12 Years a Slave: A Film Analysis
The movie, 12 Years a Slave, was released November 8th 2013 and was directed by Steve McQueen. The movie focuses on a free black man named Solomon Northup, the protagonist, who was kidnapped and sold back into slavery. Northup was a talented musician who lived in Saratoga NY. Two men named Brown and Hamilton, claiming to work in the circus offered Northup money to play the violin in Washington DC. However, once in D.C. the two men got him drunk and delivered him to a slave trader. He was then sold to a man named Ford. Ford could tell that Northup was different from the other slaves. Ford respected and treated him well. Ford’s slave handler/overseer, Tibeats, was jealous of Northup’s relationship the plantation …show more content…
William Ford in the movie was presented as a Christian man who would gather his slaves to read scriptures to them. At one service, he reads from Luke 17:2 which states, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and be cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” However, Ford had recently separated a mother from her children in his purchase of her. Epps used Luke 12:47 as an excuse for the savage beating of his slaves. The scripture stated, “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.” After Ford tells Northup that he is being sold, Northup tries to tell Ford that he is a free man. Ford shuts him down telling Northup that he does not want hear it and that he has a debt to pay because of his purchase of Northup. This places a negative light on the slave that seemed the most reasonable and decent. According to History vs. Hollywood, William Ford was not accurately portrayed in the movie. The site claims that Northup’s memoir referred to Ford as a “model master” stating that, "there never was a more kind, noble, candid, Christian man than William Ford." In the real Northup’s memoir he even defends his master blaming circumstance and his up bring as reasoning as to why he is a slave master. This heritage myth is portrayed to validate the belief that all slave owners where cruel hypocrites that justified their actions with the Word of
The movie, 12 Years a Slave, was released November 8th 2013 and was directed by Steve McQueen. The movie focuses on a free black man named Solomon Northup, the protagonist, who was kidnapped and sold back into slavery. Northup was a talented musician who lived in Saratoga NY. Two men named Brown and Hamilton, claiming to work in the circus offered Northup money to play the violin in Washington DC. However, once in D.C. the two men got him drunk and delivered him to a slave trader. He was then sold to a man named Ford. Ford could tell that Northup was different from the other slaves. Ford respected and treated him well. Ford’s slave handler/overseer, Tibeats, was jealous of Northup’s relationship the plantation …show more content…
William Ford in the movie was presented as a Christian man who would gather his slaves to read scriptures to them. At one service, he reads from Luke 17:2 which states, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and be cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” However, Ford had recently separated a mother from her children in his purchase of her. Epps used Luke 12:47 as an excuse for the savage beating of his slaves. The scripture stated, “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.” After Ford tells Northup that he is being sold, Northup tries to tell Ford that he is a free man. Ford shuts him down telling Northup that he does not want hear it and that he has a debt to pay because of his purchase of Northup. This places a negative light on the slave that seemed the most reasonable and decent. According to History vs. Hollywood, William Ford was not accurately portrayed in the movie. The site claims that Northup’s memoir referred to Ford as a “model master” stating that, "there never was a more kind, noble, candid, Christian man than William Ford." In the real Northup’s memoir he even defends his master blaming circumstance and his up bring as reasoning as to why he is a slave master. This heritage myth is portrayed to validate the belief that all slave owners where cruel hypocrites that justified their actions with the Word of