12 Years A Slave Film Analysis

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In the film 12 Years a Slave by Steve McQueen, the storyline follows the kidnapping and enslavement of a free black man (1841-1853) from Saratoga, NY: Solomon Northrup. Solomon is stripped down physically and emotionally, being forced to identify himself as another person – “Platt.” Solomon fights to survive as he fights for his freedom back. The film attempts to shed light on how humans, especially African Americans, were treated not only during the time of slavery, but also currently through their systematic mass incarceration. Steve McQueen, the director of 12 Years a Slave, provided an eye-opening example of the treatment of African Americans by showing all of the “norms” that they were not provided access to. To start, Solomon was …show more content…

Steve McQueen perfectly expressed the hypocritical bias given towards slaves – because blacks are being held in slavery, they must have done something wrong to deserve this and they deserve being treated as lesser human beings. This arrogant belief was especially depicted through the Misstress Epps’ treatment of Patsey as she threw a heavy vase directly at her head with no regards for her slave’s safety. To help fully express that this is just a racial issue, Bass (played by Brad Pitt) and another white slave are shown being given special leniency for their own shortcomings. When the white slaves don’t pick as much cotton, they’re not brought outside for a whipping with the black slaves. This applies to all of the modern criminal justice system – when a white and a black commit the same crime, blacks are found to be disproportionately incarcerated for their crimes. Despite the unjust treatment of blacks by those in power (generally the whites), not all whites choose to ignore this. When Solomon told Bass his story of kidnapping, forced enslavement, and the new identity he was made to assume, he worked to help Solomon attain his freedom again. Bass is the type of person that the director of 12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen, was inspiring people to become. His hopes for today’s world are that more people will take after Bass and not as Master and Mistress Epps, supporting the end of the continuation of slavery – stopping the unjust, systematic incarceration of

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