The Autobiography By Solomon Northup Essay - 1619 Words

The autobiography by Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave, tells the unforgiving story of the life of a slave in the mid-1800s. In the opening and closing of the book, Northup declares that his intention for writing his story was to give an unexaggerated, accurate representation of what he experienced during his twelve years of captivity. â€Å"My object is to give a candid and truthful statement of facts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Northup 1). He made it clear that he would make no embellishments to the story because he wanted the story to be an accurate representation of what slavery was like in the Red River area in Louisiana. In 2013, a movie that recreated Northup’s memoirs was released. As in the case of the vast majority of books which are made into a movie format for a broader cinematic audience, the screenwriters made embellishments to the detailing of events by the author. While the movie differs from the book with the exclusion of events and the changing of details in the plot, they were both able to portray the story effectively. In general, books can include a longer storyline and more details than movies because of the limited time allotted for films which are designed to be watched in one setting. In the case of the autobiography by Solomon Northup, the book contained much more content and details than the movie contained. Each story that Northup wrote about, he had personally experienced, and each of these tales was likely intrinsically important to him - a series of defining moments inShow MoreRelatedThe Life Of A Slave By Harriet Jacob Essay1505 Words   |  7 Pageschanged or learned differently if it weren’t for autobiographies. I believe that autobiographies are very important when it comes to American History. Since American History could be very difficult to understand at once, so autobiographies help break down personal story of certain people who lived through their specific time period and tell the story they saw through their own eyes. I believe that American History is so accurate beca use of autobiographies. Slavery, in my opinion, is the most studiedRead MoreTwelve Years a Slave Essay949 Words   |  4 Pagesknown by emancipated or run away slaves. One recorded account of slavery is by Solomon B. Northups autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave which was published in 1853. Solomon Northup was born a freeman in New York in 1808 (3). His father, who had been a slave until his owner death had granted him his freedom in his, wills (5). In 1829, Northup married Anne Hampton and worked as a laborer in Hartford (6). However, Solomon was captured after being tricked by slave traders to work for them while workingRead MoreEssay on Twelve Years a Slave958 Words   |  4 Pagesknown by emancipated or run away slaves. One recorded account of slavery is by Solomon B. Northup’s autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave which was published in 1853. Solomon Northup was born a freeman in New York in 1808 (3). His father, who had been a slave until his owner death had granted him his freedom in his, wills (5). In 1829, Northup married Anne Hampton and worked as a laborer in Hartford (6). However, Solomon was captured after being tricked by slave traders to work for them while workingRead MoreSummary Of 12 Years A Slave By Solomon Northup Essay1380 Words   |  6 Pagesback to the South into slavery. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup gives a recap of how his life, filled with joy and freedom one day, became a living nightmare the next. Northup, a self-taught, master violin player is fooled into traveling with â€Å"gentlemen† to share his talents for a small fortune. Leaving his family behind, he decides to go with the men and once he reaches New York City, the men convince Northup to travel to Washington D.C. Solomon soon began feeling sick and one day wakes up chainedRead MoreAnalysis Of Solomon Northup s 12 Years A S lave1525 Words   |  7 PagesWritten by Solomon Northup and published in 1853, 12 Years a Slave is an autobiography describing the horrible experiences that Solomon himself faced, within a span of twelve years, after having been kidnapped as a free man, beaten, and sold into slavery. As a tribute to Northup s powerful memoir, in 2013 a film was created, also called 12 Years a Slave, which served to retell Northup s story through the power of cinematic effects, actors, and cameras. However, even though the movie is based entirelyRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass And Solomon Northup1278 Words   |  6 PagesThe autobiographies, Twelve Years a Slave and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Frederick Douglass and Solomon Northup respectively, documented the lives of how their enslaved authors fought their way to freedom. The books portrayed not only the hardships of their lives as a slave but also how they achieved resistance against their masters and slavery itself. Even though they were both oppressed by racism and the system of slavery, Frederick Douglass and Solomon Northup bothRead More12 Years A Slave : An Accurate And Verifiable Account Of The Common Slave Experience Essay1633 Words   |  7 Pagesslave experience in the United States in the antebellum South. 12 Years a Slave is set in the mid to late 1800s and tells a true life story of the life of Solomon Northup a free Black man sold south into slavery. He was the son of an emancipated slave. Northup was from upstate New York, and was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Northup lived, worked, and was married in upstate New York, where his family resided. He was a multifaceted laborer and also an accomplished violin player. He wasRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 12 Years A Slave By Solomon Northup1278 Words   |  6 PagesBorn a free African American, Solomon Northup, writer of the autobiography, 12 Years a Slave , carefully depicts and demonstrates a significant am ount of historical elements that caused and influenced a terrible series of events in the lives of the people in the novel. In Northup s novel, he describes in great detail a series of situations that he personally had to endure as he was initially a free man, then tricked and kidnapped, and sold into slavery. He undergoes a numerous amount of beatingsRead MoreSolomon Northup A Free Black Man912 Words   |  4 PagesSolomon Northup a free black man who was an educated and with a family who likes to play violin at places that he can make money from. In order to provide for his family a better life he is given offer to go to Washington with Hamilton and Brown to play his violin. His story talks about how he goes from a free man to a drugged and beaten down runway Georgia slave to 12 years working as a slave from one master to the next. The author in this story is telling us to abolish slavery based on his leadingRead MoreAn Analysis Of Solomon Northup s 12 Years A Slave Essay1370 Wo rds   |  6 PagesSolomon Northup, in his autobiography 12 Years A Slave, uses religious language to depict the horrendous nature of institutional slavery and slaveholders. In specific, the primary use of religious language in Northup’s autobiography is to express his and many other slaves’ sufferings and subjugation, to present the biblical justification adopted by slaveholders to mistreat their slaves, and to convey the significance of religion to him and the African American slaves; therefore, religious language