The Portrayal of Slavery in the American South in the Film, 12 Years a Slave

Summary

As the film begins, Solomon Northup who is the author of the narrative, is a freeman at the north with his family but is later kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south. Although he was born of a slave, he was free, lived, and worked in New York where he got married to Anne. In 1841, being a renowned violin player, he meets two men who offers him an appealing job of playing violin in a circus, he travels with them to Washington D.C where he is drugged, kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana.

For the preceding twelve years, he finds himself moving from the hands of one slave master to the other with the greater part of his bondage under Edwin Epps, a cruel slave master who is also a planter in the South. Any of his attempts to demand for his freedom would only earn him merciless whipping from Epps. However, being good at playing the violin, his life was eased a little than the other slaves and would often be granted the privilege of entertaining the whites and not laboring until late in the night.

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In his twelfth year as a slave, he gets the chance of meeting with a Canadian based abolitionist from where his life changes forever. Later in 1853, he is rescued by his friends from the North who had sought his rescue. He returns home to his family in New York where he meets editor David Wilson who helps him write his accounts as a slave in '12 Years a Slave'

Argument Analysis

In the 1800's and up to date, slave narratives and films were meant to serve as tools for swaying public opinion against the evil practice. This was probably the main objective of the filmmakers as they produced this film. To achieve this, it was necessary that for any of the narratives or film, a lot of empathy and credibility be established in them. In 12 Years a slave, the film makers establishes an empathetic connection with the viewers by sharing recollections of Northup and his family, education, father, children and marriage. His memories are used to evoke relatable mental images that are easily identifiable to anyone, for instance, he gives a description of his children by saying "Their young voices were music in our ears... Their presence was my delight."

The filmmakers also takes great efforts to establish the believability of the story to the public which is done in plenty of details based on the memories of Solomon Northup, his first home with Anne is portrayed in a lot of detail as in the narrative, "The old yellow building then standing at the southern of Ford Edward village". The scenes are also set in the exact places where Northup visited and worked with the exact names of his masters. These places include Montreal, Lake Champlain, Canada and Champlain Canal. By using these, the filmmakers make it possible for anyone to establish the credibility of the film. Moreover, all the activities in the film are associated with an exact date and place they took place as narrated by Northup.

By the use of a recollection of Northup's memories, the exact names of the characters and setting of scenes in the exact places in the narrative, the filmmakers effectively depict empathy and the credibility of the film which can easily sway the public opinion regarding slavery. However, it may not be an easy watch but is perfectly pitched in narrative

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