CULTIURE 2

Twelve Years a Slave

Student’s LeRoy T Cooper

University Of SNHU

The Twelve Years a Slave; Synopsis

Based on a true story, Twelve Years a Slave gives an account of the life story of the author, Solomon Northup. Born a free man, Northup lived, worked and married in upstate, New York. He was an accomplished violin player and a carpenter. Life, however, takes a toll on him when he is betrayed by two acquaintances who had promised him a job in Washington DC. The free colored man is drugged and beaten up before being kidnapped and sold into slavery illegally. In the plantation farm where he was initially sold, he clashes with one of the plantation workers. This leads to him being sold to another plantation owner where he gets subjected to the cruelty of the wicked man who promises to make Northup’s life an unpleasant affair.

After series of ordeals and suffering, Northup still struggles to uphold his dignity and self-worth. He attempts to explain that he is a free man to his owners with no avail. It is after twelve years of slavery that an abolitionist changes Northup’s life forever. He is restored to freedom and returns to his family and children leaving behind other slaves.

The film twelve years a slave demonstrates how the color of one’s skin did not have to define the capabilities one held or who someone was. Solomon Northup knew how to read and write. He was born a free man and had a normal life with his wife and children just like any white family did. This was the case until he was deceived and sold into slavery for twelve years. The film generally showcases how the black race was abused and humiliated by people who felt that were better. They suffered physical abuse, discrimination, and their rights were abolished. Slavery as the major theme in the film reflected what was present in the contemporary society.

Anthropological Core Concepts in the Film

Assimilation: individuals or groups of people from one culture may be absorbed into and/or changed by another culture. The dominant culture is the one that absorbs the other. In the film, the black race is depicted as that which is of lesser value. They are bought and traded as goods by the white who feel are superior in every aspect. Further analysis of the film shows Solomon Northup undergoing backward assimilation in the name of survival. Formally a free man, he has to adapt to the life of a slave and heed to command if he is to survive.

Ethnocentrism: the attitude or opinion that the norms, values, and customs of one’s own culture are superior to those of others’ cultures has clearly been showcased in the film. A white man saw himself as superior and had the privilege of owning a slave who was black and treating them as property. This attitude of superiority saw the lives of the black race difficult and unbearable. The white demeaned the lives of the black.

Kinship: blood ties, marriage or adoption of people within a certain group gives a sense of belonging. They share identities and consider themselves to be related. With reference to the film twelve years a slave, it is seen that family ties are highly upheld. Solomon Northup had a family of his own. He lived with his wife and three children. Even after being sold into slavery, he still longed to be with his wife and children. He makes several attempts to write to them but failed. After being freed from twelve years of slavery, he goes back to his family and finds that one of his children had named his grandson after him.

References

Kawashima, M. (2017). American history, race and the struggle for equality: an unfinished journey. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan.

Weinstein, C. (2004). Family, kinship, and sympathy in nineteenth-century American literature. Cambridge, UK New York: Cambridge University Press.