Twelve Years a Slave:Literature Assignment.
The beauty of literature as a form of art is that it mostly touches on societal matters and sometimes, even the most sensitive of topics. It is amazing to note the unique ways in which authors approach, understand, interpret and convey their thoughts and ideas on various subjects. One of the most explored and interesting themes from the history of the United States that is discussed in literature is slavery. Not only authors, but even sculptures, painters and such other artists have attempted to unfold and recount the events related to the inhuman practice. Twelve Years a Slave:Literature Assignment. The most notable aspect in these works of art is the way their depictions differ. A classic illustration of how authors can differently or similarly handle the theme of slavery in fiction is evident in an analysis of the books, Twelve Years a Slave and Beloved.
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Beloved is an interesting novel by Toni Morrison that mainly unravels the horrific atrocities of slavery and its lifelong implications for the victims and their future generations. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup is a memoir of an African American man who lived as a free man in the North in the 1800s, and abducted into slavery in the South. The two stories share a lot of similarities, but also demonstrate even a greater extent of differences. Firstly, they are both inspired by true events that expose the harsh realities of slavery. Morrison’s Beloved centers mostly on an African American woman and a mother of four, Sethe, who had escaped slavery but was recaptured into enslavement. She decided to kill her children to save them from the adversities of slavery. Twelve Years a Slave:Literature Assignment.The story originates from the experiences of Margaret Garner, who freed herself from slavery, but later killed one of her children because she could not bear the thought of her children experiencing the horrors of bondage under the Fugitive Salve Act.
Twelve Years a Slave is a depiction of a true event from the life of Solomon Northup who was a free man in New York, but was tricked into the idea of going to Washington where he was kidnapped and sold as a slave. Consequently, he had to live in bondage for twelve years. By incorporating true events, these two stories recreate the reality surrounding slavery for readers who live decades after its abolishment. The novelists have tried to provide first-hand information about the extent of the practice’s implications on the lives of the victims. Because they are both inspired by real events, the authors have maintained somberness throughout the narratives when they depict a significant level of pain and miseries. Twelve Years a Slave:Literature Assignment.
Despite objectively covering the concept of slavery, however, Twelve Years a Slave and Beloved differ on many levels; Firstly, they vary in the main purpose behind the creation of the accounts. Twelve Years a Slave is a memoir, and by this, Solomon Northup’s main intention is to present his life and experiences about slavery before the world. Toni Morrison, on the other hand, reminds us of the bloody violence involved in slavery; in an artistic way she portrays the way the victims have endured the psychological traumas of the events. She uses Beloved, the main character of the narrative, as a symbol of the memories of slavery. She does not only remind everyone of their ugly past, but also makes them relive the miserable life of the past. .
As pieces of literature, these two novels differ in the literary styles and techniques employed by the novelists to express their ideas and thoughts. Twelve Years a Slave goes deep as far as the techniques are concerned, but Beloved is much deeper. The difference in this aspect is probably because of the varying nature of the two narratives. That is, Morrison’s Beloved appears superior largely because it is a fictional tale as opposed to Twelve Years a Slave, which is autobiographic in nature. Toni Morrison employs supernaturalism. A good example is the use of souls/spirits that interact with the physical world in unique ways. Beloved is the spirit of a girl Sethe has killed. Twelve Years a Slave:Literature Assignment.Her intentions are unclear; however, as the events unfold it appears that her objective is to haunt everyone that she comes in contact with, especially Sethe.
The intensity of the literary techniques employed by Toni Morrison has made the literary critics consider the work as highly unrealistic. These are probably the same critics that would support Solomon Northup’s version since it is primarily an autobiography that chronologically captures his experiences. It is impossible to look at Morrison’s work through an artistic lens which appears to be the crucial intention of the author. This is revealed when she said that she intends her readers to be “kidnapped, thrown ruthlessly into an alien environment as the first step into a shared experience with the book’s population[A1] .” (Morrison, 1992). On the contrary, Northup’s focus is to give his account of slavery in its simplest form.Twelve Years a Slave:Literature Assignment.
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Although the two novels share a significant amount of similarities in terms of subject matter and authority of experiences, they differ on multiple levels. A comparison of both the works leads to a perfect demonstration of the way two pieces of literature focusing on one topic can intentionally or unintentionally vary. As the discussion reveals, the main differences between the two novels under analysis are the way the narration techniques are employed and the nature/purpose of the pieces. Twelve Years a Slave is a great book for a reader searching for accurate information and a realistic portrayal of slavery, but Beloved is preferable for those who want to enjoy the artistic depiction of a social practice.
References
Morrison’s, T. (1992). Beloved. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Northup, S. (2014). Twelve years a slave: narrative of Solomon Northup (Vol. 1). Library of Alexandria.Twelve Years a Slave:Literature Assignment.