Index Film 12 Years a Slave: essayA brief summary of the main plotThe main conflict and how it is resolvedScenes that have stuck with meWhat does the film reflect?Works cited12 Years a Slave Film about slaves: essayA short main plot summarySolomon Northup lived with his family in upstate New York in the late 1830s. He was a free black man who worked as a carpenter and violinist. In 1841, two men approached Solomon saying they worked for the circus. They asked him to accompany them to Washington and to play the violin. Solomon agreed and they traveled to Washington where, unlike New York, slavery was legal. During dinner, the two men unexpectedly drugged Solomon. He was sold into slavery in Louisiana to a minister named William Ford who owned a small plantation in the Great Pine Woods. Unlike most slave masters, Ford was kind to his slaves and did not beat them. Ford ran into some financial problems and sold Solomon to Tibeats, a carpenter who was working for him at the time. He was a horribly racist man and almost hanged Solomon after having several bad encounters. Tibeats eventually sold Solomon to another horrible slave master, Edwin Epps. He owned two plantations near Bayou Boeuf. Solomon worked on Epp's plantation picking cotton and cutting down cane. A Canadian carpenter and slave abolitionist, Bass, came to work for Epps. Solomon befriended Bass and told him how he became a slave. Bass decided to help Solomon regain his freedom, so he sent letters to people Solomon knew in New York. Henry B. Northup, a friend of Solomon, received these letters. He acted as an agent for the governor of New York to get Solomon out of slavery. Northup and a local sheriff arrived at Epp's plantation. Northup and Solomon hugged, and after some questioning from the sheriff, Solomon was free to return to New York, much to Epp's dislike. Solomon was reunited with his family, adult children, and new grandson on January 4, 1853. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Main Conflict and How It Is Resolved The main conflict in 12 Years a Slave concerns the circumstances under which Solomon became a slave. He was drugged, kidnapped and forced into slavery. This is the main conflict as the plot of the film revolves around Solomon living his life as a slave. He was taken from Washington DC to Louisiana where he was sold in 1841. Solomon was a slave for twelve years, working on various plantations, facing various problems. types of slave masters and witnessing and experiencing how dehumanizing slavery is. Finally, after twelve years, Solomon's friend from the North, Henry B. Northup, received letters sent by a Canadian carpenter and abolitionist Solomon met on Epp's plantation. Northup traveled to Louisiana and met a local sheriff who went with him to Epp's plantation. They found Solomon, and after some questioning from the sheriff to prove Solomon's identity, he hugged Henry and they returned to New York where Solomon was reunited with his family in 1853. Scenes that stick with me One scene from the film that stands out in my mind was the one showing family separation. Eliza was a slave Solomon met at Burch's "slave showhouse". Eliza was for sale with both of her children, Randall and Emily. However, Ford arrived with the intention of purchasing all three, but Freeman, the man advertising the slaves, sold Randall to another slave master and deemed Emily "not for sale." As a result, Eliza was sold without ihis children. Eliza's family was permanently separated and she never saw her children again. During the scene, Eliza is distraught and begs Burch to sell her and her children. It's clear on Ford's face that he felt uncomfortable buying it without his children, but he did it anyway. This scene refers to the theme of Family. Solomon had young children and a wife before he became a slave. They added purpose to his life, and this is evident when he says, "Why had I not died when young, before God gave me children to love and live for?" . This shows that his family provided purpose and meaning, and like Eliza, that purpose was taken away from him when he was sold. Eliza is constantly affected by pain, which then leads to her death. Another scene that stuck in my mind was the funeral. Slaves gather to sing the gospel song "Roll Jordan Roll" at the funeral of a slave who died of exhaustion. Personally I found this scene a bit of a relief. Even though they were dehumanized, mistreated, and forced to work long days with little reward, their faith and hope were still strong. The scene focuses on Solomon's face while the slaves sing. At first he doesn't sing with them and seems depressed and empty. But as the slaves continued to sing, something changed and he joined them. This scene ultimately connects to the themes of abuse and dehumanization. At the beginning of the film, Solomon had said, "I don't want to survive, I want to live." This song, like many other gospel songs, is an example of how slaves reversed the song's original Christian message to express their own messages. When Solomon began to sing, it was as if he painfully accepted that the slave system was designed to allow him only to survive and not to live. What does the film reflect? Slaves brought with them a rich culture that included a tradition of religious singing. . The songs, known as gospel songs or spirituals, provided a rhythm for when they worked repetitively, such as when picking cotton. They were also used as a means of expressing emotions or messages, similar to poetry. One of the main motives for gospel songs and spirituals was to unite slaves and give them strength in times of adversity. In the film, the use of gospel songs for unity and strength is shown during a funeral scene. One slave had died from exhaustion, so the rest of them gathered to bury him. As they gather around the grave, the slaves sing the song “Roll Jordan Roll.” This song, just like many others, was reclaimed by slaves as they subverted the Christian message to express their own feelings. Gospel songs like Roll Jordan Roll that talked about rivers often contained the underlying message of hope for escape. The idea of ​​a river flowing free from all constraints was often the subject of many gospel songs as it pointed to freedom and independence. This is an example of how the film reflects the social consequences of gospel songs and spirituals. The film is based on the memoirs written by Solomon Northup in 1853. However, the film has been condensed and some small scenes have been added, but it doesn't stray too far from the truth. Two events that accurately reflect Solomon's actual experience were his trip to Louisiana and his encounters with the character Bass. In his memoirs, Northup claimed that during his trip to Louisiana, he was beaten with a paddle and whipped by a slave trader just because he revealed his identity. This is portrayed accurately in the film and provides perhaps an even more realistic depiction as you can see the pain in Solomon's face, the aggression in the slave trader's body andthe wounds he left. Another neat event was the scene where the abolitionist Bass argues with Epps, stating that slavery is horrible and dehumanizing in an attempt to change his mind. Solomon's account of Bass's argument in the book almost parallels the scene in the film. Bass also sent several letters to New York to some of Solomon's friends in the memoir, and this is also shown in the film. However, there were some scenes that did not accurately represent Solomon's experience. One such event occurred at the beginning of the film. Solomon, as a slave, pleasured a woman next to whom he lay. Then he began to roll over and sob. The director, Steve McQueen, admitted to creating this scene, saying“(he) just wanted a little bit of tenderness – the idea of ​​this woman holding out her hand… and then going back to where she was. She went back to hell. ”Another sketchy event was Solomon's plan to take over the slave ship with Arthur, a free man, and Robert, a slave. In the film, they attempted to take over the ship, but Robert was stabbed by the sailor and thrown overboard the next day. However, this did not happen. In Solomon's memoirs, they did not even attempt to execute their plan as Robert died of smallpox before they could do anything. Overall, I would consider this film a reliable historical source. It is helpful because it shows the reality of how slave masters treated their slaves. Slaves were physically and sexually abused, psychologically tormented, forced to perform demanding tasks such as working in the fields all day or being forced to dance at night for the slave master's entertainment. The film also shows the randomness of violence. In the film, a slave named Patsey leaves the plantation to get a bar of soap. Epps, the slave master, was so furious over such a minor matter that he brutally whipped Patsey to the point of near death. Other useful aspects of the film include the depiction of social hierarchy (that slave masters are above slaves), dehumanization, family separation, abuse of control and power, and the use of the Bible to justify the abuse . The film also offers great insight into slave culture and how they used music, gospel songs and religion to connect and unify. The film also shows that not all whites treated slaves horribly. Bass, a white Canadian carpenter, was an abolitionist who helped Solomon out of slavery. There was also Ford who treated his slaves with respect and did not abuse them. However, the film successfully shows the most common reality of slave masters through Edward Epps who always cruelly abused his slaves. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay However, the film has some qualities that limit it as a resource for showing the experience of slavery. Solomon's memoirs detail 12 years of slavery. However, the film condensed 12 detailed years into 140 minutes. Obviously, to turn the novel into a film it was necessary to leave out events and other important details. The purpose of the film is to entertain the audience. Some scenes were added or changed to make it appealing and entertaining to the audience, so this makes its reliability questionable. The film also only follows Solomon's journey. He was incredibly lucky to return to his former life and see his family again. Most slaves never have this opportunity and remain slaves until they die. The film only shows the surface of the lives of the other slaves and never delves into the depths of the other characters. One final limitation was..