Enslaved America Essay

Submitted By Allykatt8464
Words: 1058
Pages: 5
Open Document
Kathryn Allen
World Literature 205
March 31, 2014

Enslaved America There’s no question that “12 Years a Slave” remains an art film, especially as the provocative director forces audiences to confront concepts and scenes that could conceivably transform their worldview. I thought “Django Unchained” opened the door to empowerment, and dominace then “12 Years a Slave” goes barreling through it, tackling its subject with utmost seriousness. The film opens in a world where slavery is a fact of life and Solomon has no recourse to challenge his captivity. Duped and drugged on a bogus job interview, he awakens in shackles and is beaten ferociously when he dares to assert his status as a free man. Some may wonder why he doesn’t continue to protest, forgetting that the word of a black man in pre Civil War America had almost no legal currency, especially if said individual was unable to produce his free papers. “The Souls of Black Folk” Du Bois claims that the most significant event in African American history has been the rise of the educator, Booker T. Washington, in to the role of spokesman for the race. Du Bois argues that Washington's approach to race relations is counterproductive to the long term progress of the race. Washington's acceptance of segregation and his emphasis on material progress represent an "old attitude of adjustment and submission." Du Bois feels. Du Bois also asserts that this policy has damaged African Americans by contributing to the loss of the vote, the loss of civil status, and the loss of aid for institutions of higher education. Du Bois insists that the right to vote, civic equality, and the education of youth according to ability are essential for African American progress. However, assuming Solomon wants to survive, a fellow hostage advises, he must do and say as little as possible, in addition to hiding his ability to read and write. “I don’t want to survive,” Solomon bellows. “I want to live!” Separated from his wife and children, he faces a situation where the entire society is stacked against him. While not every white person in the film is evil, they willingly participate in a system that demeans their fellow man, and the injustice is far too great simply to forget and move on; as Hollywood and society would evidently prefer. Like in such cases as Trayvon Martin. Alarmingly, the few films of the past century to engage directly with the institution of slavery have nearly all come from the exploitation sphere, fetishizing aspects of violence and sexual abuse. An early scene in which slave trader Theophilus Freeman parades naked slaves for the benefit of prospective buyers lingers on the nudity and degradation of such a market. There’s little ambiguity in these unflattering depictions, which i feel is what Du Bois also meant in “The Souls of Black Folk” we as people can not forget to have ambition. To simplify Solomons memoir, the character was stripped of even his identity as he is shifted en route to market, changing hands just three times over the course of the film. Two of those owners are as decent as the circumstances permit, even going so far as to encourage the fiddle playing with which he previously earned his living in upstate New York. The third, Edwin Epps becomes the bane of Solomon’s existence a man who justifies his actions according to scripture and prides himself in “breaking” disobedient slaves. On Epps’ plantation, one is expected to pick 200 pounds of cotton each day and is savagely beaten every time he falls short. Du Bois returns to an examination of rural African American life with a presentation of Dougherty County, Georgia as representative of life in the southern Black Belt. He presents the history and current conditions of the county. Cotton is still the life-blood of the Black Belt economy, and few African Americans are enjoying any economic success. Du Bois describes the legal system and tenant farming system as only slightly removed from slavery. He also examines
Show More

Related Documents: Enslaved America Essay

Causes Of Afte After Bacon's Rebellion

The colonies of North America were established for financial profits or religious freedom. The workforce of each colony relied on the adjustments as well as religious perspectives. In colonies such as the Massachusetts Bay, the protestants ethic of work required all the colonist to farm just to satisfy God’s will. In the Chesapeake colonies, enslaved servant (whites) and blacks would rise to maximize financial profits. From 1607 to 1776, bondage of servants in the regions of Chesapeake would increase…

Words 461 - Pages 2

Rhetorical Analysis On Frederick Douglass

older, his resolve to escape enslavement strengthened, and when he was 20 he left his enslavement in Baltimore by boat, a free man. In this time period, enslavement was common and while it was not legal in the north, the discriminatory environment in America made it difficult for Black Americans to live, even in the north.…

Words 1902 - Pages 8

Difference Between West African Americans In The Atlantic Slave Trade

Once African Americans were brought to America, they were able to contribute to the development of the country. Before The Atlantic Slave Trade, slavery was a common practice in many areas, including West Africa. Women and children were usually traded to be used as domestic servants. However, while West African citizens used slaves and servants, they did not inflict great damage onto them. Although West Africans viewed slaves as inferior they still knew that slaves were similar to them. They were…

Words 671 - Pages 3

Indentured Servants Dbq Essay

slave drastically changes the lives of enslaved Africans who were brought to the 13 English Colonies in the early 1600’s and 1700’s against their will. These enslaved people had to endure a long voyage to the Americas and the noisy auctions while being sold. They were important to the economy of the 13 colonies, but many died due to poor living conditions. Cramped and squeezed, the crowded conditions of the slave ship was one of the causes of many enslaved people dying during the Middle Passage…

Words 1112 - Pages 5

Clotel Rhetorical Analysis

slaveowner like Thomas Jefferson, illuminates the complex challenges of racial identity and the discrimination endured by those straddling racial boundaries. Clotel's depressing experiences vividly depict the racial stratification inherent in antebellum America, where Black individuals are systematically subjugated and denied fundamental rights and freedoms, underscoring the pervasive nature of racial oppression within society. The suffering within Clotel's journey is filled with loss and despair as she…

Words 256 - Pages 2

Analyzing Frances Harper's Learning To Read

American Civil War occurred between the Confederate States of America and the Union for four years from 1861-1865. The Union is the North area, which is industrialized and urbanized. In contrast, the Confederate States of America is the South, which was rural and had a slavery system. They had a serious conflict about the Union’s opposition to the slavery system. This conflict resulted in the war with the Confederate States of America as they wanted an independent and separate country from the North…

Words 1330 - Pages 6

Essay on Reperations of Slavery

compensation should be provided to the descendants of enslaved people. It has taken away from the blacks living now because there is still discrimination because of slavery. This has been a topic since the 1960’s. 2. Are you for or against reparations? Why? I don’t want to sound racist or anything by my statements, but I don’t feel they should be compensated for things they weren’t even a part of. Their ancestors were the ones who were enslaved. Many of our ancestors went through discrimination…

Words 562 - Pages 3

Essay about Slaves: Atlantic Slave Trade and Slaves

in the very recent past there). When studying slavery in the Atlantic, then, we must account for why slavery should be so intimately connected with modernity and with the rise of the modern economies and societies of Europe, the Africa's and the Americas. This is an important point. Many people tend to think of slavery as some archaic feature of a long dead past, a bygone practice with little relevance to our lives today. Of course we are one century and several generations away from the age of…

Words 1200 - Pages 5

Resistance To African Americans Analysis

creolization. The texts are significant in that they show how African Americans were able to adapt to life in America. How they were able to make the most of the cheap food that was available to them and attempt to negotiate a place for themselves and their…

Words 1827 - Pages 8

Nat Bacon's Rebellion Research Paper

There were limited amount of precious metals to mine in North America, but there was a large surplus of beavers. With beavers, there were fur which equals warmth. Europeans saw beaver’s fur as profitable, but very few European men lack the will or skills to hunting, skinning, and processing the beaver. This is where…

Words 1139 - Pages 5