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12 Years A Slave Odyssey

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The novel “12 Years A Slave”, written by Solomon Northup depicts Solomon, a free man living in Saratoga New York with his wife and three children. One day he is offered a job playing violin with a circus group, and is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Northup is freed 12 years later by an abolitionist working on a plantation with him. While enslaved he meets a woman named Patsey. Their master, a man known as Epps, has a complete infatuation with Patsey, and shows how many slave owners develop an obsession over the “ownership” of their slaves. However this is not the case for his mistress, who strongly dislikes Patsey. Epps also shows the intense amount of work southern slaves are forced to do with little praise, and often many beatings.
During Northup's time as a slave, he is sold and moved to different plantations numerous times. While on Edwin Epps plantation, he meets a delicate, hardworking girl, Patsey. Despite being a persistent, loyal-driven slave, Patsey is always offered the short end of the stick. During the time both Patsey and Northup spent together, he recalls numerous times where he is shown the cruelty of Epps towards Patsey. For example, in the novel, Patsey goes to another plantation to receive soap, something she is denied by Epps mistress. It is evident the mistress of Epps does not like Patsey when Northup states, “ …show more content…

That is until he is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Unable to find freedom until his twelth year enslaved, he endures many cruel events along the way. For example, he meets a woman name Patsey, who is tormented by both their master, Edwin Epps, and his mistress. Epps shows them time and time again that he owns them, and that they are nothing more than property to him. During his time spent with Epps it is also very apparent how mcuh work the slasves are forced to do, asnd how poorly they are

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