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12 Years a Slave

536 statements
105 feature instances
26 referencing feature instances

12 Years a Slave	type	TVTItem
12 Years a Slave	label	12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave	page	TwelveYearsASlave
12 Years a Slave	comment	Twelve Years a Slave is a title that refers both to the 1853 memoir by abolitionist Solomon Northup and its 2013 film adaptation (with the "twelve" formatted as a number), directed by Steve McQueen and written by John Ridley.Solomon is a violinist in Saratoga, New York in 1841. He's a loving husband, a devoted father, a respected man of his community — and a free-born black man. One day, two men calling themselves Hamilton and Brown entice Solomon to come with them on a tour of cities and counties further south, where Solomon would play for circuses and concert audiences, and win plenty of money if he only just kept going South. A little further South. And in Washington D.C......Solomon wakes up with chains around his ankles and wrists, and is told that his life is no longer his own. He is now "Platt" — nothing but a Georgia runaway slave.Thus begins twelve years of misery, agony, and punishing work as Platt is sold from master to master, and finds himself traversing the South and experiencing the horrors of slavery firsthand. Still, he desperately holds on to hope that, somehow, he will win his way to freedom and back to his family. But the years drag on...Upon the original memoir's release, at a time when "bestselling" was defined as two to three thousand copies sold, Solomon's story sold more than thirty thousand copies. It was and is considered a definitive work of the time, both for its accurate, no-holds-barred depiction of slavery, and for shocking the people of the North, who were mostly ignorant of slavery in the South. It was likely a contributing factor to The American Civil War, insofar as it caused serious questions to be raised about the practice of slavery and the treatment of slaves.McQueen's film adaptation was released in October 2013, starring English actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon, with additional cast including breakout star Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson and Brad Pitt.
12 Years a Slave	fetched	2024-01-22T23:44:56Z
12 Years a Slave	parsed	2024-01-22T23:44:56Z
12 Years a Slave	processingComment	Dropped link to Foil: Not a Feature - IGNORE
12 Years a Slave	processingComment	Dropped link to UncleTomsCabin: Not a Feature - ITEM
12 Years a Slave	processingComment	Dropped link to Yandere: Not a Feature - ITEM
12 Years a Slave	isPartOf	DBTropes
12 Years a Slave / int_104c62cd	type	Facecam
12 Years a Slave / int_104c62cd	comment	Facecam: On Northup as he leaves the Epps plantation for the last time, his face in tight closeup on the screen while the plantation, and Patsey who sobs with grief as her friend leaves, fade into the background.
12 Years a Slave / int_104c62cd	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_104c62cd	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_104c62cd
12 Years a Slave / int_117b3429	type	A Taste of the Lash
12 Years a Slave / int_117b3429	comment	A Taste of the Lash: Frequently. And shown in graphic detail. And the scars of said whippings are also shown. In equally graphic detail. Master Epps has any slave whipped who picks less than 200 pounds of cotton in one day, and quotes the Bible to justify his actions.
12 Years a Slave / int_117b3429	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_117b3429	featureConfidence	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_1235f055	type	Dirty Coward
12 Years a Slave / int_1235f055	comment	Tibeats is a nasty little bully who picks on slaves, but the second anyone fights back, he whimpers and cowers.
12 Years a Slave / int_1235f055	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_1235f055	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_1235f055
12 Years a Slave / int_14ed6ab7	type	Does This Remind You of Anything?
12 Years a Slave / int_14ed6ab7	comment	Does This Remind You of Anything?: The manner in which Solomon is kidnapped is eerily reminiscent of how modern human trafficking works. He is lured into an unsafe situation with the false promises of a job, falls unconscious after his drink is drugged, wakes up to find himself in bondage in an isolated place with no idea where he is, is hidden on a cart under the cover of darkness, and smuggled onto a ship to be sold into slavery. Furthermore, while slavery was legal in much of the United States, what happened to Solomon was illegal even in 1841—not that any of the men who buy or sell him care. No doubt little has changed... This is very disturbing to write, but then again it's a very disturbing film. The way Clemens reacts when he is "rescued" by his master is eerily similar to the way a lost dog reacts when found at a shelter. Just to demonstrate what a screwed up movie it is one could argue the genuine care his master showed for him was actually heartwarming. Stockholm Syndrome existed then too, naturally. Mrs. Ford's "your children will soon be forgotten" line. It was gut-wrenching to Eliza and the audience. But in her mind it was likely a legitimate attempt to be compassionate as she had likely seen, from her point of view, many slave women before get over the loss of their children. Anyone who's ever been on, or near, a farm knows that when animals are separated from their offspring they will make a lot of noise for about 24 hours and are then quiet again. This of course doesn't necessarily mean they've gotten over it.
12 Years a Slave / int_14ed6ab7	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_14ed6ab7	featureConfidence	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_18baa751	type	Historical Villain Downgrade
12 Years a Slave / int_18baa751	comment	Historical Villain Downgrade: Tibeats, Epps and Mrs. Epps were all worse in real life if you can believe that to be possible. See ArtisticLicenseHistory.Twelve Years A Slave.
12 Years a Slave / int_18baa751	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_1ae27a74	type	Fridge Horror
12 Years a Slave / int_1ae27a74	comment	Implied to be the eventual fate of Eliza's daughter. When Ford tries to purchase her, the slave auctioneer tells him he can't sell her as she's a light-skinned "beauty" and will earn him a considerable sum of money.
12 Years a Slave / int_1ae27a74	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_1b465242	type	Conditioned to Accept Horror
12 Years a Slave / int_1b465242	comment	Conditioned to Accept Horror: We see slaves on the Epps' plantation quietly working together as the screams of fellow slaves being whipped fills the air. But they aren't accepting of it, so much as they know that the first move they make to help will have them under the lash themselves. Exemplified by the scene where Solomon spends hours on his tip toes to avoid hanging while the rest of the slaves go about their daily business around him as if he weren't there. Slave owners had likely done so their entire lives, as had generations before them. Even the Fords, who were not cruel to their slaves, clearly saw them as nothing more than property. This is lampshaded by Eliza when she tells Solomon that he views him as he would a prized steer.
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12 Years a Slave / int_1b65dfad	type	The Cameo
12 Years a Slave / int_1b65dfad	comment	The Cameo: Brad Pitt has two scenes as the heroic Canadian carpenter. Paul Giamatti has two scenes as the evil slave auctioneer.
12 Years a Slave / int_1b65dfad	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_1d2400e9	type	Green-Eyed Monster
12 Years a Slave / int_1d2400e9	comment	Green-Eyed Monster: Mrs. Epps in relation to Patsey. Solomon even name-checks it in his memoir.
12 Years a Slave / int_1d2400e9	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_1effdd6b	type	White Man's Burden
12 Years a Slave / int_1effdd6b	comment	White Man's Burden: Solomon is ultimately saved by a white, anti-slavery carpenter played by Brad Pitt. The film received some criticism for having the protagonist simply get rescued by a white savior rather than escape by his own devices and ingenuity, but this is what the real Solomon said happened.
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12 Years a Slave / int_20860a0e	type	Punch-Clock Villain
12 Years a Slave / int_20860a0e	comment	Punch-Clock Villain: The Fords, who are perfectly nice people except for the fact that they willingly participate in the slave trade and ignore all opportunities to realize its horrors.
12 Years a Slave / int_20860a0e	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_21718ffc	type	Deep South
12 Years a Slave / int_21718ffc	comment	Deep South: Solomon moves from one plantation to another in the humid and muggy Southern States, spending time in New Orleans, Alabama, and the Red River area.
12 Years a Slave / int_21718ffc	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_24321e44	type	Only Sane Man
12 Years a Slave / int_24321e44	comment	Only Sane Man: Bass, who's literally the only white person Solomon meets in the South who despises slavery and recognizes it for what it really is (probably has a lot to do with him being from Canada, where slavery was abolished in 1834, thirty-one years sooner than in the United States, and it had never been as common).
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12 Years a Slave / int_2439b588	type	As the Good Book Says...
12 Years a Slave / int_2439b588	comment	As the Good Book Says...: Epps quotes from passages of the Bible commanding that slaves obey their masters as part of his sermon to them.
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12 Years a Slave / int_2764d432	type	Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
12 Years a Slave / int_2764d432	comment	Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Armsby at first seems like a decent enough fellow, tending Solomon's whip marks and making conversation with him as an equal. He also claims to have had a Heel Realization from formerly working as an overseer. This leads Solomon to trust him with secretly getting word to his family up north. The man agrees to do it - and then informs Epps.
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12 Years a Slave / int_28a5213a	type	Small Name, Big Ego
12 Years a Slave / int_28a5213a	comment	Small Name, Big Ego: Epps drastically overestimates his importance and prominence. He angrily questions what authority the sheriff has to come on his farm — historically sheriffs were indeed given broad powers over their jurisdictions and could conduct their business freely without having to answer to someone like Epps if they had evidence that a crime was being committed (in this case, Solomon's slavery). Despite puffing his chest out and declaring that he'd fight to reclaim Solomon as his slave, Mr. Parker bluntly tells him that he'd be able to bankrupt Epps in the court system. For all of his bravado Epps is just a horribly bigoted bully who can't compete with anyone else who has power.
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12 Years a Slave / int_295087bf	type	Non-Indicative Name
12 Years a Slave / int_295087bf	comment	Non-Indicative Name: The slave seller's name is "Freeman". He may be a free man, but he doesn't free them.
12 Years a Slave / int_295087bf	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_2d4fa515	type	Ax-Crazy
12 Years a Slave / int_2d4fa515	comment	Ax-Crazy: Edwin Epps. If the making his slaves get up and dance in a parody of a gentleman's ball isn't bad enough, there's his violent episodes. When he gets mad, his slaves just move out of sight as though he's a force of nature.
12 Years a Slave / int_2d4fa515	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_2e8875f0	type	Misplaced Retribution
12 Years a Slave / int_2e8875f0	comment	Misplaced Retribution: Mrs. Epps getting mad over Edwin's affairs with Patsey. Understandable. Attacking Patsey, a woman who clearly doesn't want to be in the affair. Jesus lady!
12 Years a Slave / int_2e8875f0	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_2fd7200b	type	Dead Guy Junior
12 Years a Slave / int_2fd7200b	comment	Dead Guy Junior: After Solomon is freed, he returns to discover that his daughter is married and Solomon now has a grandson who is named after him.
12 Years a Slave / int_2fd7200b	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_2fd7200b	featureConfidence	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_319e4a2f	type	Even Evil Has Standards
12 Years a Slave / int_319e4a2f	comment	Even Evil Has Standards: Ford while a slaveowner, is slightly more humane than others. He is horrified and disgusted when the man who sold him a slave cons him out of buying the slave's children as well just to earn more money - by pimping her out. She is a child. He also doesn't like overseers who are utter sadists.
12 Years a Slave / int_319e4a2f	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_32da548d	type	Arch-Enemy
12 Years a Slave / int_32da548d	comment	Arch-Enemy: Solomon and Epps form a rivalry of sorts. Epps tries his best to break Solomon and Solomon at one point calls Epps out for the monster that he is.
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12 Years a Slave / int_362461f6	type	Sex Slave
12 Years a Slave / int_362461f6	comment	Sex Slave: Master Epps makes very little secret of the fact that Patsey is his toy in bed, and not just his "Queen of the Field." His wife doesn't like it. Implied to be the eventual fate of Eliza's daughter. When Ford tries to purchase her, the slave auctioneer tells him he can't sell her as she's a light-skinned "beauty" and will earn him a considerable sum of money.
12 Years a Slave / int_362461f6	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_3ae6199a	type	Psychopathic Manchild
12 Years a Slave / int_3ae6199a	comment	Psychopathic Manchild: Epps, who throws ridiculously bad tantrums and revels in debasing others for his own amusement.
12 Years a Slave / int_3ae6199a	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_3b9b21c9	type	So Beautiful, It's a Curse
12 Years a Slave / int_3b9b21c9	comment	So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Patsey. She's not only beautiful, but she's extremely good at picking cotton, which seems to be another reason why Master Epps lusts after her, ruining her life with his abuse and possessiveness, and the savage jealousy of his wife.
12 Years a Slave / int_3b9b21c9	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_3bc88a7f	type	Foregone Conclusion
12 Years a Slave / int_3bc88a7f	comment	Foregone Conclusion: We know from the get-go that Solomon's ordeal in slavery is gonna last twelve years.
12 Years a Slave / int_3bc88a7f	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_3bc88a7f	featureConfidence	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_3cb1d38d	type	Bad Boss
12 Years a Slave / int_3cb1d38d	comment	Bad Boss: Epps. Aside from being a slave owner, he just plain loves inflicting needless cruelty on them for his own amusement, and comes close to knifing Solomon when he learns about his ability to write letters.
12 Years a Slave / int_3cb1d38d	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_4063acfd	type	Woman Scorned
12 Years a Slave / int_4063acfd	comment	Woman Scorned: Mistress Epps, who unleashes her jealous rage upon Patsey at every single opportunity thanks to her husband's depraved lust.
12 Years a Slave / int_4063acfd	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_4063acfd	featureConfidence	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_40cc0c7e	type	Bittersweet Ending
12 Years a Slave / int_40cc0c7e	comment	Bittersweet Ending: Solomon finally manages to get word to his friends in the North via Bass, and they come to rescue him and bring him home to his family - but nonetheless the pain of those lost twelve years still hits hard, and moreover Patsey and millions like her are still enslaved. What's more, without Solomon in her corner it's unlikely Patsey will survive much longernote Historically, she escaped from the plantation during the Civil War, and by the time she resurfaced, slavery had already been abolished, and the Epps had both died from yellow fever. The notes at the end of the film reveal that Solomon never got justice against his kidnappers and died under unknown circumstances. His autobiography, along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, almost certainly contributed to the abolitionist movement in the United States, though. So that was a victory of sorts.
12 Years a Slave / int_40cc0c7e	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_437f3f2e	type	Mixed Ancestry is Attractive
12 Years a Slave / int_437f3f2e	comment	Mixed Ancestry is Attractive: One of the many horrifying reasons why the slave auctioneer refuses to sell Eliza's daughter to Ford, due to her being "a light-skinned beauty" and he could profit from the money she'll make.
12 Years a Slave / int_437f3f2e	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_452cda57	type	Eternally Pearly-White Teeth
12 Years a Slave / int_452cda57	comment	Eternally Pearly-White Teeth: In what might be the most intense scene in the movie, Solomon is forced to whip Patsey. She opens her mouth to moan with pain, and exposes oddly white, even teeth.
12 Years a Slave / int_452cda57	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_4783acfa	type	Bait the Dog
12 Years a Slave / int_4783acfa	comment	Bait the Dog: When Ford's wife sees Eliza weeping desperately at the loss of her children, she pities her, and says, "Have some food and rest. Your children will soon be forgotten." It doesn't seem to occur to her that slaves might love their children as much as white people. In addition, while she at first seems sympathetic to Eliza's plight (despite not considering that slaves might love their children as much as white people do, as the above point illustrates), she later has Ford sell Eliza because she "makes too much noise," (meaning, she cries over the loss of her children too much for the wife's tastes) which casts some doubt on how genuine her pity was in the first place. Armsby, forced into indentured servitude to repay a debt, promises to mail Solomon's letter after claiming that he went through a Heel Realization having been forced to work the fields. He does it in exchange for Solomon's money. Needless to say, he promptly sells Solomon out.
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12 Years a Slave / int_4814d132	type	Big Fancy House
12 Years a Slave / int_4814d132	comment	Big Fancy House: In the film, Epps lives in a big, elegant mansion - the real Epps house is quite small and modest-looking in comparison.
12 Years a Slave / int_4814d132	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_49cf2258	type	Hanging Around
12 Years a Slave / int_49cf2258	comment	Hanging Around: Used to dramatic effect in the film's signature scene, in which Solomon is hanged by Tibeats for attempting to strike him. Solomon spends hours on his tiptoes to lessen the burden of the rope on his neck to avoid death as everyone else around him continues about their daily routines, paying him no mind.
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12 Years a Slave / int_49d59be9	type	Scenery Porn
12 Years a Slave / int_49d59be9	comment	Scenery Porn: Steve McQueen and Sean Bobbit took inspiration from the painter Francisco de Goya, known for depicting horrific events in beautiful places.
12 Years a Slave / int_49d59be9	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_4b316d47	type	Break the Cutie
12 Years a Slave / int_4b316d47	comment	Break the Cutie: Patsey. She is virtually the personal sex slave of Edwin Epps, and because of that even the Mistress continued to abuse her out of jealousy. Because Epps kept raping her while the Mistress kept abusing her due to the perception as a rival, Patsey has been Driven to Suicide but cannot go through with it. She asked for Solomon to kill her, but he did not comply due to moral reasons. In the end, when Epps went insane, he forced Solomon to whip Patsey, but since Solomon cannot comply with such torture, Epps, clearly driven to insanity, eventually grabbed the whip and flogged her in the most brutal manner.
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12 Years a Slave / int_4f4190db	type	Sex in a Shared Room
12 Years a Slave / int_4f4190db	comment	Sex in a Shared Room: Solomon and a female slave have pity sex to temporarily escape their pain. Albeit in a room crowded with many sleeping slaves so they have to do it quietly.
12 Years a Slave / int_4f4190db	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_50b9b3d0	type	Crazy Jealous Guy
12 Years a Slave / int_50b9b3d0	comment	Crazy Jealous Guy: Epps is a horrific example. Word of God says he's genuinely deeply in love with Patsey (at least in his own mind), but he has an odd way of showing it. Of course it's all the easier to be "clingy" when you legally own the girl...
12 Years a Slave / int_50b9b3d0	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_51c70be6	type	Obliviously Evil
12 Years a Slave / int_51c70be6	comment	Obliviously Evil: An argument could be made for Epps, since he's obviously unhinged and too nose deep in Insane Troll Logic to really see what a monster he is.
12 Years a Slave / int_51c70be6	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_537dd8fe	type	Affably Evil
12 Years a Slave / int_537dd8fe	comment	Affably Evil: William Ford, whose relation with Northup is about as respectful as that between an owner and slave possibly can be; he expresses sincere admiration for Northup's intellect and does his best to protect Northup from abuse by the more sadistic Tibeats.
12 Years a Slave / int_537dd8fe	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_56515a39	type	Artistic License â€“ History
12 Years a Slave / int_56515a39	comment	Artistic License â€“ History: Has its own page here.
12 Years a Slave / int_56515a39	featureApplicability	1.0
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12 Years a Slave / int_5b565147	type	Meaningful Background Event
12 Years a Slave / int_5b565147	comment	Meaningful Background Event: Often when action happens in the foreground you can see the slaves in the background reacting to the situation by shooing the children away or trying to concentrate on what they are doing so as to not get involved. They are quite the aversion to Ghost Extras.
12 Years a Slave / int_5b565147	featureApplicability	-1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_5b565147	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_5b565147
12 Years a Slave / int_5f861d0f	type	Only Friend
12 Years a Slave / int_5f861d0f	comment	Only Friend: Solomon is the only shining light in Patsey's pathetic and miserable life.
12 Years a Slave / int_5f861d0f	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_5f861d0f	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_5f861d0f
12 Years a Slave / int_6507a7e0	type	ModestOrgasm
12 Years a Slave / int_6507a7e0	comment	Modest Orgasm: In the opening, the female slave who seduces Solomon for comfort lets out a few quiet gasps and then breaks down crying. It's quite depressing given their situation.
12 Years a Slave / int_6507a7e0	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_6507a7e0	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_6507a7e0
12 Years a Slave / int_661d7909	type	Maligned Mixed Marriage
12 Years a Slave / int_661d7909	comment	Maligned Mixed Marriage: Eliza and her master, by her daughter-in-law, who re-sells them as soon as her father is dead. The Shaws. Mr. Shaw married his kept slave after the death of his wife, and now Mrs. Shaw invites slaves from other plantations over to tea, which scandalizes the neighbors.
12 Years a Slave / int_661d7909	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_661d7909	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_661d7909
12 Years a Slave / int_68b79850	type	Born into Slavery
12 Years a Slave / int_68b79850	comment	Born into Slavery: The background of almost all of the slave characters. Eliza, specifically, bore a daughter to her slave master and hoped that he would free her and her two children in return for her services.
12 Years a Slave / int_68b79850	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_68b79850	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_68b79850
12 Years a Slave / int_6a47a1e2	type	Knight of Cerebus
12 Years a Slave / int_6a47a1e2	comment	Knight of Cerebus: The first half of the movie can be painful enough to sit through. Within minutes of meeting Edwin Epps, those things will pale in comparison, on account of his sheer brutality and insanity.
12 Years a Slave / int_6a47a1e2	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_6a47a1e2	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_6a47a1e2
12 Years a Slave / int_6d332aea	type	Driven to Suicide
12 Years a Slave / int_6d332aea	comment	Driven to Suicide: Patsey at one point tries to pay Solomon to drown her, because she can't bear her horrible life any longer. Solomon doesn't go through with it, and Patsey survives to the end of the movie, though whether she'll live past the movie's events or pay someone else to drown her instead is an open question... Note that this is an invention of the movie: in real life it was Mrs. Epps who tried to bribe Solomon into drowning Patsey.
12 Years a Slave / int_6d332aea	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_6d332aea	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_6d332aea
12 Years a Slave / int_6ec4232f	type	Casting Gag
12 Years a Slave / int_6ec4232f	comment	Casting Gag: Paul Giamatti played an unscrupulous slave trader who cared for nothing but money. In Planet of the Apes (2001), he played a simian "orangutan" human slave trader with similar traits.
12 Years a Slave / int_6ec4232f	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_6ec4232f	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_6ec4232f
12 Years a Slave / int_71e8a5c5	type	Trauma Conga Line
12 Years a Slave / int_71e8a5c5	comment	Trauma Conga Line: Solomon goes through 12 years of sheer hell. Patsey herself has it even worse.
12 Years a Slave / int_71e8a5c5	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_71e8a5c5	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_71e8a5c5
12 Years a Slave / int_7315fd38	type	Covers Always Lie
12 Years a Slave / int_7315fd38	comment	Covers Always Lie: The poster implies that Solomon will attempt to escape. Yet that never happens. He just patiently waits for his chance.
12 Years a Slave / int_7315fd38	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_7315fd38	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_7315fd38
12 Years a Slave / int_733ca2f8	type	Noble Bigot with a Badge
12 Years a Slave / int_733ca2f8	comment	Noble Bigot with a Badge: The sheriff at the end comes across as this. He addresses the slaves as "boy", just like any other white Southerner, but also insists that Solomon be released once he is sure who he really is.
12 Years a Slave / int_733ca2f8	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_733ca2f8	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_733ca2f8
12 Years a Slave / int_734632b0	type	Noble Bigot
12 Years a Slave / int_734632b0	comment	Noble Bigot: Solomon views Ford as this. He believes that because he's a Nice Guy, he's simply a slaver under circumstance. Ends up getting deconstructed because a Noble Bigot is still a bigot; while Ford may be nice, he still simply sees slaves as property and end up selling Solomon to an even crueler slaver to get out of debt.
12 Years a Slave / int_734632b0	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_734632b0	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_734632b0
12 Years a Slave / int_7d260070	type	Corporal Punishment
12 Years a Slave / int_7d260070	comment	Corporal Punishment: Tibeats attempts to have Solomon hanged for daring to strike him. Master Epps' plantation frequently sees the use of a whip.
12 Years a Slave / int_7d260070	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_7d260070	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_7d260070
12 Years a Slave / int_7eebe99c	type	The Alcoholic
12 Years a Slave / int_7eebe99c	comment	The Alcoholic: Epps. When he's dangerously, deliriously drunk and in one of his "whipping moods," he'll whip them just for his own amusement.
12 Years a Slave / int_7eebe99c	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_7eebe99c	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_7eebe99c
12 Years a Slave / int_80251be3	type	How We Got Here
12 Years a Slave / int_80251be3	comment	How We Got Here: The film opens with a scene at the sugar cane field and then uses an extended flashback to show how Solomon ended up there.
12 Years a Slave / int_80251be3	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_80251be3	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_80251be3
12 Years a Slave / int_8437cb10	type	Made a Slave
12 Years a Slave / int_8437cb10	comment	Made a Slave: The premise of the film. At Solomon's auction, he is made to play the fiddle constantly to prove that he has a fine skill that his future masters might exploit.
12 Years a Slave / int_8437cb10	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_8437cb10	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_8437cb10
12 Years a Slave / int_8591611a	type	Shameful Strip
12 Years a Slave / int_8591611a	comment	Shameful Strip: The slaves in the Washington, D.C. prison are forced to bathe naked, and there is one room of slaves in the New Orleans auction house where the people up for auction are completely naked. Later in the film, Epps has Patsy stripped naked right before she is publicly, brutally whipped.
12 Years a Slave / int_8591611a	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_8591611a	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_8591611a
12 Years a Slave / int_89c9b326	type	Lead You Can Relate To
12 Years a Slave / int_89c9b326	comment	Lead You Can Relate To: Solomon, the cultured, educated freeborn man shares a lot more in common with his audience than the illiterate born slaves that he falls in with. Probably even truer for the original book. Abolitionists tended to promote the stories of the most educated and intelligent slaves to accentuate the horror for their white audiences.
12 Years a Slave / int_89c9b326	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_89c9b326	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_89c9b326
12 Years a Slave / int_8d0785d5	type	Didn't Think This Through
12 Years a Slave / int_8d0785d5	comment	Didn't Think This Through: Northup didn't tell his wife where he was going after agreeing to becoming an entertainer. Granted he wasn't expecting to get kidnapped, but it still would have been sensible in case something went wrong. If he had done that, it's probable he would have been freed from slavery much earlier.
12 Years a Slave / int_8d0785d5	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_8d0785d5	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_8d0785d5
12 Years a Slave / int_957e5fc2	type	Villainous Breakdown
12 Years a Slave / int_957e5fc2	comment	Villainous Breakdown: Epps succumbs to hysterical fury when Patsey is unaccounted for on the Sabbath. He is so furious that she went somewhere without his knowledge or permission that he has her whipped on the spot. His fury is also great, but not quite as destructive when Solomon is freed from him forever.
12 Years a Slave / int_957e5fc2	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_957e5fc2	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_957e5fc2
12 Years a Slave / int_9591377d	type	Heel Realization
12 Years a Slave / int_9591377d	comment	Armsby, forced into indentured servitude to repay a debt, promises to mail Solomon's letter after claiming that he went through a Heel Realization having been forced to work the fields. He does it in exchange for Solomon's money. Needless to say, he promptly sells Solomon out.
12 Years a Slave / int_9591377d	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_9591377d	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_9591377d
12 Years a Slave / int_970c790a	type	Big Bad
12 Years a Slave / int_970c790a	comment	Big Bad: Edwin Epps, the horrifically cruel slaver who owns Solomon for the bulk of his enslavement.
12 Years a Slave / int_970c790a	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_970c790a	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_970c790a
12 Years a Slave / int_9d0cfdb9	type	Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny
12 Years a Slave / int_9d0cfdb9	comment	Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: It's unclear whether it's his adultery itself that Epps is ashamed of, or the fact that it's a black woman he lusts after (or both), but it's clear that he doesn't like it and he takes it out on Patsey.
12 Years a Slave / int_9d0cfdb9	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_9d0cfdb9	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_9d0cfdb9
12 Years a Slave / int_a58802b7	type	Happiness in Slavery
12 Years a Slave / int_a58802b7	comment	Happiness in Slavery: Clemens seems quite happy to see his master Jonus when he comes to get him, and even smiles and comforts him when the former runs into his arms. However, despite how benevolent he may be, Jonus is still a slave owner, and makes a point of calling Clemens his "property."
12 Years a Slave / int_a58802b7	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_a58802b7	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_a58802b7
12 Years a Slave / int_a5f998ea	type	Stockholm Syndrome
12 Years a Slave / int_a5f998ea	comment	This is very disturbing to write, but then again it's a very disturbing film. The way Clemens reacts when he is "rescued" by his master is eerily similar to the way a lost dog reacts when found at a shelter. Just to demonstrate what a screwed up movie it is one could argue the genuine care his master showed for him was actually heartwarming. Stockholm Syndrome existed then too, naturally.
12 Years a Slave / int_a5f998ea	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_a5f998ea	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_a5f998ea
12 Years a Slave / int_a70223	type	Karma Houdini
12 Years a Slave / int_a70223	comment	Karma Houdini: With the exception of Tibeats, no bad character is ever brought to account for anything. Even the worst actions of the slave owners are protected by law, and the people who abducted and sold Solomon were never convicted.
12 Years a Slave / int_a70223	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_a70223	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_a70223
12 Years a Slave / int_a9b55780	type	Bigot with a Crush
12 Years a Slave / int_a9b55780	comment	Bigot with a Crush: This is actually the situation in the darkest of ways with the Big Bad Edwin Epps towards his slave Patsey. Edwin is a deeply vicious racist and bigoted slave owner who becomes infatuated with and constantly rapes his high-breadwinning slave Patsy, but Word of God is that he actually does love Patsey but his mindset only allows him to express it in violent ways.
12 Years a Slave / int_a9b55780	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_a9b55780	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_a9b55780
12 Years a Slave / int_aabe2fb	type	Deliberate Values Dissonance
12 Years a Slave / int_aabe2fb	comment	Deliberate Values Dissonance: Aside from the obvious racism of the time, Patsey suffers mistreatment from Mrs. Epps despite Edwin being the instigator of the affair that she wants no part of. This seems really insane, but at the time, women were often blamed for their rape because they tempted other men.
12 Years a Slave / int_aabe2fb	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_aabe2fb	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_aabe2fb
12 Years a Slave / int_affd30b0	type	Stupid Evil
12 Years a Slave / int_affd30b0	comment	Stupid Evil: The slave owners, especially Epps, has no qualms about beating their workforce half to death or even hanging them, despite their value. In the 1850s a good field slave usually sold for $1,000 (about $30,000 in 2014 currency), while Epps bought Solomon (as "Platt") for $1,500. For a rather poor Deep South farmer, this was a small fortune. It would have been expected they might treat their slaves better, if only to get them more productive in the fields. This extends as a critique of the institution of slavery. While owners like Epps use slavery as an excuse to act out their evil actions, even the â€œgood ownersâ€� like Ford are bound to economically unfeasible actions like hanging disobedient slaves just to keep the order. The implication that a lot of Southern slave owners are facing repeated economic turmoil shows how slavery is being continued out of cruelty or grandfather clauses rather than economic viability.
12 Years a Slave / int_affd30b0	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_affd30b0	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_affd30b0
12 Years a Slave / int_b1346878	type	Fate Worse than Death
12 Years a Slave / int_b1346878	comment	Fate Worse than Death: After Robert (Michael K. Williams's character) is killed en route, another slave essentially tells Solomon that he's the lucky one.
12 Years a Slave / int_b1346878	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_b1346878	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_b1346878
12 Years a Slave / int_b2af79fb	type	Leave the Camera Running
12 Years a Slave / int_b2af79fb	comment	Leave the Camera Running: One where after being rescued from being hung by Tibeats, Solomon has to wait with the noose around his neck and his toes on the ground for Ford to come back. The camera stays on him, forcing the audience to take in this uncomfortable situation the way the slaves were forced to do it.
12 Years a Slave / int_b2af79fb	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_b2af79fb	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_b2af79fb
12 Years a Slave / int_b42b7e7b	type	Moral Myopia
12 Years a Slave / int_b42b7e7b	comment	Moral Myopia: Discussed.
12 Years a Slave / int_b42b7e7b	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_b42b7e7b	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_b42b7e7b
12 Years a Slave / int_b56de77d	type	Misplaced Vegetation
12 Years a Slave / int_b56de77d	comment	Misplaced Vegetation: Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) appears - it didn't reach the U.S. until 1884.
12 Years a Slave / int_b56de77d	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_b56de77d	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_b56de77d
12 Years a Slave / int_b731fa6e	type	I Cannot Self-Terminate
12 Years a Slave / int_b731fa6e	comment	I Cannot Self-Terminate: Patsey cannot bring herself to commit suicide and asks Solomon to help kill her, he adamantly refuses because he believes he will commit a sin. Patsey then points out that what he will be doing is an act of mercy and since God is a god of mercy, then He will forgive him.
12 Years a Slave / int_b731fa6e	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_b731fa6e	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_b731fa6e
12 Years a Slave / int_bc3cb7ff	type	Clear My Name
12 Years a Slave / int_bc3cb7ff	comment	Clear My Name: Solomon's goal. His two best options are very risky: write a letter to his friends up North, while keeping it hidden from his masters that he can read and write, or trust someone else to go and write a letter, and risk that this person will rat him out or simply not follow up for fear of breaking the law. The first option ended in failure as the person he trusted his money to, a former overseer named Armsby, ratted him out and revealed his ability to write to Epps. The second option succeeded with Samuel Bass, who writes and delivers the letter with the intended results.
12 Years a Slave / int_bc3cb7ff	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_bc3cb7ff	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_bc3cb7ff
12 Years a Slave / int_bc74ef27	type	Berserk Button
12 Years a Slave / int_bc74ef27	comment	Berserk Button: Patsey is a living one for Mrs. Epps. Also, Epps flies into a whirlwind of rage towards everyone if Patsey isn't where he wants her to be on the Sabbath.
12 Years a Slave / int_bc74ef27	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_bc74ef27	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_bc74ef27
12 Years a Slave / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
12 Years a Slave / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: Played straight the first time Solomon tries to pay a white hired hand to write a letter to his friends and family. The hired hand rats him out to the master, but Solomon manages to convincingly lie and call the white hired hand a liar, thus saving himself from punishment.
12 Years a Slave / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_c3c18143
12 Years a Slave / int_c4b0faae	type	Can't Hold His Liquor
12 Years a Slave / int_c4b0faae	comment	Can't Hold His Liquor: Subverted with Solomon during his trip to Washington. It looks like he had too much wine that night so his two friends have to carry him home. But it turns out that his sickness was a mere reaction to the roofies they slipped him in order to kidnap and sell him into slavery.
12 Years a Slave / int_c4b0faae	featureApplicability	-0.3
12 Years a Slave / int_c4b0faae	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_c4b0faae
12 Years a Slave / int_c5249b29	type	Nice Guy
12 Years a Slave / int_c5249b29	comment	Nice Guy: Samuel Bass and Mr. Parker, two personable white men who help Northrup when he's in need. Solomon himself is a warm and friendly man. Unfortunately, his trusting nature gets him sold into slavery.
12 Years a Slave / int_c5249b29	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_c5249b29	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_c5249b29
12 Years a Slave / int_c660bc15	type	Fan Disservice
12 Years a Slave / int_c660bc15	comment	Fan Disservice: Although slaves are seen naked in the film (most harrowingly, the scene where Epps flogs Patsey), it's not played up for titillation in the slightest.
12 Years a Slave / int_c660bc15	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_c660bc15	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_c660bc15
12 Years a Slave / int_d001c42c	type	Anti-Villain
12 Years a Slave / int_d001c42c	comment	Anti-Villain: William Ford. Compared to Epps, he is a saint — he treats his slaves well and worries about their well being, but is still a slaver and justifies his staying in the business because of the financial ruin he'd face otherwise. The director has said he considers him the worst of the three slavers we see, as he has no illusions that what he's doing isn't evil, but does it anyway. Northup himself tries to defend Ford as being a decent man "under the circumstances". It's Eliza who, for very understandable reasons, doesn't have the highest opinion of Ford.
12 Years a Slave / int_d001c42c	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_d001c42c	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_d001c42c
12 Years a Slave / int_d332bf54	type	Lampshaded
12 Years a Slave / int_d332bf54	comment	Exemplified by the scene where Solomon spends hours on his tip toes to avoid hanging while the rest of the slaves go about their daily business around him as if he weren't there. Slave owners had likely done so their entire lives, as had generations before them. Even the Fords, who were not cruel to their slaves, clearly saw them as nothing more than property. This is lampshaded by Eliza when she tells Solomon that he views him as he would a prized steer.
12 Years a Slave / int_d332bf54	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_d332bf54	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_d332bf54
12 Years a Slave / int_d34cbda2	type	Implausible Deniability
12 Years a Slave / int_d34cbda2	comment	Implausible Deniability: Epps pulls this. He is seen chasing Solomon in a jealous rage over him "being in conversation" with Patsey, only to blatantly deny even speaking to Solomon that day when Mrs. Epps shows up asking what's going on.
12 Years a Slave / int_d34cbda2	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_d34cbda2	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_d34cbda2
12 Years a Slave / int_d429d0f6	type	Canada, Eh?
12 Years a Slave / int_d429d0f6	comment	Canada, Eh?: Brad Pitt features as Bass, a Canadian humanist and abolitionist, whose Canadian accent is remarkably nonexistent (of course that's because Pitt isn't Canadian).
12 Years a Slave / int_d429d0f6	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_d429d0f6	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_d429d0f6
12 Years a Slave / int_dbf877ac	type	Sympathetic Slave Owner
12 Years a Slave / int_dbf877ac	comment	Sympathetic Slave Owner: Ford, at the very least, does reward his slaves for hard work and isn't needlessly cruel. Solomon in the book especially saw him as a decent person twisted by a corrupt society.
12 Years a Slave / int_dbf877ac	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_dbf877ac	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_dbf877ac
12 Years a Slave / int_dbfd6b8	type	Lyrical Dissonance
12 Years a Slave / int_dbfd6b8	comment	Lyrical Dissonance: When introducing the new slaves to their work, Tibeats makes them clap as he sings "Run, Nigger, Run", a song that is reminiscent of African-American folk music but is actually a warning to slaves contemplating running away.
12 Years a Slave / int_dbfd6b8	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_dbfd6b8	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_dbfd6b8
12 Years a Slave / int_dc39069b	type	Black Jezebel Stereotype
12 Years a Slave / int_dc39069b	comment	Black Jezebel Stereotype: Invoked by the racist Southern plantation owner Mary Epps who feels jealous and threatened by Patsey when her husband Ed rapes Patsey and other female slaves. Mary blames her and the other black slaves for "seducing" her husband, while making excuses for his outbursts of rage, violence and lust.
12 Years a Slave / int_dc39069b	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_dc39069b	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_dc39069b
12 Years a Slave / int_dcbe8a6e	type	Chekhov's Gunman
12 Years a Slave / int_dcbe8a6e	comment	Chekhov's Gunman: Mr. Parker, a shopkeeper Solomon used to interact with before his kidnapping, is shown early in the film in a flashback. He ends up being the man to identify Solomon to free him.
12 Years a Slave / int_dcbe8a6e	featureApplicability	1.0
12 Years a Slave / int_dcbe8a6e	featureConfidence	1.0
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	12 Years a Slave / int_dcbe8a6e
12 Years a Slave / int_dda99fa8	type	Despair Event Horizon
12 Years a Slave / int_dda99fa8	comment	Despair Event Horizon: Eliza crosses it after she's separated from her children. Patsey seems to have already crossed it when we first see her.
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12 Years a Slave / int_e11027bb	type	Sex for Solace
12 Years a Slave / int_e11027bb	comment	Sex for Solace: The film opens with a variation of this. Unable to sleep, Solomon finds another woman lying next to him in the slave quarters. She forcibly kisses him, then places his hand on her breast and genitals. It's a very sad and depressing scene, as it's clear there is no passion in what is happening and Solomon doesn't move a muscle either to reciprocate or to pull away. It's all just a brief escape from the hell she has to live in, born out of sheer desperation for human contact and a need to feel alive. When it's all over, she turns away from Solomon and cries.
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12 Years a Slave / int_e16217f8	type	Historical Villain Upgrade
12 Years a Slave / int_e16217f8	comment	Historical Villain Upgrade: Ford is portrayed as more of a hypocrite here than in the book, and is shown to be somewhat troubled by slavery but to go on being a slaver anyway; in the book, Northup has nothing but praise for him and says that he was totally blind and innocent to the evils of slavery due to his cultural upbringing. Also, he actually sold Northup to Tibeats, so protecting him was more charitable than presented (he's not protecting his own property - except technically, since Tibeats was slow on payment) and it was Tibeats who sold Northup to Epps. The overseer who saves Northup's life is portrayed as a more merciful man in the book as well. In addition, there was no rapist-sailor on board the barge. In fact, one of the sailors actually helped Northup and posted a letter to his family telling them he had been kidnapped.
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12 Years a Slave / int_e251fae2	type	But Not Too Black
12 Years a Slave / int_e251fae2	comment	But Not Too Black: The slave trader Freeman refuses to sell Eliza's small daughter to Ford along with Eliza, as "there's piles of money to be made" from pimping her out. She is mixed race and therefore considered more attractive to white johns. She's 8-10 years old.
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12 Years a Slave / int_e4965307	type	Composite Character
12 Years a Slave / int_e4965307	comment	Composite Character: A very minor case. Epps didn't give the sermon from the Gospel of Luke that he makes in his first scene; it was given by a slaver called Tanner, who was Ford's brother-in-law. Ford sent Northup to stay with Tanner for a night after Tibeats hung him for his recovery and safety.
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12 Years a Slave / int_e63d04b6	type	Sub-Par Supremacist
12 Years a Slave / int_e63d04b6	comment	Subpar Supremacist: The most racist characters in the movie are usually the most degenerate. Tibeats is a nasty little bully who picks on slaves, but the second anyone fights back, he whimpers and cowers. Epps is the most openly white supremacist character and is an unhinged maniac with zero self-control.
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12 Years a Slave / int_e70127	type	The Mole
12 Years a Slave / int_e70127	comment	The Mole: Bass, a white Canadian worker on Epps's estate who ends up playing a crucial role in freeing Solomon.
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12 Years a Slave / int_e7e558	type	The Oner
12 Years a Slave / int_e7e558	comment	The Oner: A Creator Thumbprint of director Steve McQueen (director). The scene where Solomon is beaten by Burch (first by paddle, then by whip once the paddle breaks) is captured in a single, 87-second take. The scene where Ford buys Solomon and Eliza runs for over three minutes. The absolutely horrific scene where Epps confronts a terrified Patsy for leaving the plantation, has her stripped and bound to a pole, forces Solomon to begin lashing her, and then finishes the lashing himself is all done in a single, four-minute take.
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12 Years a Slave / int_eb04f8d5	type	Fascist, but Inefficient
12 Years a Slave / int_eb04f8d5	comment	This extends as a critique of the institution of slavery. While owners like Epps use slavery as an excuse to act out their evil actions, even the â€œgood ownersâ€� like Ford are bound to economically unfeasible actions like hanging disobedient slaves just to keep the order. The implication that a lot of Southern slave owners are facing repeated economic turmoil shows how slavery is being continued out of cruelty or grandfather clauses rather than economic viability.
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12 Years a Slave / int_eeb4a5eb	type	Anti-Climax
12 Years a Slave / int_eeb4a5eb	comment	Anti-Climax: Justified as it's more or less how it happened in real life. There was no dramatic escape or revolt. Rather one caring individual who sent a letter to another caring individual who traveled a long distance to prove that Northup is legally a free man.
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12 Years a Slave / int_f09e6c1c	type	Ironic Juxtaposition
12 Years a Slave / int_f09e6c1c	comment	Ironic Juxtaposition: An incredibly gut-wrenching example occurs when Solomon is first held captive in Burch's dungeon. As he tries futilely crying out for help from the single barred window, the camera then scales up the building until it rests at the top, where the US Capitol Building can be seen in the background...
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12 Years a Slave / int_f64a9cf7	type	Earn Your Happy Ending
12 Years a Slave / int_f64a9cf7	comment	Earn Your Happy Ending: Not that the ending is by any means completely happy, but the pure hell Solomon goes through for twelve years makes that reunion with his family that much more of joyous relief.
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12 Years a Slave / int_f740a274	type	Historical Beauty Update
12 Years a Slave / int_f740a274	comment	Historical Beauty Update: In Real Life the abducted black man Robert was not murdered by a rapist-sailor; he died from smallpox. Northup contracted it too and survived, but from then on his face was permanently scarred.
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12 Years a Slave / int_fdf22cfd	type	Evil Is Hammy
12 Years a Slave / int_fdf22cfd	comment	Evil Is Hammy: Epps, in addition to being an unhinged sadist, also chews up the scenery like there's no tomorrow. However, unlike most examples in which it is done in an amusing manner, his hamminess is on display to show how completely evil and deranged he is.
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12 Years a Slave / int_ff7f34c5	type	Pet the Dog
12 Years a Slave / int_ff7f34c5	comment	Pet the Dog: Master Ford has several of these moments. He tries to buy Eliza's daughter before learning that the price is too high. He treats Solomon well and appreciates his talents and he seems prepared to defend Solomon's life against an attack by Tibeats. At one point he even gives Solomon a violin as a reward for how hard he works.
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

TwelveYearsaSlave	sameAs	12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	A Taste of the Lash / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	African-American Media / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Anti-Climax / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Bait the Dog / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Black Jezebel Stereotype / int_6ebddcd9
ChiwetelEjiofor	seeAlso	12 Years a Slave
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12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Deleted Role / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Event Title / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Films of 2010â€“2014 / int_6ebddcd9
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12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Ironic Juxtaposition / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Lead You Can Relate To / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Living Is More than Surviving / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Made a Slave / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Neutral Evil / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Only the Leads Get a Happy Ending / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Oscar Bait / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Previews Pulse / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Seamless Spontaneous Lie / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	So Beautiful, It's a Curse / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Sympathetic Slave Owner / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	The Oner / int_6ebddcd9
12 Years a Slave	hasFeature	Took a Level in Cynic / int_6ebddcd9

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