Persons or Property: An Analysis of the Film, Twelve Years a Slave.
12 Years a Slave is a movie about slavery based on Solomon Northup’s true story during a period in which slavery was rampant in the United States. The movie, which is scripted by John Ridley and directed by Steve McQueen, exhibits the ugly face of slavery during this period when the colored race was treated like animals and sometimes worse. The film, which was first aired in 2013, exhibited the cruel and demeaning situation that slaves faced. Though common themes like racism, oppression, death, and discrimination, which are common in slavery movies are apparent in this one, the extent to which slaves are objectified as personal property stands out most. Throughout the film, there are various ways through which slaves are handled and perceived more like property than persons. These ways include being exchanged and transferred for money, losing personal identity, and being callously handled by torture, rape, and even killing.
Overview
In this story, Solomon Northup is a gifted violin player who lives in a town in New York where free blacks are allowed to mingle freely with the whites. Northup, who is respected by the locals for his talent, lives with his wife and two children and leads a decent life, though by no means luxurious. This could be the reason why in 1841, he is tempted and lured away when he is introduced to two gentlemen, Brown and Hamilton, who claim to be part of a traveling circus in Washington DC. The two convince him to accompany them south, where he would be paid handsomely for his violin performance. This will later be a regrettable decision as he duped and sold as a slave and ends up working in the South as one for twelve years before he is rescued and his freedom restored.
Property or Persons
Their masters determine slaves’ identity. In the movie, the true identity of slaves does not matter to their masters. Solomon Northup, though black, lived as a free man in New York, where he was well respected for his talent and standing in society. However, things rapidly change when he steps in Washington, DC. Having been lured to the city, he wakes up one day heavily chained and lying on the floor. This scene clearly outlines the picture of the deplorable conditions that lie ahead of him as a slave. The fact that Northup insists that he is a free man when his new master, James Burch, opens the iron shutter of his dungeon tells us that it is not lost to him that slavery is a standard norm during this period. It is in this scene that the loss of his identity as Solomon Northup, a free man, and talented violinist, is emphasized. He is repeatedly beaten and told that he is a Negro slave who hails from Georgia. Even after the beating, Northup will continue to cling to his identity even when he, along with other slaves, are transferred to Freeman’s slave house for trading. At this point, Freeman calls each slave’s name as they stand. However, when he calls the name Platt out, no one stands. Freeman slaps Northup and tells him his description fits the name, Platt. From here on, Northup has to adopt the new identity, as he embarks on the life of a slave in the subsequent slave pens he visits and works. This shows that as a master’s property, a slave was identified in a way that suited their owner.
In addition to losing their identity, slaves are exchanged like any regular property. This film exhibits the lengths to which human dignity was abused through a casual exchange of people. Scenes of slaves being paraded naked to wash themselves up and later be exhibited to buyers are common. What is even more degrading is the way they are prodded, as buyers haggle over their worth. At Freeman’s slave house, for instance, Northup (whose identity has changed to Platt), Eliza and her children, among other slaves are paraded naked for William Ford and other buyers to inspect before buying. The slaves’ teeth, skills, and potential are analyzed to determine their price. It is disturbing when Eliza’s son has to be called by Freeman to display his athletic agility. In a racial slur, Freeman comments that he promises to be a beast in a few years to come. Even more disturbing is the extent to which slaves plead to be bought by specific masters. Eliza is desperate to be purchased by William Ford, as long as she is bought along with her children. Before this, Clemens, who is aboard the ship with Northup among other slaves headed to be sold, is happy when at the port, his owner Master Ray produces paper claiming his ownership. Clemens cannot contain his happiness for his impending ‘freedom.’ These scenes show how slaves were degraded to the extent of their worth being determined by other people who would sell and buy them off like animals for a few dollars.
To add to being exchanged like goods, slaves are handled in whatever manner their masters wish because they (slaves) are their property. Although many films have covered slavery before ’12 Years a Slave,’ perhaps none have explored the degree to which human rights of the black people were abused like this one. Slaves’ fate lies in the hands of their masters. Scenes in which violence is meted against slaves are scattered throughout the film. James Burch beats Northup with a baton until it breaks in half to prove a point. At William Ford’s compound, Northup (Platt) is tortured to near-death after an altercation with a white carpenter by the name John M. Tibeats. After this, he is transferred to another master by the name Edwin Epps where he undergoes and witnesses unimaginable cruelty. Epps whose cruelty has earned him the name ‘Slave Breaker’ incessantly whips slaves in his cotton farm. A young black slave by the name Patsey raped on numerous occasions by Epps and underwent physical and psychological abuse from Epps’ jealous wife. It is very emotional when Patsey has to beg Platt to drown her in a swamp to end her misery. Although Platt does not agree with this, this scene manages to highlight the incessant despair the slaves have to live in. Several slaves are not as lucky and end up dying in the hands of their masters. When Epps’ wife sends Northup on numerous errands, he witnesses slaves being hanged. At one time, Bass, a white carpenter, who hails from Canada, comes to work alongside slaves, questions Edwin Epps’ mistreatment of slaves on religious grounds. Epps will later dismiss this when addressing Platt by insisting that “there is no sin in a person treating his property as he sees fit.”
The Question Addressed by the Film
The question that is asked throughout the movie regarding whether the fight against slavery is collective to individual struggle. For instance, to what extent do the victims feel this is an injustice that faces them as a group? Throughout the film, Solomon Northup (Platt) feels and tells whoever is willing to hear that he does not belong in the slavery pens where he serves for twelve years. Towards the end, he confesses to Bass, “…If justice were done, I would not be here…”Could this mean that he thinks some deserved to be slaves? The film thus revolves around Northup’s quest to prove that he indeed is a free man and does not deserve to be among the other slaves. It is thus fascinating when at one time, Edwin Epps hands him the whip, which he uses to beat Patsey. When the true identity of Solomon Northup’s true identity is revealed to his current master Edwin Epps, and his freedom is eminent, Patsey, who has suffered alongside him, comes to embrace him in what seems like a plea for him not to leave her behind. However, this turns to be an emotional goodbye bid, and Northup can hardly wait to break away from the embrace. Perhaps during this period, slavery was so ubiquitous that victims could hardly fight it collectively. Each one of them thus ended fighting for their case.