Appreciation of Life in the Film 12 Years a Slave

811 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: racial inequality introduction

In America, having freedom comes easily because the constitution guarantees citizens the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, freedom was not given to African Americans, are ancestors fought for centuries to gain access. Some of our ancestors that did have freedom in the United States in the 1840’s, they were being kidnapped into slavery. Based on the true life story of a once free black man, 12 years a slave, tells the story of free black man fight for survival and freedom while enslaved. In the movie, the main character Solomon Northup, life was taken instantly and he had adjusted his mind from being free to a slave. While transitioning his mind to a slave but never forgetting his identity exemplified qualities that every health professional should possess. With those qualities being courage and determination.
Watching the movie, 12 years a slave, for the first time, my initial reaction was that I did not want to watch the movie because it will bring back revelations of what my ancestors went through to get freedom. However, watching the movie showed how my generation do not appreciate their freedom in today’s society. This movie was not ordinary at all, it was exceptional. It was exceptional because it makes people appreciative of what they take for granted daily, which is freedom. Solomon Northup story also, humble individuals because people will internalize what it is to be a person and forget about the color of individuals.
Solomon Northup fight for freedom showed his fight to live. Clemens Ray one of the first people that Solomon interacted with as a slave said, “Survival is not serving death, it about keeping your head down”. Mr. Northup stuck to this saying while in his 12 years of being enslaved...

... middle of paper ...

...lack being hang. Turning the blind eyed showed how as the human race the importance to stop turning that eye and stand up for another. By those scenes occurring in the movie, showed the belief in the human race and the creation of change. The movie, 12 years a slave, displayed one of the key aspects in service learning which is to learn about one’s self power.
Movies are powerful ways to see what is occurring in the world. This movie in particular made me reflect on how African Americans are slowly becoming enslaved again, due to high rates of African American prisoners. The movie wanted viewers to see that is not about grasping a particular subject, it about how a person can internalize what it is to be a human, in order to understand human beings. Solomon Northup story showed that believing in the human race, it only takes a little faith in the human race.

.

Show More
Related

  • Unchained Memories Summary

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of the given options of films to watch for the extra credit assignment, I chose to watch HBO’s documentary titled the Unchained Memories: Readings From the Slave Narratives, a production I thought was excellently put together. I was initially apprehensive of the film, thinking it would be extremely boring, but I rather found it to be quite the accessible medium of history both available and appealing to a broad audience including myself. I found the readings of the many slave’s interviews and firsthand accounts to be such a clever way to understand more about the culture of slavery in an uncanted light and it broadened my knowledge of what slavery entailed. The credibility of this film finds its foundations cemented in the undeniable and indisputable

    Read More

  • Film Analysis Of The Movie 'Sapphires'

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    This film represents our indigenous culture and regardless of what happens we can find good in a situation. Together the black and white community can come together and achieve more than they could ever do by themselves.

    Read More

  • Patty Cannon: The Failures Of Free African Americans And Slaves

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    Solomon Northup was one of the few that escaped the grasps of slavery. He wrote his own book, 12 Years a Slave, and even had a movie crea...

    Read More

  • Solomon Northup: A Journey from Freedom to Slavery

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Twelve years a slave is the title of a book and a movie which was an adaptation of the life of Solomon Northup. Solomon Northup was born in New York a free man. He had a wife and three children, he unlike most other children was educated.”Besides giving us an education surpassing that ordinarily bestowed to the children in our condition” he said page 25, he had a farm and worked as a violinist. He was drugged, abducted and sold into slavery in 1841 while on a visit to Washington, sold at auction and shipped to work in cotton plantations in Louisiana. He was given a new identity and his slave name was “Platt.” he never accepted being

    Read More

  • Simple Justice

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this story it clearly shows us what the courts really mean by freedom, equality, liberty, property and equal protection of the laws. The story traces the legal challenges that affected African Americans freedom. To justify slavery as the “the way things were” still begs to define what lied beneath slave owner’s abilities to look past the wounded eyes and beating hearts of the African Americans that were so brutally possessed.

    Read More

  • Inhumane American Slavery In The Film 12 Years A Slave

    1477 Words  | 3 Pages

    The movie 12 Years a Slave, is an exceptional film. It shows how brutal and inhumane American Slavery is. The movie itself is shockingly truthful as to the events that actually happened. There were many scenes that made it hard to not look away from the screen. Along with numerous scenes of trying to hold back tears. This movie is filled with heartache, sorrow, pure utter violence, but also love. There were many amazing actors and actress’ in this movie. Altogether, this film was brilliant. In fact, it has won many awards. Including, an Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, and many more outstanding awards. This movie is brutally honest, but well deserved. A free-man was

    Read More

  • Psychology and the Media: The Breakfast Club

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie teaches us to look beyond the cover and into who someone is as a person.  We also learn that sometimes contact with people makes us reconsider our judgement towards them, to find out the real person underneath.

    Read More

  • Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

    1673 Words  | 4 Pages

    The topic of slavery in the United States has always been controversial, as many people living in the South were supportive of it and many people living in the North were against it. Even though it was abolished by the Civil War before the start of the 20th century, there are still different views on the subject today. Written in 1853, the book Twelve Years a Slave is a first person account of what it was like for Solomon Northup to be taken captive from his free life in the North and sold to a plantation as a slave in the South, and his struggle to regain his freedom. Through writing about themes of namelessness, inhumanity, suffering, distrust, defiance, and the desire for freedom, Northup was able to expose the experiences and realities of slavery.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Slavery

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Autobiography, “Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglas: An American Slave,” Fredrick Douglas writes to show what the life of a slave is like, because from personal experience, he knows. Fredrick Douglas not only shows how his life has been as a slave but shows what it is like to be on the bottom and be mistreated. Douglas shows that freedom isn’t free, and he took the initiative to become a free man. Not many African-Americans had the opportunity to make themselves free and were forced to live a life of disparity and torture. Through his experience Douglas shows us the psychological effects of slavery. Through Douglas’s memory we are able to relive the moments that continued to haunt his life. Douglas’s book showed the true

    Read More

  • Slavery By Another Name Essay

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the period after the emancipation many African Americans are hoping for a better future with no one as their master but themselves, however, according to the documentary their dream is still crushed since even after liberation, as a result of the bad laws from the federal government their lives were filled with forced labor, torture and brutality, poverty and poor living conditions. All this is shown in film.

    Read More

  • The 60s (movie)

    2037 Words  | 5 Pages

    This movie is a wonderful production starting from 1960 and ending in 1969 covering all the different things that occurred during this unbelievable decade. The movie takes place in many different areas starring two main families; a very suburban, white family who were excepting of blacks, and a very positive black family trying to push black rights in Mississippi. The movie portrayed many historical events while also including the families and how the two were intertwined. These families were very different, yet so much alike, they both portrayed what to me the whole ‘message’ of the movie was. Although everyone was so different they all faced such drastic decisions and issues that affected everyone in so many different ways. It wasn’t like one person’s pain was easier to handle than another is that’s like saying Vietnam was harder on those men than on the men that stood for black rights or vice versa, everyone faced these equally hard issues. So it seemed everyone was very emotionally involved. In fact our whole country was very involved in president elections and campaigns against the war, it seemed everyone really cared.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Film Analysis Essay

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many times in Hollywood, a movie that intends to portray a novel can leave out key scenes that alter the novel’s message. Leaving out scenes from the novel is mainly do to time limits, however doing so can distort the author’s true purpose of the story. In history, Movies were directed to intentionally leave out scenes that could alter the public’s opinion. This frequently let novel 's main points be swept under the rug. There were times of this at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, where white Americans were the only ones making movies. Not many African Americans had the opportunity to be involved in the process of major productions. Because racism in To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is underplayed in the film, it shows

    Read More

  • Narrative Analysis Of Trailer In 12 Years A Slave

    2297 Words  | 5 Pages

    12 Years a Slave is a very iconic movie about Solomon Northrup and his being kidnapped into slavery. Northrup was a free man, a professional violinist, and a farmer. After being drugged, he was shipped away from his family and forced to work in New Orleans. During his slavery, he was forced to pick cotton and endure many hardships for 12 years. Eventually, he was freed and returned to his family. The people who captured and enslaved him served no punishment for their crimes since blacks were not allowed to sue white people at that time. Solomon was stripped of all his rights not only as a human, but also as an American and was illegally put into slavery for 12 years.

    Read More

  • The Powerful Messages Delivered in The Freedom Writers

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    “We fight each other for territory; we kill each other over race, pride, and respect. We fight for what is ours. They think they’re winning by jumping me now, but soon they’re all going down, war has been declared.” Abuse, Pain, Violence, Racism and Hate fill the streets of Long Beach, California. Asians, Blacks, Whites and Hispanics filled Wilson High School; these students from different ethnic backgrounds faced gang problems from day to night. This movie contains five messages: people shouldn’t be judgmental because being open-minded allows people to know others, having compassion for a person can help people change their views in life, being a racist can only create hate, having the power of the human will/goodness to benefit humanity will cause a person to succeed at any cost and becoming educated helps bring out the intelligence of people.

    Read More

  • Courageous Movie

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    Not only does this movie deal with the issues of society, but it points to biblical scriptures that help lead us in the right direction. The biggest lesson that this film taught me was that if I put my complete faith in God, then no matter what happens, he will provide, watch over, and take care of me. I learned that expressing belief in God is not enough. I have to live everyday believing and trusting him and I have to show my trust and faith through my actions and my words.

    Read More

More about Appreciation of Life in the Film 12 Years a Slave

Open Document