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Fangyi Yu (Iris)
ENGW1102 14872
Professor Enos
11.05.2014

Surviving for Freedom

--- A Movie Review for 12 Years a Slave Directed by Steve McQueen
This is a remarkable movie earned over 187.7 million; got three Academy awards,
won one Golden Global Award and the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and
Television Arts) Award for Best Film; was named best movie of 2013 by more than
thirty well-known media outlets--- 12 Years a Slave--- directed by Steve McQueen,
who is the first black director that get his film won the Best Picture Award.
12 Years a Slave is based on a real story, a reorganization of a memoir with same
name of the film written by Solomon Northup. In 1841, before the Civil War,
Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who is a freeborn African-American, married
with two lovely children and has a happy family in New York. Solomon is cheated by
two human traders--- Brown and Hamilton, they cheated Solomon that offer him a

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two-week-long job as a violinist in Washington D.C.. When Northup wakes up after

he was drugged, he was been given a new name--- Plat, and assumed as a runaway
slave from Georgia, delivered to Louisiana and sold to plantation owner for slavery.
He works for plantation for 12 years and finally he got the help from a Canadian
carpenter Bass, Bass mails the letter for him, and finally, he gets released.
This movie is a historical movie, which is a real story happens based on the real
society and historical background, shows the humanity of slave seller, slaves, slave
owners and people who held antislavery attitude, during the dark years of
African-Americans.. From the year 1841 that Northup is kidnaping, although slavery
problem is already get attention from people and some African-Americans are also
trying to fight for their right, no big change during that years until 1849, four years
early than Northup get released. Harriet Tubman who escapes from slavery and plays
an important role in Underground Railroad. The next year is an important year that in
1850, the slave trade is banned in Washington D.C.. Then followed with the
publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin, another important event works for anti-slavery.
With the promoting of these changes, peoples attitudes to slavery change, so that
Northup can get the opportunity to have Bass send his letter to his family and get
someone pick him back to home.
Slave seller is the source of evil. Northup bought by Ford at a grotesque auction,
every male, even female slaves are naked, it just like a magnificent slaughter house,
people don't have privacy, shame doesn't even needed or working at that moment.

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None of them dare to say a single word or moving without requirement1. The only
sound happens while a mother slave is going to separate from her children. It shows
the lamentable of humanity, people don't fight for themselves, they keep silent, put
down their shame, live like a
trained animal, sold and accept
the insults from the slave
sellers. Their sour becoming
numb, gradually, they are
Slaves at slave auction are naked.

loosing their souls, from the

other side, slave seller expropriated their souls. This weakness is like a nature of
human, after several times hurt, people scared, only the people who keep hope in their
mind, save their sour, and get what they want at last.
The main characters in this movie are Solomon Northup and another young
female slave Patsey. Northup is a freeman before he is kidnaping, so he can
absolutely be the one who feels the painful and differences from comparing the life
most. He married with two lovely children, and with a life of enough provisions of
food and clothing, until he sold as slave, and the most unbearable part is that he can
tell no one he is a learned freeman. Because nobody cares about it, it seems everyone
knows that, he is not the first black learned freeman sold as slave. During the time
Ford took care by Ford, Ford was reward for a violin; however, it makes Fords
carpenter--- John Tibeats feel angry toward him, and speak of him with evil intent.
1http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/12-Years-a-Slave/6613510517591897112/317018691911/12-Years-a

-Slave-%28HBO%29/videos

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Tibeats beat by Northup at last, so Tibeats and his friends decide to revenge him by
lynching him. Although it was stop by the overseer, he is left with rope with his both
hands roped over his
head and keeps the
pigeon-toed pose for
many hours2. During
this time, slave dont
dare to take a look,
Northup is left in the noose standing on tiptoe for many hours.

only a women brings

some water for him, but leave rapidly, obviously, she is fearing for her life. Children
still play around, it shows children already get used of see such cruelty punishment.
Now people can understand why these white people get such deep-routed thought of
slavery African-Americans. The environment makes a subtle influence on youths
mind. It not only shows how cruel the punishment is and how poor and hopeless these
slaves are, it also shows that if people really want to change something, especially a
thought, people should educate child when they are young. Because the early
education make an big impact on peoples life value or life believes.

2http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/12-Years-a-Slave/6613510517591897112/317018691911/12-Years-a

-Slave-%28HBO%29/videos

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McQueen lets everyday violence leaking into the plot gradually. This movie
introduces two types of slave owners, conscientious William Ford and Edwin Epps,
who known as Nigger Breaker
and his wife. Northups first
owner is William Ford3, who is a
Baptist missionary who is plays a
kind of role full with sympathy
but scarce of capacity.
William Ford shows grimace while he have to separate the mother and
children while he buying the slaves because of his financial problems.

Samuel

Bass

(Canadian

carpenter who helps Northup sending his letter to his family), Harriet Shaw (A black
manor owner, known as mistress Shaw), the local sheriff and shopkeeper (who pick
Northup up and bring him home). They are the representatives of anti-slavery in this
movie.

3http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/12-Years-a-Slave/6613510517591897112/317018691911/12-Years-a

-Slave-%28HBO%29/videos

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"... There's a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation that will not go unpunished
forever... It may be sooner or it may be later, but it's a coming as sure as the Lord is
just."
This is a highly acclaimed movie, not only gets that much awards, but also get
highly public attention from the media outlets and several well-known movie review
website. Except the Audience of this movie can include large number of
African-Americans and anti-slavery people. These people can easily moved by this
movie, the best thing is that this movie is reorganized by a real story, it makes the film
become more vivid and close to life. African-American can have two reasons to see
this movie, they may want to be a supporter as anti-slavery, so they would like to see
this movie and give a high score evaluation, and their ancestor may experienced this,
so they can have interested in this types of movie. In Rotten Tomatoes, it gets 9/10
score based on 258 reviews.
Overall, this movie tells a history, full of fearful sin, shows the changing of
humanity, it also reminds people history cannot be changed, so no matter how dark it
was, people should face it with confession and grateful, confession for the sin and
grateful for the lesson that teach us to cherish our freedom we have now.

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Works Cited
"12 Years a Slave." - Northeastern University. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
"12 YEARS A SLAVE - Official Trailer (HD)." YouTube. YouTube, n.d.
Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
"12 Years a Slave True Story - Real Solomon Northup, Edwin Epps."
HistoryvsHollywood.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
"12 Years a Slave (HBO)." Xfinity. Xfinity, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
"Fighting to Survive - The New Yorker." The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov.
2014.