ipl-logo

12 Years A Slave By Steve Mcqueen

850 Words4 Pages

For my movie analysis, I chose to watch 12 Years a Slave. The movie came out in 2013, just a few years ago, but the story takes place in 1841, when slavery abounded. I found this movie incredibly hard to watch. The true story about a man named Solomon Northup conveys what it really was like living back when racism was so prevalent. The film director Steve McQueen is not just telling us about an event in history, but instead captivates his audience, and forces them to see the grim reality of our nation’s past.
He tells the story of a real man, with a life and family, in a way that makes the viewers really feel for Solomon and all the slaves in this time period. He brings them to life, showing clips of Solomon Northup, a free man born and living …show more content…

The way the director uses images, staging, and dialogue in this portrayal of slavery makes it so much more than just an event or something that happened. It’s a slap in the face. The ending, although good for Northup, still leaves hundreds of slaves on a plantation in servitude, and one specific slave, a woman, watching Solomon leave, reminds us of this. Although a few slaves may have been able to escape or be saved during this time, the vast majority lived with masters, slaving over work their whole lives. The perspective that is being shown in this movie is that of the black man; from living comfortably; free, working, and happy, to being stolen away from his former life and taken into captivity. It is showing how cruel southern white men acted towards them, but I do not think it is making these white people out to be more evil than they really were. They treated these black men, women, and children terribly, and McQueen, the director, I’m sure felt that this needed to be portrayed.
What I think is interesting is that the director of the movie, Steve McQueen, is a black man who was born in London, and his screenwriter, John Ridley, is black as well. I think they felt the need to tell this story in a way that’s never been done before. Focusing in on one man’s story, and his experiences being a

Show More
Related
510 Words | 3 Pages

For example, sanitation workers had to carry bags of garbage that had holes in them and since they were paid low wages, they ended up poor on welfare. Not only was this film was a way of seeing another turning point during the civil rights movement but also, African Americans fighting for justice. Even though I was not born during that time, I can understand how they felt because it wasn’t that easy. In today’s society racism isn’t as bad as what it was during that time. Besides we still have times were we face racism in our lives so I would say in some areas racism is still a

Read More
687 Words | 3 Pages

The era of the slave plantation only proves any Black male, or female, free or not, can become a slave. The story of Solomon Northrup tells a tale of his experiences of being a slave, the penalties, and the position of authority during

Read More
615 Words | 3 Pages

Slavery was cruel and the most common phenomena that occurred during the 19th century and throughout time. Many of those who were slaves kept note of their life in memoirs of the suffering they endured and are referred to as Slave Narratives. Slave narratives are those who documented their life as a slave and one movie in particular “12 Years a Slave” narrates the life of Solomon Northup. Solomon Northup wasn’t always a slave throughout his life and was in actuality a well-spoken African American man until one day he was kidnapped and sold into slavery, just like many other Africans were. Northup was a slave for twelve years and endured the brutality and dehumanization that came with the slave system.

Read More
769 Words | 4 Pages

Although the movie does seem to want to get a point across about racism being relevant even in mainly black neighborhoods, it mostly furthers society’s institutionalized racist thoughts towards the black

Read More
782 Words | 4 Pages

Whether or not a slave narrative is able to persuade its readers of the inhumanities of slavery, the complexities within slave narratives and the discussions they create should not be overlooked. There is power within the act of writing one’s personal journeys and hardships throughout life, and that power gives former enslaved people the opportunity to express their own thoughts while making changes for future generations. Solomon Northup’s 12 Years A Slave gives a heart-wrenching depiction of what slavery was like in America. If the cruel images of the realities of slavery do not affect readers emotionally, then there is at least hope that the logical arguments raised throughout the novel can persuade those who are unwilling to see slavery

Read More
960 Words | 4 Pages

Kevin Torres HIST 3330 December 4, 2017 12 Years a Slave Solomon Northup informs us early on that he wishes to have his life as a slave recorded, he leaves it up to the readers to form their own judgements regarding the institution of slavery; he did not wish to resort to hyperbole or polemic, but to merely recount things as he remembers them. It is a harrowing story, one which reads like an antebellum odyssey, with a cunning protagonist who employs his wit and physicality in order to get back home. Solomon lived his life with relative freedom, which is what makes this account even more tragic; most blacks were born into slavery, as were their parents; it was all that they knew. Solomon, however, was one of the lucky ones, since he did not

Read More
660 Words | 3 Pages

The first instance seen in the film of emotional turmoil and hopelessness felt by Solomon can be attributed to his kidnap and therefore forced rejection of his former life. He was in obvious distress the moment he realized that he had been tricked by people that he had trusted and that he may never see his wife and children again. This was a grim reality for many of the freedmen unjustly placed into slavery due to the fugitive slave law, regardless of the fact that they were free individuals. In this moment Solomon, like many others, realized that he would be forced to suffer the harsh conditions that many other African Americans of the time were facing due to involuntary servitude, but that was the worst of his fears, he feared the unknown of what would become of his family and what they may believe caused his disappearance.

Read More
766 Words | 4 Pages

In this movie, you see the life style on being a slave. Solomon Northup was a free man that was kidnapped and was traded off in the slave trade and endured the life style of a slave. There is a scene in the movie where he is building a house and the white man comes and tells him he is wrong and tells him to rip his clothes off so he can be whipped. Solomon refuse and takes a stand knowing that it is wrong he took a stand for what he though was right. This movie was primarily made to show the harsh conditions that they had to go thought but also an insider some of the slaves that made a stand.

Read More
1180 Words | 5 Pages

Towards the beginning of this movie, many blacks were looking at the white men with hatred for raping and nearly killing a ten year old black girl. The men transformed the innocent little girl’s life forever. The men were instantly

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

The movie was recomposed according to a real story in the year 1853, and it told about a man named Solomon Northup, who was born free in New York state. He was tricked to go to Washington, D.C by two white people, where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. After having been kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana, Northup was able to write to his friends and family in New York, who in turn secured his release with the aid of the state. Northup's account provided extensive details on the slave markets in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, and it described the miserable fates of slaves in the plantations in Louisiana. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Years_a_Slave) the plot of the movie reached its climax

Read More
729 Words | 3 Pages

In regards to the abolitionist movement, Solomon Northup’s slave narrative was particularly important because it revealed the inhumane treatment, such as the brutal beatings done by masters and overseers, the sexual use of slave women and the merciless separation of families, and in his personal case the abuse of the Fugitive Slave

Read More
1668 Words | 7 Pages

Being African American living through slavery,was a harsh living condition which caused many individuals to seek for freedom by staying away from such violence. Solomon took personal actions without any remorse for his family in order to be free. For African Americans during the period of slavery taking care of their family wasn't their priority,being free from slavery

Read More
1489 Words | 6 Pages

English Essay This essay is about the movies Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave. These movies were directed by Quentin Tarantino and Steve McQueen respectively. Django Unchained is the story of a black slave named Django, who, set free by a mysterious man named Dr. Schultz, sets out to rescue his wife, Broomhilda. 12 Years a Slave is based on a real story.

Read More
1053 Words | 5 Pages

Every immigrant group has been stereotyped in Hollywood since the 19th Century. But in the case of ignorance towards black people, white people have created prejudice that has made the stereotypes last untill now. Gone with the wind, a 1939 Epic Civil War drama, shows slaves as well-treated, cheerful, and loyal to their masters. Slaves are portrayed as normal employees, and these are rewarded with presents if they’ve been appropriately loyal. This movie portrays slavery unrealistically and childlike.

Read More
1268 Words | 6 Pages

This incredible movie is written by John Ridley and directed by Steve McQueen. It was released in 2013 and it is based on the insightful autobiography of Solomon Northrup, who was an African American man living in New York in the beginning of the 1800’s. This movie’s excruciating and authentic portrayal of how slavery was exercised greatly in America is not only heartbreaking, but also an important eye-opener for the people who are ignorant on the subject of slavery and who are not aware of the extreme circumstances the African slaves were forced under in over two centuries. Watching this movie’s portrayal of Solomon’s tragic story and seeing how his autobiography was turned into a painfully beautiful and powerful masterpiece was indeed one hell of an emotional ride. The plot of the movie is based on the life of the main character Solomon Northrup and his journey in life as an educated African American man, husband, father and last but not least slave living in

Read More

More about 12 Years A Slave By Steve Mcqueen

Related Topics

Open Document