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What Does Solomon Northup Say Regarding The Institution Of Slavery

960 Words4 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 …show more content…

Solomon recounts his odyssey through the south, during which he encounters many slaves, some born into it and another formerly free, but all consumed by anxiety and fear, either because of uncertainty over the whereabouts of their family members or because of what awaits them in those plantations. The journey downwards is described like a descent into hell (40), where unrelenting torment and toil are …show more content…

He is tortured, forced to deny his roots and identity, and witnessed death and the sorrow that accompanies the separation of families. There are instances where a superiority complex rears its head, and to be fair, Solomon was an impressive individual. He even harbors some admiration for one of his masters, like the pious and generous William

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Solomon was trapped in a dark and scary cell, for many days. He got whipped and beaten “he called me a black liar and run away from Georgia. (Twelve Years ). He got called names and thing he wasn't. This chapter really tells about what they want through.

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Chapter 1 Solomon Northup’s life as a freeman in New York is of a man who is trying to better himself in every aspect of life and give his family a joyous life. He also enjoys the luxuries of being a freeman. He works on agriculture, canals, rail roads, navigation, Hack driver and occasionally plays the violin. Northup’s experience in a variety of work should enable him to have little to no trouble finding a job. His ancestors were all slaves but his father breaks the chain and achieves freedom after his master dies.

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This shows how each slave lives in constant fear of brutal punishments for slowing down the production of cotton and other good. As shown here, Nightjohn, is historically accurate due to its accurate knowledge of the horrid punishments which were proven in the Mingo White’s Narrative and Solomon Northup’s, Twelve Years a

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He does this by anticipating when Epps and the other slaves would be asleep so the two men of justice can meet up. This shows us how Solomon can use his knowledge to escape through the torturous hell he has been forced to live in, so he can be with his old friends and

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Is Solomon Northup a victim or a hero? One particular aspect of this book is how the institution of slavery denies any kind of humanity to those who are thrown into it. Northup shows this in his life of both White culture and in the culture of Africans held as slaves. It is for this reason, I believe Northup is a victim. Solomon’s father was a freed slave resulting in him being born into freedom.

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In the years prior to the Civil War, countless black Americans found themselves forcibly bound by the chains of slavery and barred from basic human rights. As identities were stripped by slaveholders denying freedom and equality, slaves were imposed with the burdens of captivity and its inherent evils. As freed people, both Frederick Douglass in “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” and Solomon Northup in “12 Years a Slave” detail the true horrors, hypocrisy, and abuse they experienced while enslaved. Douglass and Northup effectively communicate and depict the slave system to a sympathetic anti-slavery audience using tone, imagery, and irony to enhance readers’ impressions and appeal to their pathos.

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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

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The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.

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Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

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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.

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