12 Years a Slave Review

This is the poster for the 12 Twelve Years a Slave film. It features the main character Solomon Northup, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, on the cover.  

In Colin Covert's review of 12 Years a Slave he applauds McQueen for creating a film that is realistic and opens the eyes of the viewers. He notes the uniqueness of the film and describes it is a raw representation of plantation slavery. It gives the viewer a different look at the time period, which there is a lack of films in this genre. He explains that it creates a sense of strong disapproval from the audience through the use of "violence".  He notes multiple scenes where McQueen has engraved images in the viewer's mind that is hard to fathom. He describes each character and the depth that the film was able to portray each of them. Colin explains that the viewer wants Northup to be fearless and adventurous "hero", but that is just not the case, that would not be realistic. Instead, Northup surrenders to authority to save his life but that leads to the cost of his "spirit." The only criticism Colin had was about time and that "McQueen does not display a steady sequence of time as it passes." 

Primary Source Analysis

Right off the bat, the Author gives a direction to state that he has not altered any of the stories even though some of them might seem "incredible." He also says that he is making this autobiography is the name of this person and her display of courage as well as raising questions about what men can do to prevent such a thing. Throughout the section "The New Master and Mistress," her "grandmother" is portrayed as a woman that is loving and will do anything for her grandchildren. She became a mother figure to her and I saw her as a role model to Harriet.  death of father and friend separation of  mother
"'perhaps they have been kindly taken from the evil days to come"'
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Ann Jacobs

Paraphrase Practice

"But this is, after all, a movie, a drama, an entertainment (if you will), not a documentary. For all of our wailing about the lack of historical knowledge, awareness, teaching and reading, historical and biographical movies increasingly feel compelled to pay a much heavier duty in period-correct appearances than the costume-dramas of our parents’ generation, and it’s satisfying to see that Spielberg pays his duty so lavishly. But a preoccupation with authenticity at the expense of story has capsized more than a few historical movies at their dock, and Lincoln has not entirely escaped that problem." A Civil War Professor Reviews "Lincon" by David Frum, 2012, Daily Beast

My Paraphrase of this selected passage 

David Frum states that the film is a successful accurate representation of  Lincon's life. He argues that it is used for "entertainment" and not a film made of a compilation of facts. David applauds and is surprised by Spielberg because he has created a historical  . David does point out that "Lincon" has not fully escaped the influence of creating a film that can be seen as dull and not interesting to the everyday viewer. He states that many "historical movies" are victims of being influenced and not being engaging.    

The History of the Camera

I looked up the word camera and discovered there was a constant use of the word form of the 1860s-1880s, with a few small peaks and declines here and there. In the article from The Bloomfield times, a reporter describes a building. This building, called the Octagon, is described as a wooden structure that overlooks Central Park. The Octagon is the home of the camera obscura. It is said to be the only one of its kind in the country. The writer goes on to tell some stories about how the camera obscura has been used professionally by a detective. It helped in finding a criminal and a lost boy.

Why did Reconstruction come to an end in 1877?

According to Khan Academy, Reconstructed ended due to "the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes." The Democrats of the House of Representatives did all they could to prevent Hayes from getting inaugurated, but they did not succeed. Instead, the Compromise of 1877 occurred which "resolved the dispute of the presidential election."  The big turning point of the end of Reconstruction was when President Hayes withdrew troops from Louisiana and South Carolina.

Reconstruction Research

I learned about the North Carolina Conventions from the Willmington Journal in 1868. The specific article I looked at described how there were many "conventions" before 1868. These were lead by the people, the article described as, "names that North Carolina, at least, will not willingly let die." The article talks about how the state must carry on the legacy of these "important" people and, "keep a watchful eye upon old landmarks." The article describes this time in history as "madness that rules the hour."  There is a concern about the possible removal of past vestige of the government that our fathers have set in place. This Author describes the 1868 convention as "reckless."  The Author goes on and tells about how the conventions have evolved from only white men allowed in the conventions to 1868, where white men, negroes, foreigners, and citizens sit together without question. He expresses a great concern in what could possibly occur if negros continue to have freedom. He is disturbed by the idea that negros could positionally have command over a white man. He believes that this pattern is violating what had been set by our founding fathers and is "destroying every safeguard for life, liberty, and property. I was not very surprised to see the negative view towards equality towards African Americans, during that time. The Conservatives were warning the Radicals of their decisions. Reading this article gave me a good perspective on how people felt about issues like "negro equality." Reading the article was different from reading a textbook in that it was easier for me to empathize with the time and how people felt during that time in history.