Key Figures. This Study Guide consists of approximately 29 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Twelve Years a Slave. Chapters 6-12. Born into freedom, Northup was kidnapped into slavery at the age of thirty. When they arrive in New Orleans, they are handed off to Theophilus Freeman. Movie Versions: 12 Years a Slave (2013) The three most important aspects of 12 Years a Slave: 12 Years a Slave presents a startlingly accurate and verifiable account of the common slave experience in the United States in the antebellum (pre-Civil War) South. Humans as Commodities. First published in 1853, three years after the Fugitive Slave Act, Northup’s narrative served as an important cultural symbol of slave life on southern plantations during antebellum America before the Civil War. Their lives were limited by the amount of freedom they had. Twelve Years a Slave study guide contains a biography of Solomon Northup, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Themes. 100% plagiarism-free. By the time 12 Years a Slave was released last fall, cinematic representations of slavery and their legacies in American culture covered a spectrum of sophistication. The societal class of individuals was the basis of their happiness. Chapters 19-22. Twelve Years a Slave study guide contains a biography of Solomon Northup, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Though Northup was literate, his autobiography was written by David Wilson, a white lawyer and … Northup is told his name is now Platt, and while in Freeman's slave pen he contracts smallpox. Essay Topics. Twelve Years a Slave Symbols & Motifs. 12 Years a Slave is just such an oral account. Solomon Northup. "12 years a slave", initially a book written in 1853 when the world was seen as "the rich dominate" that consisted of racism and slave trade. Major symbols: Chains; the whip; the Bible; water; the swamp. Or the whipping scene in 12 Years a Slave, which premiered to wide acclaim at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals earlier this year, and opens in … Twelve Years a Slave Symbols & Objects. Twelve Years A Slave Burch then transports Northup and the other slaves to Richmond, and then to New Orleans. Important Quotes. Chapters 13-18. Symbols & Motifs. Your time is important. Twelve Years a Slave investigates the legal and rhetorical systems through … Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student. 12 Years a Slave fueled the fires of abolitionism in 1853 and today provides valuable insight into the harrowing lives that slaves lived. Let us write you an essay from scratch. Print Word PDF.