Northup's Cruelty

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Twelve Years a Slave followed the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York, who was abducted and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War, slave holding south. Facing much cruelty as well as surprising kindness, Solomon struggled to stay alive, with the glimpse of hope that someday justice would be served and he could return home to his family. In the twelfth year of his enslavement, Solomon met by chance a Canadian abolitionist who in the end was able to assist Solomon in returning home. Throughout the film, Solomon came into contact with many other slaves while he was enslaved under his first master, Mr. Ford and his second, Mr. Epps. His responses and the way he acted toward the others could be questioned by many ethicists. The most questionable action by Solomon was his response to Mr. Epps’ request to whip a fellow slave named Patsy. One day Mr. Epps became enraged after discovering that Patsy was missing from the plantation. When she returns, Epps did not believe her excuse as to why she was gone and orders her to be whipped. Mr. Epps forces Northup to whip Patsy to avoid doing it himself. Reluctantly, Solomon obliges and whips Patsy until Mr. Epps decided to take over. At first thought, it seems as if Solomon would stand up for Patsy and refuse to whip her. However, he says…show more content…
Her view of objectivism argues that the purpose of morality is to teach what is in our self-interest, what produces happiness. “Man must choose his actions, values and goals,” she summarizes, “by the standard of that which is proper to man — in order to achieve, maintain, fulfill and enjoy that ultimate value, that end in itself, which is his own life.” While Solomon may not have been happy that his self interest involved inflicting excruciating pain upon another slave, but he knew that if he did not do as Mr. Epps wanted, his own life would be threatened and the chances of his return home would be

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