance by the oppressed black slaves. Solomon, together with the other slaves, have no substantial incidence of trying to escape or resist being ruled. It happens severally that he tried to escape without success due to some heart-rending betrayals which frustrates his attempts. As much as Solomon’s emotional resistance is vivid as in one of the scenes, he fights back against the man to whom he was mortgaged, no one else in the entire film tries to show resistance. Solomon remains a slave until he is legally freed. As much as he indicates that no single day passed without him contemplating escaping, there was no much action to show for this. Another possible problem of the story is the fact that people are suffering relentlessly. The film shows oppression and slavery from the very beginning to the end without the reader getting an ounce of relief. In the current world, social media, the claim that people are tired of seeing slavery is undeniably evident.

Twelve years a slave is a story that completely catches the attention of its readers, keeping them flowing fluidly, to linger in the emotions and ideas of slavery churned up in the movie. The author uses Solomon to represent an entire lot of people who are subjugated and yet entirely, it is the life story of one individual. The book has primarily discussed the choices enslaves people have to make in their daily lives. It also argues about American slavery mainly as there are neither lovable masters nor cheerful slaves.  The story has a connection to the world of today as the slave trade was not finished with the freedom of Solomon North up. As much as it does not exist as complete ownership of persons by others, it exists in other forms such as child labour and sexual enslavement. There is no doubt that the 12 years a slave leaves the notion that sincere, down people, are good and that evil is more learnt than natural.