Research Paper On 12 Years A Slave
12 Years a Slave 12 Years a Slave is a movie directed by Steve McQueen, based off of true events recorded in the memoir, Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup. Solomon Northup was born a free black man in New York in 1808 and resided there most of his life; he was a farmer and an excellent violinist. Northup had been happily married to his wife, Anne Hampton, with three children, Margaret, Alonzo, and Elizabeth. One day in March of 1841, Northup was seeking employment and met a couple of men who claimed to be traveling and performing in a circus. The men told Northup that he would be a great addition to the act, performing as a violinist. Northup was tricked by the two men who went by the aliases, Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton, for protection
of true identity and to cover any tracks. Brown and Hamilton deceived Northup into believing he would be a great addition to their act, when the two had a horrible true motive that would drastically change the course of Northup’s life; he could have never imagined what his life would be like for the next 12 years. Brown and Hamilton mercilessly drugged Northup and sold him into slavery. This horrible time in his life affected him greatly, but didn’t prevent him from coming out of slavery with a voice, telling the world the reality and cruelty of slavery. McQueen depicts the events of Solomon Northup’s time in slavery, based off of the documents of the countless tribulations Northup faced during his time as a slave. By using Northup’s personal memoir, it is evident the depiction of the movie is credible. McQueen establishes ethos in the presentation of the movie, through his clear motives, trustworthiness, and authority. Having Northup’s memoir of events he experienced firsthand, helps assure that the depiction in the movie is accurate and credible. Of course with most every movie, there is often times a lot of dramatization to add to the impact of the movie on the individual audience member. Credibility is clearly established through the use of factual material from Northup himself.
of true identity and to cover any tracks. Brown and Hamilton deceived Northup into believing he would be a great addition to their act, when the two had a horrible true motive that would drastically change the course of Northup’s life; he could have never imagined what his life would be like for the next 12 years. Brown and Hamilton mercilessly drugged Northup and sold him into slavery. This horrible time in his life affected him greatly, but didn’t prevent him from coming out of slavery with a voice, telling the world the reality and cruelty of slavery. McQueen depicts the events of Solomon Northup’s time in slavery, based off of the documents of the countless tribulations Northup faced during his time as a slave. By using Northup’s personal memoir, it is evident the depiction of the movie is credible. McQueen establishes ethos in the presentation of the movie, through his clear motives, trustworthiness, and authority. Having Northup’s memoir of events he experienced firsthand, helps assure that the depiction in the movie is accurate and credible. Of course with most every movie, there is often times a lot of dramatization to add to the impact of the movie on the individual audience member. Credibility is clearly established through the use of factual material from Northup himself.