...G U I D E T E A C H E R’S A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE BY SOLOMON NORTHUP bY Jeanne M. McGlInn anD JaMes e. McGlInn 2 A Teacher’s Guide to Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup Table of Contents SYNOPSIS......................................................................................................................................3 ABOUT THE AUTHOR...............................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY GUIDE............................................................................3 MEETING COMMON CORE STANDARDS.............................................................3 THE SLAVE NARRATIVE GENRE...............................................................................3 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW..........................................................................................................4 DURING READING.....................................................................................................................6 SYNTHESIZING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.......................................................................9 ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES.......................................................................................................9 ACTIVITIES FOR USING THE FILM ADAPTATION........................................................ 11 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.....................................................................................
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...Naomi Chebii American Culture and Film 2nd Essay: 12 Years a Slave 28-09-2015 Ref: Analysis on 12 Years a Slave The film 12 Years a Slave tells the horrific true story of a free black man Solomon Northup, who was dragged, kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1850s America to suffer years of abuse in the Pre-Civil War South. From start to finish, basic facts about the time, the places, the people, and the practices of the day are incorporated, sometimes in excessive detail, into Northup’s story. He speaks with authority on all subjects of his enslavement, naming names and pointing out landmarks along the way. In doing so, he dares skeptics to refute his story, knowing that public record and common knowledge would defend it. The son of an emancipated slave, Northup was born free. He lived, worked, and married in New York, where his family resided. He was a multifaceted laborer and also an accomplished violin player. In 1841, aged 33, he was tricked into leaving his family behind his wife, and two young daughters, by two white con men, who offered him a job as a fiddler in a travelling circus. So he travelled with them to Washington, D.C., where they dragged him and sold him to a slave trader called Burch. Despite having papers showing he was a free man, Solomon was whipped and beaten and subjected into a brutal torture by his new owner. 12 Years a Slave serves as a timeless indictment of the practice of human slavery. As we saw from the film how Northup’s detailing the abuses...
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...Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing” and Solomon Northrup, “Twelve Years a Slave” are two memoirs with similar themes that encompassed their societies. These literally works depicts many life stories in which thematic concerns of religion, racism, chauvinism, education, poverty and seclusion carry an American dream. One quickly notices that they both relate in the way they pass out their different themes especially the theme of religion in this case. Religion is the main concern in this article considered for literary analysis. Therefore, the two authors used religion as part of their larger story to bring out a more or less the same thematic concept. Maya Angelou composed a stunning and energizing personal history titled “I know why the caged birds sing” of her hardship in her growth as a dark young woman in the southern states of America. Set in the 1930's the place the legacy of subjection remained. One thing, which made this literature work so fascinating to peruse, was the way that this book had such a variety of topics, which are both relative and imperative to us today like the absence of equivalent chances, prejudice, bias, training, neediness, seclusion, religion and The American Dream. On the other hand, in his work Solomon Northrup’s, “Twelve Years a Slave” shows the pain and ill-use encountered by Solomon Northrup in his 12 years of subjugation. For instance, the huge number of different slaves hijacked in Africa and sold over the US is a inexcusable case of...
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...12 Years a Slave is a period drama/historical drama filled with complex characters, each with their own motivations and notions of morality. Although just about every major character is portrayed in a manner ripe for analysis three characters stand out in particular; Solomon Northrup, William Ford and Samuel Bass. The narrator, Solomon Northrup shall be the first character examined in this paper. The son of a freed slave, Northrup lived as a free man with his wife and two children in the North until 1841 when he was offered a job as a musician in Washington, D.C., once there he was tricked by his white companions who drugged him and sold him into slavery. Over the course of the next twelve years Solomon was subjected to unimaginable cruelty and stripped of not only his name but his very humanity. Solomon valued his freedom greatly, more than any...
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...HOW TO WRITE A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and sometimes evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature. As with any analysis, this requires you to break the subject down into its component parts. Examining the different elements of a piece of literature is not an end in itself but rather a process to help you better appreciate and understand the work of literature as a whole. For instance, an analysis of a poem might deal with the different types of images in a poem or with the relationship between the form and content of the work. If you were to analyze (discuss and explain) a play, you might analyze the relationship between a subplot and the main plot, or you might analyze the character flaw of the tragic hero by tracing how it is revealed through the acts of the play. Analyzing a short story might include identifying a particular theme (like the difficulty of making the transition from adolescence to adulthood) and showing how the writer suggests that theme through the point of view from which the story is told; or you might also explain how the main character‟s attitude toward women is revealed through his dialogue and/or actions. REMEMBER: Writing is the sharpened, focused expression of thought and study. As you develop your writing skills, you will also improve your perceptions and increase your critical abilities. Writing ultimately boils down to the development of an idea....
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...well as extensive. Among all three rebellions there was one common factor. It was a time in which ameliorative proposals (gradual improvement in the slave’s way of life) were being made in Britain. This gave way to widespread rumours that there were measures taking place in metropolitan Britain to grant slaves their freedom but planters were withholding them (Emancipation Rumours). In all three cases this rumour aided in the agitation for freedom and precipitated rebellion. While some historians use these rebellions to make the case that slaves emancipated themselves, others are less liberal. None, however, deny that these later rebellions were pivotal to the passing of the Emancipation Act August 1, 1833. Bussa/Barbados Rebellion 1816 Unexpected The Bussa rebellion of 1816 was not that expected as it is believed that slaves began to plan the rebellion soon after the House of Assembly discussed and rejected the imperial Registry Bill in November 1815 (Beckles 90). This Bill called for the registration of colonial slaves. As a result of this the rebels had discussed from February to rebel in April. The rebellion surprised the white community who believed slaves were well treated and enjoyed a level of freedom not had in other territories. One planter commented that he slept with his chamber open on that given night (Beckles 89). Organization & Leadership Each plantation actively involved in the...
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...the revolution was. The Founding Fathers were not completely oblivious to the severity of breaking away from Great Britain. Tom Pain states that, “it is only common sense that an island can not rule a continent (pg.3).” Many assumed that it was only natural that the thirteen colonies govern themselves. They figured that it would be a peaceful break such as the gaining of independence for Ghana or Canada. It was not until later on that the colonies realized that Britain would not easily hand over the land. What I find interesting is that only the Founding Fathers seemed to realize the great events taking place during their time. John Adams even instructed his wife to file and keep all of his records. It is as if he knew that hundreds of years from then, we the future Americans would look back at his notes and recognize his greatness. This makes me wonder why they were so sure of themselves. The Americans were at a disadvantage during the beginning of the war. How was it that they seem so certain that the war would end up in their favor? Ellis backs up my point by stating, “Men make history…, but they can never know the history that they are making (pg.4).” Every event in life can go two ways: really good or really bad. If the British were to take the...
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...Gladiator Julius Mitchell ENG 225 Prof. Jonathan Beller 13 March 2011 What would you do if you were engaged in a twelve year campaign; you have a wife and son who are waiting for you, but you are asked to be king and leader of your country? Would you refuse your king, and turn your back on your country, for the sake of two? Ridley Scott, director of Universal Pictures “Gladiator,” brought to life, writer David Franzoni’s epic tale of Maximus, an inspiring and powerful Roman General. After twelve years of fighting, Maximus longs for nothing more than the warm embrace of his family. Unfortunately, the king, Marcus Aurelius asked that he should be crowned king of Rome instead of his corrupt son Commodus. Maximus is caught in a power struggle, which leave him and his family condemned to death. This critical analysis of the motion picture “Gladiator,” will analyze the key elements of film, which embody the storytelling, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style and directing, societal impact, genre, film criticism and analysis. The story of Maximus, once the most powerful, and respected, general, in Rome, reduced to a slave who fights for an opportunity to exact his vengeance for the brutal death of his family is written with three basic elements. It has character, desire, and conflict. The narrative structure of the film is organized in six stages. These stages are developed by the turning points in the plot. The stages are the initial setup, new...
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...Barlar HUM112 May 21, 2012 The Cry for New Birth President Lincoln’s fiery compassion to save the Union by ending slavery produced the Emancipation Proclamation, ending the drudgery and dehumanization of African Americans in 1863. Lincoln had a passion for the newly released slaves and with the best of intentions, planned to construct colonies for them to live in after they were released but these intentions were never realized. It wasn’t until 1920 that a group of literary writers began their own cry for emancipation and through their compassion for their fellow African Americans, began putting those feelings and thoughts on paper in the form of writings and poetry. This cry of lamentation, expressed through heart rending writings and heart felt poetry, was known as the Harlem Renaissance, and otherwise referred to as the “New Negro Movement.” There were many changes that were to be seen during this rebirth that lasted twenty four years. The writings were not only the lament of men and women voicing their rage and empathy for their fellow African Americans plight of slavery, but were writings that would sooth the wounds of former slavery and take the former slaves trough the far reaching effects of a stock market crash and the further woes of the ensuing Great Depression. The renaissance period brought forth the movement that changed the entire social, physiological, and personal views of Negro Americans of themselves as it related to their past and catapulted...
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...YELLOW JOURNALISM: HOW MEDIA INVOLVEMENT PROVOKED THE SLAVE REVOLT PANIC OF 1860 Lynnie Smith Texas History 597 May 6, 2011 July 8, 1860, in Dallas Texas, was one of the hottest recorded in the town’s short history. By noon, church was over and most of the sweltering residents had sought refuge from the sun and heat inside their homes or offices. Around 1:10 P.M. the scream of “Fire” reverberated through the streets of downtown followed by the rush of half-clothed citizens rushing to see smoke in a two-story building on Commerce Street. Fire swept north to consume a warehouse and then to the Dallas Herald office-quickly engulfing Dallas’ entire business section.[1] Extensive media coverage of the July 1860 fires in Dallas potentially incited a heightened fear of slave revolts throughout Texas and promoted the formation of vigilante groups. Newspapers served as a medium to spread fear, rumors, and ultimately, panic and violence among white Texans. Yellow Journalism presented exaggerated headlines and stories that linked natural disasters and catastrophes to current fears of the day. The nation was undergoing a sectional split over the issue of slavery and white southerners were on the alert for potential slave plots and uprisings that were spurred by northern abolitionists and Unionists. The Dallas fires were just the sort of sensationalism that could garner increased support of anti-Union...
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...History always requires us to place things in their context and to avoid judging the past through the eyes of the present. But this is not true and it’s actually the opposite looking at the ideological forces that have shaped North (First World) and South (Third World) countries relations for half a century. In this essay one will be looking at the question of to what extend can the process of colonialism be blamed for the problems being experienced by developing countries today? Also matters pertaining to African migration, the spread of Islam, gold and slaves will be included in this essay as they are central to the process of colonialism. Towards the end of the last century, with a long history already behind it European colonization branched out in quite different forms according to the place and the interests of the metropolis. According to Thirlwell (1994:60) it was “a transitional period in which brutal power relations existed alongside paternalist feelings of responsibility towards natives who needed to be civilised” thus, great powers put the then dominant ideas into practice opening up the way to the so called “development” (Thirlwell, 1994). According to Rist (1997:100) “colonialism is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another”. The term colony comes from the Latin word colonus, meaning farmer. Thus, one believes that this root reminds us that the practice of colonialism usually involved the transfer of population to a new...
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...CMST 3300 April 21, 2013 Ailey, Revelations, & Their Legacy One may ask why a dance company’s founder, most renowned piece in its repertoire, and the impact it had on the world would be a subject worthy of a historical and cultural analysis. It is because dance, and a society’s reaction to it, are important and cultural indicators. As a part of culture, dance is both acted upon by other aspects of a society and acts upon those same aspects. Because dance is a part of culture, it is subject to the same forces of change as any other aspect of culture. Therefore, social change, both great and small, can be seen in the dance created by a society. Much about change in dance form and culture is applicable to culture change in general. In some cases, dance is a readily observable microcosm of what is happening in the larger social and cultural context. For these reasons, dance is a valid indicator of collective people’s experience within a society and can be used as a historical tool to aid in the understanding of social change. Dance is a form of communication; it is body language taken to a greater extreme. In all societies, the physical interaction between people can be as important, if not more important, than the verbal and written communication, which takes place. Dance is this physical interaction, this body language, intensified. As with other expressions in a society, dance tends to be a testament of values, beliefs, attitudes and emotions. Dance, like other...
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...Ronald Kent Robey Course BIBL 104 Date September 21, 2011 (Summary of the books of the Old Testament Books) Exodus The Book of Exodus Exodus is a history book in the Bible's Old Testament. And Exodus is also a law book. The people called Hebrews were slaves in Egypt. God sent Moses to free them (Exodus 3). The people in Egypt did not want to free these slaves. But God caused many terrible troubles in Egypt. These troubles forced the people in Egypt to free their Hebrew slaves. So, the Hebrew people left Egypt. God promised the land called Israel to the Hebrew people. But the journey to Israel was through a desert. God did many wonderful things to help the people through the desert. God provided water (Exodus 17) and food (Exodus 16). Moses met God at a mountain called Sinai (Exodus 19). There, God gave the law to Moses (Exodus chapters 20-30). Moses made a special tent where the priests would serve God (Exodus chapters 35-40). We are writing books and articles to help you to study this Bible book. You can download these books and articles free. Please click on the links below to select our other books and articles. (space) The Book of Exodus begins more than four hundred years after Joseph, his brothers, and the Pharaoh he once served have all died. The new leadership in Egypt—feeling threatened by Jacob’s descendants, who have increased greatly in size—embarks on a campaign to subdue the Israelites, forcing them into slavery and eventually decreeing...
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...Stylistic Analysis of ‘Everyone Worth Knowing’ NAME: April King STU ID: 1200015542 PHONE: 13******* EMAIL: 18********@QQ.COM Contents 1. Plot summary 3 2. book review 3 3. stylistic analysis 5 3.1 narrative technique 5 3.2 lexical level analysis 5 3.2.1 Extreme words and exaggerating words 3.2.2 Standard, common and concrete words 3.2.3 mind words 3.3 Semantic (or rhetorical) Analysis 5 3.3.1 Parallelism 3.3.2 contrast 3.3.3 repetition 3.3.4 paradox 3.3.5 irony 3.3.6 simile 3.3.7 synaesthesia 3.3.8 climax 3.3.8 imagery 3.4 syntactical 7 3.5 textual level analysis 7 3.5.1 writing techniques 3.5.1.1 fdt (Stream of conciousness) 3.5.1.2 fds and ds 3.5.1.3 Direct Characterization and Indirect Characterization 3.5.1.4 internal conflict 3.5.1.5 change of literary form 3.5.2 paragraph level analysis 4. referrence 9 Like The Devil Wears Prada, Everyone Worth Knowing is essentially a morality play in which an unglamorous young single woman is suddenly thrust into a glamorous New...
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...Survival and Sovereignty: The Seminole Tribes The Nation - The Seminole tribe is the product of an ethno-cultural blending of the Creek peoples from the lower-central Southeast with indigenous Floridian tribes such as the Choctaw, Timuquan and Apalachicolas, some of whom were part of the Muschogean culture. The meaning of the word “Seminole” has been interpreted, loosely, as “runaway” or “broken off” (McReynolds 1957, 12). This refers to the separation of the Lower Creek peoples from the larger tribe, as described by an 18th-century observer. “Runaway,” reported historian Wiley Thompson, was “applicable to all the Indians in the Territory of Florida as all of them ran away…from the Creek…” (McReynolds 1957, 12). Runaway African-American slaves added to this conglomeration of native peoples, making the Seminoles a truly renegade people in every sense. The Seminoles saw themselves as having waged a long struggle for freedom. “The Indians who constituted the nucleus of (the) Florida group thought of themselves as yat;siminoli or ‘free people…’” (Seminole Tribe of Florida, 2013). The Seminoles spread throughout Florida during the second half of the 18th century. A diverse group, they brought with them a broad range of skills and means of subsistence, including farming, hunting, fishing and a form of animal husbandry. From their North Florida homeland, the tribe expanded south, establishing settlements as far as the Everglades by 1800 (Grunwald 2006, 30). North Florida became...
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