Characters Of Slavery In Solomon Northup's Twelve Years A Slave

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Solomon Northup otherwise known as “Platt” of Twelve Years a Slave encounters many individuals that play a remarkable role in his life of a slave. Northup originally being a free man who is tricked and eventually sold into slavery down south. He encounters so called “kind” and cruel masters throughout. The underlining cause on how a master treated the slaves really seemed rely on their placement in society. The “kind” characters seemed to have their role in society figured out for example; William Ford: a well off man who owned a lumber business (60) and Samuel Bass: a hired hand by Edwin Epps who supervised Northup at one point. Cruel owners who engaged with deep anger and actions seemed to be fueled power struggles and or unhappiness within …show more content…

Actions of treatment really set Ford Apart from other slave owners. Ford provided Northup with proper care and a level respect as he was referenced as the “smartest nigger in the pines” (63). The respectable actions of Ford seemed to be inflicted on his ranking within society provided he was still a slave owner but believing in the fair treatment of slaves. This was shown in many case but primarily when Ford forces John. M Tibeats to sell or hire him out due the inhumanly treatment. (98) Having this amount of respect from a slave master seemed to be a real scarcity; “during my residence with Master Ford I had seen the bright Side of Slavery”. Even though Ford may be brought up as one of the “kinder masters” of the time it’s also provides that it could be overlooked in one major aspect. Ford was a still an active slave owner while he treated them well in comparison to the others it was still a weak point within …show more content…

John Tibets a man under ford who received Northup as a payment was described as a “Small, crabbed, quick tempered, spiteful man” (65). Tibet’s struggled to find employment as he was transferring from plantation to plantation regularly which seemed to create an inside tension (65) then due to his ignorance much of the slaves didn’t respect him which seemed to frustrate him (65). These powerless feeling really showed when he attempts to whip Northup for using the “wrong size nails” and ended up getting whipped by Northup (71). These factors of so called “disrespect” and powerless

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