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12 Years Slavery

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The Author of this historic book, Twelve Years a Slave, did a good job of conveying his story clearly. This is partially because of the fact that it wasn’t a story created in Solomon Northup’s head, but for a period of time it was actually his life firsthand. Stories of slavery from a firsthand perspective like this are important because of the fact we get the victims point of view on things rather than just hearing one side of history. It’s refreshing how the author starts off in the beginning by taking the audience and connecting with us emotionally in a way. You know by the title that at some point he will probably become a slave but he doesn’t hone in on that. The angle is taken to give us a glimpse into the things that are going on beforehand like his marriage, his education, his father, and so on. By doing this he shapes his personal image into someone we can pretty much all relate to as an audience. Not many writers possess the skill to connect with us in this way, as well as make their words translate to images the way he does. Northup’s purpose of writing seems to be that he wants readers everywhere for years to come to know his true story, as well as stories like his or like Arthur’s. He wants us all to see the view point of the …show more content…

The way James H. Burch was described set an image in my head perfectly of what I felt he looks like, which isn’t easy for most authors to do. The way Northup stated “I asserted I was no man’s slave.” Was really moving in the fact that this man was born free and had every intention in his heart and mind to be free and not let another man, that was basically his equal, control him just because of the fact his skin was more fare than his. When they begin to beat Northup with the paddle and cat o nine tales the way its told and the thought of it reaches all the way back from their time period and actually hurts me as the reader, and I’m sure some others, to even fathom the

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