Hallel John Tangonan

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Position Paper on How Globalization Changed the World based from the movie 12
Years a Slave
During the 18th and 19th century, slavery in the United States became legal institution of
human enslavement for Africans and African Americans that were existed that time. In the movie
12 years a slave, we can see how is the life of Solomon Northup for being a slave in a long period
of time. The movie portrays heartbreaking and oppressive message about what happened during
the time of human enslavement. The movie also used deep emotions to convey an important
message about inequality or racism, how human life is being valued and the true essence of
humanity.
Throughout the movie, Solomon’s journey is divided into five distinct part. First is his time
as a free man before he is sold into slavery. A father for his family will do anything for the future
of his family. Solomon was offered a short-term employment in Washington DC as a musician
because he is a violinist but this is the start of his struggle, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery.
He claimed that he is a free man but no one believed. We can see in this part of the movie how the
world treats the dream of a man, a hardworking man for his family but in just a glimpse, the dream
turns down and he thinks this dream will never be happened. This is true nowadays specially to
our overseas workers who were abused and didn’t receive the proper treatment for them.
Second is when he is transferred to and at the slave market. Everything was taken from.
They tried to dehumanize Solomon. He was forced to say that he is a slave for the threat for beating
him and also, they take his name and change to “platt”. I can’t believe that during those times,
people became a part of businesses because people can be sold as a slave. Their dignity and
personality never honored the slave traders instead they tell to them that they were born not to
enjoy the life in this world but to serve and born a slave forever. This is very heartbreaking because
the dream of working as a musician became slave which is far from what his life will be in
Washington DC.
The third is his time in the Ford plantation. This is his first time for working as a slave.
Ford is being good to Solomon in fact he gave Solomon a violin. But there is this man that want
to beat Solomon. The tension between Solomon and this plantation carpenter breaks when this
man tried to beat Solomon. Solomon was being hang by the neck with his feet barely touching the
ground but when Ford arrives, he cut it down. There are people watching him but chose not to
help. Ford has a little good in his heart but his mindset of being a slave is that there’s nothing
morally right about slavery. Ford may feel sorry for the enslaved people but he can’t do anything
to help them. To break the tension between Solomon and the plantation carpenter, Ford sold
Solomon to Epps plantation.
The fourth is his time on the Epp’s plantation. Unlike Ford, Epps is unmerciful and sadistic.
In this part of the movie, actually this is the longest act in the film portrays that in this plantation,
there is nothing good and the morality are broken. This part of this movie is the act of pure evil
because mercy is absent in this plantation. It is a perfect example of pure evil. Epps abuse and he
is very cruel to his slaves. The one thing that Solomon have is his violin which is always reminds
him the past and give him hope that one day he will be back to his family. In this part of the movie
shows that hell is exist and Epps plantation considered hell during the time of Solomon. Every
people want to go wherever they want but they do not know hell exist even though we can’t see it.
In hell, unending pain, sadness and everything that will destroy you are all present as depicts the
life in the Epps plantation. But even though how cruel the life in Epps plantation, there is good
thing that happened to Solomon when he meets Bass, a good person who has the humanity to help
Solomon by trying to send his letters to him wife. It tells us that there can be good in this world no
matter how evil it is. There are people who understand and give help to those needy. In 12 years
of being slave, Solomon found a good person. This may tell us that in the real world where evil is
walking freely, there are still good people you will meet in your journey. This world may bring
you down because of what are happening in your life but there will be someone that will change
your perspective like what happened to Solomon. They take everything from him but his hope to
comeback home make him strong and even though how he faces all the struggle of being a slave,
he was abused but there is someone who help him to be a free man again.
The fifth is he is taken out of slavery and go back home. Finally, he saw his family again.
He was crying as he walks toward his wife and in that 12 years of his absence, he saw that his son
and his daughter and apologizes for his absence.
The movie shows how globalization changed the world. In the first part of the movie which
is where Solomon will leave his family to work in Washington DC and because of globalization,
a country will likely to produce job opportunities and it will be open for everyone. In the second
part, this portrays globalization market where every country makes negotiations. This is where
import and exports happen. In the third and fourth part of the movie, for me this is the part where
you can see how globalization affect human kind because you can see in this part how people or
workers abused and treated. This is considering the disadvantage of globalization in which you
can’t avoid one example is racism and violation of human rights. In the fifth part of the movie, I
can say that this is an advantage of globalization because of the opened job opportunities specially
to our OFW family, they will feel homesickness but this makes them more strong and when the
day come to come back to their home, the excitement to be with their love ones carrying their
dreams to changed their life because of the opportunities given by globalization is so priceless and
the struggles they experienced where gone.