”12 years a slave” 2013 by Steve McQueen 

 

1.     What is the genre of the film? 

Biography, drama and history

2.     Where does the story take place? ( setting: social and historical environment) 

It takes place on different plantations around the south in the United States. From around 1841 and 12 years forward. 

3.     From whose point of view is the story told? Find examples in the film to prove your point. 

It is told from Solomon Northup's point of view, because at first we see him as an succesful man, living in the north (The state of New York), and we follow him throughout the whole movie

4.     Who are the main characters? What do we know about them?
 
The main character is Solomon Northup. We know that he is a black man, who becomes a slave down in the south. He has a wife and two kids, who are not slaves.

5.     Do the characters personalitites remain the same or do the develop? What do we know about them? 

The characters do develop different personalities in the film, because they have to obey their masters, and therefore, they cannot act or be, how they used to, when they were free.

6.     Make a characterization of Solomon Northup?

Solomon Northup is a man, who lived in The state of New York with his family. He was a loving and caring father/husband. He was black and therefore he became a slave.
He possess the traits of a man, with a strong mind and spirit. 
Skilled violinist
Kind
True and faithful to himself and his family

”12 years a slave” 2013 by Steve McQueen 

 

1.     What is the genre of the film? 
The genre of the film is drama, and is the history of slaves. You can also call it a biography, because we follow one person trough the film.

2.     Where does the story take place? ( setting: social and historical environment) 

The film starts in the stat of New York, and then the slaves are being sold in Washington, and trough most  of the film we are in new Orleans. 

3.     From whose point of view is the story told? Find examples in the film to prove your point. 

the film is told from Solomon Northup´s point of view, and we follow his journey, and how he is forced to be a slave against his own will.

4.     Who are the main characters? What do we know about them? 

The main character is Solomon also referred to Platt, Patsey who is the best cotton picker, Edwin who is the master of the slaves and William Ford. 

5.     Do the characters personalities remain the same or do the develop?

Solomon Northup´s is the main character in the film, and he is the person in the film who chances the most. at start he is a free man and have rights, but at the end he is a slave and is under the control of his master. 

6.     Make a characterization of Solomon Northup?

Solomon who is being called platt tro

8. The whip is a symbol of the masters power, and is the one thing the slaves are afraid for.

9. the themes of the film is injustice, discrimination and racism.

10. the film is relevant for today, because it´s important for people to have a understanding for the conditions the black people where living under.


11.
Screenshot number one:
Solomon has been shipped to Washington where he was going to be sold on an auction block to William Ford. 

Screenshot number two:
Elisa wants Solomon to kill her and talks to him in this scene.

Screenshot number three:
Edwin tells Solomon that Harmsby have told him about his letter and threats. 

Screenshot number four:
The scene where Edwin gets angry on Patsey for being away from the farm without telling him.

o  The genre of this film is drama and historical film.

2.     Where does the story take place? (setting: social and historical environment) 

o   The United States, New York, Washington D.C. and New Orleans (mainly in New Orleans on the plantations).

3.     From whose point of view is the story told? Find examples in the film to prove your point. 

o   The story is told from Solomon Northup’s point of view.

4.     Who are the main characters? What do we know about them? 

o   The main characters in the film are Solomon Northup and Edwin Epps. Patsy and Master Ford are also important characters.

- Solomon Northup was first a free man, but he gets kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south. 

- Edwin Epps was a plantation owner and a slave owner.

- Patsy was a slave at Edwin’s plantation. She was the best at collecting cotton. 

- Master Ford was a slave owner, and he was Solomon’s first slave owner.

5.     Do the characters’ personalities remain the same or do they develop? 

o   The character’s personalities are very different from the beginning to the end. 

6.     Make a characterization of Solomon Northup

o   Very intelligent, because he can read and write, and he comes up with the idea about the passage in the river at the first plantation. 

o   He was also brave, because he defended Patsy when she came back from the other plantation. He also defended himself from getting lashed at the first plantation. 

o   Solomon did play violin/foil. 

o   The judge’s favorite, when the slaves are transferred to his farm, when worms attacked Epps’ cotton plantation.

o   He did everything to survive, when he lashed Patsy in order not to get lashed himself. 

o   He had to kids and a wife. 

o   He is black, tall and muscular 

 

3. 
- Point of view in history is first person. When one watches the movie, one understands the slavery from a slave view - Solomon Northup. 

4. 
The main characters in the film are:

- Solomon Northup 

§ He plays violin. 

§ Wants his freedom and want to go home to his family. 

-  Edwin Epps 

§ He is a vicious slave owner, abusing women and the other slave. 

- William Ford 

§ He is good and kind slave owner, and he is fair to his slaves. ¨

§ He reads the Bible every day to everyone            

The minor characters in the film are:

- Eliza 

§ Eliza is slave and she is sold to a slave owner, thereby she loses her two children. 

- Patsey 

§ She is Epp’s slave.

- Tibeats

§ He is very violent and cannot control himself. 

§ He’s trying to kill Solomon. 

6. 
- Solomon Northup is the author of Twelve Years a Slave. Born a free man in New York, and he is kidnapped and sold into slavery. 
- After being kidnapped, he is given a slave name: Platt. 
- He is intelligent, charming, and likeable, which helps him obtain higher positions and survive during his slavery. 
- He is a skilled violinist. 
- He endeavors to be as true and faithful as possible to his experiences, sparing no one but also acknowledging that some slaveowners were kind.

7. 
- Epps is Solomon´s third and most inhumane master, whom Solomon serves for ten years. 

- Epps is married to Mistress Epps, and the two have at least two children, although only one, 

- A heavy set, coarse man with a love of drinking, 

- Epps frequently rapes Patsey, making her the object of Mistress Epps’ jealousy and hatred. 
- Epps views his slaves as nothing more than animals who harvest his cotton so that he can make a profit—a dehumanizing view he passes down to his son.

”12 years a slave” Q&A 

1:  

The genre of the film i a movie based on a true story about the black slaves in 1841 – 1853. 

2: 

The story takes place in New Orleans around 1841-1853, where Solomon was a slave.  

3: 

The story is told from Solomon’s point of view. In the film, it is seen in most scenes where he is present. Especially during his first attempt at fleeing, where the viewer does not know that a hanging is going on in the forest until Solomon appears. The viewer only knows what Solomon does. 

4: 

The main character is clearly Solomon, since it’s his story that is being told and furthermore the point of view is from his perspective. 

5: 

No, they do not stay the same. An example is that Solomon at first is being very rebellious, but as he gets whipped, he starts to obey their masters more – or at least pretend to do so. 

6: 

Solomon Northup is the protagonist of the story. He is a black man living in the US during the 19th century, who has a family and a well-paid job in the northern states. However, he eventually gets kidnapped and transferred to the southern states as a slave. Solomon quickly realizes that his academic skills must be hidden in order for him to survive, as slave owners fear an uprising if slaves are on a higher intellectual level. Unlike most slaves, Solomon is quite intelligent as he has an education and was born a free man. He is critical of his surroundings and strives to escape the horrible conditions as a slave and see his family again; whatever it takes. 

7: 

Edwin is a hardcore slave master with minimal lack of empathy, he has felling for Padsy and rapes her now and there. 

8: 

The whip is used for punishment of the slaves when they don’t obey their master or do their tasks. Furthermore, it symbolizes the suppression of the black individuals.  

9: 

Obvious themes in the film are suppression, racism and slavery. These are highlighted throughout the entire film and are essential to the plot. However smaller themes such as injustice and inhumanity are also substantial themes. 

10: 

The film is very relevant today, as it highlights the horrible treatment of a minority. Furthermore, it highlights difference in the behavior depending on race. This is a highly debated topic in the US today, since organizations like “Black lives matter” fights against police violence inflicted on innocent black people.  

11: 

S1: Here we see an auction block where slaves are being sold  

S2: Elisa talks to Solomon and wants him to kill her so she can be free 

S3: Edwin have heard that Solomon have planned an escape, so he threatens Solomon. But luckily for Solomon he defends himself and get out unharmed from the situation 

S4: Elisa have been away to get some soap because she stinks and can’t stand the bad smell. Edwin gets very frustrated and mad about her quick vanishment. He then later tries to whip her but get Solomon to do it because he has some felling's for her. 

 2. Where does the story take place?

3. From whose point of view is the story told? Find examples in the film to prove your point.

 
4. Who are the main characters? What do we know about them?

 
5. Do the characters' personalities remain the same or do they develop?

 
6. Make a characteristic of Solomon Northup.

7. Make a characterization of Edwin Epps.

 
8. How is a whip used as a symbol in the film? What does it stand for?

9. Discuss the themes of the film.

 
10. Is this film relevant today? How and why?

 
11. What is going on in the following screenshots from the film?

 

 

 2. Where does the story take place?

3. From whose point is the story told? Find examples in the film to prove your point. 

4. Who are the main characters? What do we know about them?

5. Do the characters' personalities remain the same or do they develop?

6. Make a characteristic of Solomon Northup.

 7. Make a characterization of Edwin Epps.

8. How is a whip used as a symbol in the film? What does it stand for?

9. Discuss the themes of the film.

10. Is this film relevant today? How and why?

11. What is going on in the following screenshots from the film?

 1. The auction

 2. Patsey begs Platt to kill her because she

 3. Platt gets caught in wanting to send the letter, but he is denying it. "It's all a lie." After that, he burns the letter he had written.

 4. Patsey is going to Shaw to get soap and when she gets back Edwin confronts her. She tells him, she was just going to get soap, but he does not believe her, and she ends up getting whipped. 

-      Visualized Biography

-      Historical film

-      Drama

2.      Where does the story take place? ( setting: social and historical environment) 

The story takes place in the southern USA, nearby Louisiana’s capital New Orleans. The time of the movie is from 1841 and forward. At this time slavery was still legal but most slavery where concentrated in the south.

 

3.      From whose point of view is the story told? Find examples in the film to prove your point. 

The story is told from the main character point of view, we can see that in the first sentence where he uses a personal pronoun. Also, we follow him through the whole movie

4.      Who are the main characters? What do we know about them? 

Platt(aka Solomon), Patsey(Great picker, gets raped), Edward Epps(Farm and Slave owner), William Ford(Slave and farm owner, kind to Solomon), Eliza(Gets separated from her kids).

 

5.      Do the characters personalities remain the same or do they develop.

No, all character’s personalities change throughout the movie. First Solomon is very rebellious and will not accept his faith, but he becomes more and more loyal and biddable, so he won’t get whipped or killed.

 

6.      Make a characterization of Solomon Northup?

Solomon is a free colored man, who is a family guy. He is very gentle and intelligent. He has a job and has a high salary. You can see that in the first scenes, from his and his family’s clothing, he also buys an expensive bag for his wife’s upcoming trip.

7. Make a characterisation of Edwards Epps
Violent
Crazy
Mentally disturbed
Drunk
Christian
8. How is the whip used as a symbol in this movie? what does it stand for?
The whip is a powertool, and symbolises the difference between slaves and masters.
9. Discuss the theme of the movie
The themes in this movie is very controversial topics like Racism, oppression and slavery. How the African americans have no rights at the time of the movie.

10. Is this film relevant today? how and why?
Blacks are still being oppressed and are experiencing racism.

11.
Theres is a lot going on in the pictures.
Pic1: Slaves at a slave trade
Pic2: Pattsy ask Solomon to kill her
Pic3
Pic4

1.     What is the genre of the film? 

History, Drama

 

2.     Where does the story take place? ( setting: social and historical environment) 

The story takes place in America in the 1860's, where slavery found place. It was a common thing to have slaves, and the law said that it was allowed.

 

3.     From whose point of view is the story told? Find examples in the film to prove your point. 

The point of view is told by the slaves, we can se how they are treated awfully, and how the ''masters'' is power-crazed. For example in the scene where Patsey is whipped, we see how sad she is, and how angry Solomon is.

 

4.     Who are the main characters? What do we know about them? 

The main characters in the film is Solomon Northup and Edwin Epps. Solomon Northup was once a free man, and was baited into a dinner where the hosts gave him a lot of alcohol. When he woke up he was a slave. It takes a lot of time for Solomon to actually understand that he is a slave. Edward Epps is a plantation- and slave  owner. 

 

5.     Do the characters' personalities remain the same or do they develop?

Solomon's character is developing all the time. Throughout the film he gets more and more used to be a slave. Edward Epps is also developing in the way that he gets more and more power-crazed. In the last bit of the movie he is bascially a psycopath.

 

6.     Make a characterization of Solomon Northup?

Solomon Northup lived i New York with his family. He was a happy man, who had nothing to worry about. They were wealthy and healthy. When Solomon became a slave, he gets cold, and he is turning off his feelings. He had a good life for a slave at his first masters house, but when one of the workers started hitting and abusing him, Solomon resisted by beating him up. When the master found out, he had to sell him to Edward Epps. When Solomon came to Edward Epps, he found out how the real life of a slave was.

 

7. Make a characterization of Edward Epps

Power-crazed

Psycopath

Temperamental

Edward Epps is slave-owner. We first meet Edward Epps when Solomon came to his plantation. Edward Epps loves power, and doesn't think of slaves as persons. Epps thinks of slaves as his property, and he can do what he wants with his property.

 

8. How is the whip used as a symbol in the film? What does it stand for?

The whip is used as a symbol of power in the film. There is a big difference between the one getting whipped and the one holding the whip. Its also used as a tool for punishment.

 
9. Discuss the themes of the film

Power, Survival, inequality,

10. Is this film relevant today? How and why?

The film is still relevant, its a great tool to see how it was back in the day, and how we have moved into a better direction. Its also a great film to show how all people are equal.

11. What is going on in the following screenshots from the film?

1.     What is the genre of the film? 

It is a drama film, and it is based on historic events. 

 

2.     Where does the story take place (setting and historical) 

It takes place close to New Orleans, maybe a bit outside of the city. He is sold to a Louisianna plantation, and was kidnapped in Washington D.C in 1841. But most of the film takes place in 1853. 

 

 

3.     From whose point of view is the story told? 

It is Solomon Northup´s point of view that we see in the text. He is about to get sold, and he is watching the scene with Eliza, and her son Randall getting taken away from eachother. 

 

 

4.     Who are the main characters? What do we know about them? 

The main character is Solomon: 

He is a clever black person, and he is a good musician. 

He is very respectful. 

He is trying to survive instead of resisting. 

He accepts William Ford, because he is relatively fair over the slavery. 

Ford is also accepting that Freeman is good at building things and making the canal. 

He is trying to help Eliza, when he is saying 

 

Edwin Epps: 

He is much rougher than mr. Ford 

He is rapping the black girl, and his wife knows it. 

He is therefore having trouble in his relationship with his wife 

Some of his white workers are more extreme against Solomon 

 

William Ford: 

He is a good-hearted slave owner. He is a priest. 

He prays with the slaves in the night. 

He shows his generosity by giving him a violin as a gift. 

He is protecting Solomon. 

 

Patsey: 

Patsey is a girl slave. 

She looks young, and she is Epps favourite slave because she is collecting around 500 pounds of cotton every day. 

Epps is also raping her, and Epps wife knows it and therefore she is extra hard over Patsey. 

 

 

5.     Do the characters personalities remain the same or do they develop? 

Solomon is developing throughout the movie. When he got imprisoned he was very frustrated and thought of a way to get out. But then he is starting to think more about surviving. 

 

Epps is also getting angrier throughout the film. He is angry against Solomon because he knows that Solomon is clever. He is also getting angrier against Patsey when his wife is realising what is going on. 

 

6.     Make a characterization of Solomon Northup 

The main character is Solomon: 

He is a clever black person, and he is a good musician he plays the violin several times in the movie. He is age is around the late 30´s or start 40´s. 

He is very respectful. 

He is trying to survive instead of resisting. 

He accepts William Ford, because he is relatively fair over the slavery. 

Ford is also accepting that Freeman is good at building things and making the canal. 

He is trying to help Eliza. 

He is also educated. He is good at engineering; we see that when he is giving new ideas to Mr. Ford. He is also good at building houses. 

 

7.     Make a characterization of Edwin Epps 

Edwin Epps: 

He is a slave- and farm owner 

He is much rougher than mr. Ford 

He is rapping the black girl, and his wife knows it. 

He is therefore having trouble in his relationship with his wife. 

Some of his white workers are more extreme against Solomon. 

He also says that he does what he wants because the slaves is his property. 

 

Epps is getting angrier throughout the film. He is angry against Solomon because he knows that Solomon is clever. He is also getting angrier against Patsey when his wife is realising what is going on. 

 

8.     How is the whip used as a symbol in this film? What does it stand for? 

It is a punishment towards the black people. If the slave owner wants to whip them, he does it. It stands for all of the discrimination against the black people in the United States. 

 

9.     Discuss the themes of the film 

In the movie the white people discriminate the black people because of their race and skin colour, and that is racism. 

 

Most of the white people are being inhuman towards the black people. They hit them to they bleed, and they have no feelings when the families are being separated, when the black people are being beaten to death. 

 

10.  Is this film relevant today? How and why? 

Yes in some parts of the world the film is relevant. In some areas and communities are black people still being discriminated because of their skin colour. 

 

11.  What is going on in the following screenshots from the film? 

1.     They arrive to the harbour, where they are being auctioned to all the slave traders. 

2.     Patsey wants Solomon to take her down the swamp and drown her. So she can get a calm death. 

3.     Epps found out that Solomon is writing letters. Armsby had snitched on Solomon, and Solomon is trying to avoid getting punished by telling a lie of wants to get promoted. 

4.     Patsey is going to the other farm for soap because ms. Epps don’t want her to be clean. Epps is whiping Patsey. 

Drama film/ Based on a book and true-life experience  

Theme 

Slavery 

New York 

Washington D.C 

New Orleans 

 

We see it from Solomon’s point of view. “We were then furnished with a new suit each cheap, but clean.” 

We often see him alone and how he behaves.  Ex. When he writes the letter. 

 

Who are the main characters? what do we know about them? 

The main character is Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a slave. 

Supporting Actor 

Patsy (Lupita Nyong'o) is also a slave 

Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) is a slave owner and produces cotton. 

William Ford(Benedict Cumberbatch) Is also a slave owner, but he isn’t as harsh as Mr Epps 

 

Do the characters ‘personalities remain the same or do they develop? 

In the start, Solomon Northup is a polite free black man. But he then gets kidnap and has to adapt and changes his appearance. 

-    Mean and heartless (When he yells at Eliza) 

-    Determined (because he wants to survive) 

-    Arrogant (when he is building, the house) 

-    Two-faced and Cunning (When he tries to save himself and did not write the letter) 

-    Foolish (When he goes against his superior) 

-    Smart (Because he is educated) 

 

Edwin Epps 

-    Ruthless and unfair (In the way he treats his slaves/property) 

-    Racist (He talks about them as property) 

-    Stubborn (The only right way is his way) 

-    Alcoholic (When he hunts Solomon) 

-    

 

 

Make a characterization of Solomon Northup 

Physical appearance 

Solomon was born in New York State as a free African-American man. He has got a good job as a contract entrepreneur and he has got his one family( a wife and a girl and a boy). Solomon is a tall black man, the middle-aged. He is very polite, smart and decent.  

 

 

Edwin Epps is a plantation owner and he produces cotton. He has got about 12 slaves who he treats badly and like it is his property. He has got a wife who he does not love. He has got a good eye for one of the slave’s patsy. He has a bad temper and drinks his feelings away. 

 

 

It is used as a power tool. It stands for fear, destruction and control. 

 

Discrimination of black people. 
 

 

Is this film relevant today? How and why? 

Yes, history is always relevant because it can help us to see how what we should do and what we should not do.  

1.    Freeman is trying to sell the slaves. 

2.    Patsy asks Solomon to kill her. 

3.    Solomon is nearly exposed to an educated man. 

4.    Patsy had been away and now we see her trying to explain herself.