What Is Solomon Northup's Identity In 12 Years A Slave
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“I ain’t got no comfort in this life,” is a dialogue from the film, ’12 Years a Slave’, directed by Steve McQueen, which shows the horrible reality of being a black slave in the period of 1800s. It is based on the real life account of Solomon Northup, a free African American man, who was captured by slave traders and sold into slavery in ‘The Deep South’ in the 1840s America. The film displays the barbarity experienced by him and other African Americans as he attempts to gain his freedom. Solomon is a man who is talented in his own ways, ability to play the violin in a professional fashion, and is articulate. However he is forced to hide his true identity in an attempt to survive. The qualities Solomon Northup possesses are used to convey the…show more content… The characterisation of Solomon Northup is used to shape and is used to illustrate the injustice of slavery imposed by white slave owners by showing us how it affected one individual in particular. The director uses flashback of Northup before he was kidnapped and sold as a slave trade. In this flash back Solomon is shown to be balanced and a highly regarded man, “These two gentlemen were enquiring about a distinguished individuals and I thought of you”. The motif of the violin is used throughout the film to represent Northup’s freedom. The director initially uses an extreme close up of a violin having its strings replaced by both white and black hands. The violin also represents Solomon’s passion and the future that Solomon should be having. This motif is repeated throughout the whole of the film to remind Solomon himself of what he loves and his deserved freedom. Through this, we can see that Solomon has never gave up hope of being free to be able to play his beloved violin freely again. The director uses a mid-shot of Solomon walking through the park; he uses ambient sound of children playing and church bells ringing. During the 1840s slavery had been abolished in the Northern States and this ensured African Americans were given even greater opportunities. Even so Solomon must have been an exceptional man, building a career playing the violin as a professional musician. Solomon is also an educated…show more content… These techniques are used to show the idea of injustice. The director uses a mid-shot of Solomon holding a whip and being forced to use it against Patsy, a fellow black slave, by master Epps. The director does this to show how Epps is essentially a coward, and of how brutal slavery was and how Solomon was forced to act in such a horrible way just to survive. Another camera shot used in the scene is a close up. The close up shows Solomon’s face with an expression of fear and pain as he strikes Patsy with the whip. As Patsy cries out in pain, the audience sees how this act is inflicting pain on the two characters. Patsy is experiencing physical while Solomon is experiencing both psychological and emotional pain, which emphasises on the brutality of slavery in general. To reinforce the idea of injustice is when Steve McQueen uses dialogue. Master Epps says, “There is no sin, men does how he pleases with his property.” This shows how people thought they had the right to justify the mistreatment of other human beings. McQueen uses a close up of slaves tending to the wounds of patsy, who were lashed horribly by Solomon. The director uses these scars to show the degree of pain that slavery left on society. Slavery has been present for many years, despite it being abolished in the Deep South. One example of slavery today is in Africa. Children are