Slavery takes its place in history, encompassing our nation's darkest and cruelest centuries. Often people are simply exposed to the surface of a very complex time period. Slavery in the United States had very intricate aspects. In the remarkable film 12 Years a Slave, the life of a slave captured through the eyes of Solomon Northup. Although a free man, Northup was kidnapped and wrongfully sold into slavery. Through his journey, I was able to identify different aspects of slavery such as physical brutality/sexual harassment, slave-master relationship, and slave rebellion. I cannot imagine the inhumane treatment that slaves endure day after day from their masters. . As Solomon (or his slave name, Platt) and other slaves carry out their tasks, they are constantly challenged by their master. Whether they do the job correctly or not, it becomes apparent that some slave owners simply enjoy the feeling of power they get when they shout commands at dozens of people. What drove some white men was the power of violence. Numerous times throughout the film, Solomon and other slaves were beaten for senseless reasons. Even if a slave was completely in line with the slave owner's request, there was no guarantee that they would not be beaten. In addition to physical brutality, the case of sexual harassment was also presented. Solomon's slave master had complete control over his slaves, and many of them came to terms that subjectivity was their only way to survive. There was a scene where the master raped a slave named Patsy, and all she could do was lie there, lifeless. Often, what arose from slave-master relationships like this was animosity coming from… middle of paper… hips. In the eyes of the slave master, a slave who responds in defense of himself is a slave who challenges him, and this is unacceptable. There were several times when Solomon stood up for his word against a white man, and each time he managed to escape the beating. During the time Solomon was living in his first slave master's residence, there was an instance where he actually took the whip from a white man he had been arguing with and proceeded to beat him to the ground. This is an extreme form of slave rebellion. All in all, I think 12 Years a Slave was an amazing film that highlighted many of the important and hidden details of slavery. As we see in the case of Solomon Northup, sometimes it's not enough to survive. Surviving doesn't mean truly living freely, and Solomon proves that freedom is a freedom worth fighting for.