Who Is Steve Mcqueen's 12 Years A Slave?

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Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave was based on Solomon Northup’s autobiography also named“12 Years a Slave”. According to History vs. Hollywood the autobiography was published in 1853 and captures Solomon’s horrific experiences in his twelve years of being a slave. It all started in 1841 when “a pair of traveling showmen lured him from his home and family in Saratoga Springs, New York, with the promise of fast money in return for playing the violin” (Edelstein). Instead, they “drugged and sold him to slavers in Washington, D.C” (Edelstein). Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) was given a new identity and was beaten with intensity every time he brought up his true identity. The movie was very hard to watch at times because of the many unbelievably violent and cruel scenes. It turns…show more content…
Like in the movie, the real “Northup was tricked and sold into slavery in 1841 and did not regain his freedom until January 3, 1853” (12 Years a Slave True). However, although it was correctly portrayed that Northup was married, the movie showed that they had two children, when they actually had three. “Their daughter Margaret and son Alonzo are portrayed in the movie, while their other child, Elizabeth, was omitted” (12 Years a Slave True). According to the movie, Northup had a sexual encounter with a woman he found on his bed. The real Northup did no such thing. It was entirely false and fabricated by Steve McQueen and screenwriter John Ridley, according to History vs. Hollywood. In 12 Years a Slave the two men that kidnapped Northup drugged him. However, as “indicated in his autobiography, the real Solomon Northup is not positive that he was in fact drugged, however, he remembers various clues that led him to that conclusion” (12 Years a Slave True). After being kidnapped, his new identity became Platt Hamilton, a runaway slave from Georgia. He was advised to stick to that identity, if he wanted to
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    In 12 Years a Slave, “the veil that most concerns McQueen is not the one involving the interior life of Solomon Northup; rather McQueen’s real focus is on the interior life of enslaved women” (Li). This majorly ties in with the idea of gender and sexuality aspect of neo-slave narratives. In the opening scene of 12 Years a Slave, there is a nighttime encounter between Solomon Northup and an unnamed female slave who lies beside him. She guides his hand between her legs and in a very wordless exchange

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