12 Years a Slave- A Review of Patsy, Lupita Nyong'o, and the Academy Awards

Now, I really don't do reviews on movies for the most part; movies are not my thing, I can't express fully what they mean the way a true movie critic would. The only part that I can talk about with any real certainty is writing. That's why I'm writing about 12 Years a Slave.

Now, I haven't read the book yet, but I have just seen the Oscars and seen all the epic things that the Academy has bestowed on him. Now, with some of it, it could be because the book was a time piece, or because the awards given to Black characters that were playing slaves, but that's more a topic that this blog covers, remarkably well. She can probably explain it better than I can.

I was first excited about this movie because I heard that it was based on an autobiography, and a true story. Now for me, there's nothing like a true story. I really love them. The last full length one that I read was the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, which was totally epic. Most recently, I've been reading random slave narratives, and my current novel is W.E.B Du Bois' "The Souls of Black Folks". As soon as I'm done, I will write its review. But my review is about 12 Years, or rather, the Oscars giving this movie its due. I just read that 12 Years is the first film with a Black director to win the highest honor in the history of the Academy. For some reason I'm really not surprised that, but I am rather disgusted that he is the first. Why do their have to be firsts. It's just... damn, if he was the first, what of other ethnicity? According to what I just read, the Best Director Winner was the first Latin Male to win. Have they had people win for things like this? I don't think so, and that's even sadder. Then again, I have to remember, other ethnicity people have only been considered humans to the White majority for, oh say, 50 years, give or take. Some can argue that it's not fully the case, with proof...

Damn it, I'm digressing to race again.

I have to keep on track that this blog is about writing, reading, characters and things of that nature. As of right now, I should focus on how Lupita obviously did an amazing job bringing Patsy to life. Or rather, back to life.

When watching the commercial, and recently reading articles earlier, I found out the context behind the scene (I'm not going to give a spoiler, but I will say that it's described in the blog that I posted to earlier), and why she was so emotional. That, and she is portraying a REAL PERSON. Patsy would not be known at all if it wasn't for Solomon Northup writing about her. She would have just been another slave woman lost to history.

But because of Mr. Northup's writing, she's actually a person, she is fleshed out, she is given flesh again, and her pain now something that can be seen, and we all know how important sight is for people nowadays. She is more than just some text, or a slave narrative spoken by someone. We were able to see something akin to what she went through, the torture that was all too frequent for slave women. Ms. Nyong'o gave her flesh again (I feel calling her Lupita is far too personal, considering I'm just a blogging fan).

It's not often that someone is really made a person again, especially in something like a movie, but this seems to be a stand out movie. Now, considering that I haven't read the stories of Mr. Northup, nor have I seen the movie yet, this is totally biased just because of my excitement. Its' things like these that are small victories, as a woman, as a writer, especially when the screen play adaptation WON another of the big Academy Awards. That's so fucking brilliant.

After I watch the movie, and read the book, this will be updated with parts two and three.

I'm so very excited. This is brilliant

Religion in my Writing

I love writing about all different subjects, especially taboo ones. I love writing activities that, if done in reality, would result in lengthy jail sentences. I write things that fringe groups would devour in heartbeats, that aren't acceptable on many  writing websites.

Out of all the taboos that I write, I realize one that I actually tend to stay far away from.

Religion.

Now, this isn't a post about my personal belief system, or how I don't blaspheme against one divine being while leaving all others fair game. No, this is about the one thing I tend to avoid all together.

I remember when I read 120 Days of Sodom, the pure shock of the blasphemous things uttered by the characters. I had never read blasphemy like that before (except those few blasphemous dudes the Bible mentions), and I was actually a bit uncomfortable. It was as if I felt a higher being reading over my shoulder and I would say inside my brain "You know I don't agree with this" to err on the side of caution.

Religion has only come up really and truly in one of my stories, Defying Destiny. It has a quasi-Christian-ish feel to some parts, and the basic Hell I describe is very Dante inspired. For all I know, the Lucifer in my story could have redecorated to look like the book.

I have another story, that has characters from the Middle East, and I'm toying with the idea of having some of the female characters veiled; not because of religion, but because they're Owned, and their Owner does not want any eyes but his own on them. I'd hate for someone to read that and think I'm making a (no pun intended) veiled nod to Muslim people, because I'm not. If my characters were Muslim, I'd say that outright

Most of my work is freaky and weird, but there is at least one button I don't want to push for people. I'm a firm believer in believe whatever you'd like. Who am I to judge your belief system, or lack of one? Maybe one day I will write something deeper on religion, but I don't see that day happening any time soon.

Am I Feeding Sterotypes?

I've recently been reading about different stereotypes that are present with black people in literature.

The more I read about these stereotypes, the more that I'm afraid that I might have written my characters into said stereotypes.

Are the characters in my play noble savages? Is my female love interest a "magic negro"? Have I allowed myself to fall into the same pitfalls? Would an outside reader, or a critic see me as merely recycling things that have already been seen?

I know the worst thing I can do for my writing, is think about the cares of others, but I can't help it. I try not to, but it happens. I don't want it to happen, but it does.

But the deeper I look in to it, the more I can see so many of my characters can be viewed as some sort of stereotype. But... if I make my characters do everything possible to not be a stereotype, does that make them another stereotype in return?

I will have to look at my other stories, to see if these themes are permeating all of my work, or just some.

Fuck... I really shouldn't be criticizing my own work, especially if there will be hundreds of people doing that for me.

Making God a Character

Sometimes when writing, you have to take a seemingly limitless concept, and give it a form and tangible essence.

That's what I've had to do in one of my stories, to God.

It was really challenging for me, seeing how I would put an omnipotent being, a formless spirit, and make it physically exist. The one good thing about that particular story, is that it really has next to nothing to do with religion, and none of the characters are human, so I can just slide over that entire idea without any sort of mentioning of a particular belief system.

However, there is a scene, where the protagonist comes face to face with the Creator.

Because of the plot, and the very solid personification that I gave Lucifer, I had to do one that was the opposite, and yet, seemed more powerful. To be quite honest, the God in my story may be my favorite character to write.

If you ever have a chance to have a character have a talk with a being that is all knowing, the Alpha and Omega, do it. To know that one of the parties in the conversation already knows every word that is spoken, every idea flowing through the other's head, is fun. For the character, it's incredibly intimidating, although the form God decided to show Itself in was not one that was intimidating.

At this point in my life, the only book I've read where God is a character, with words, is the Bible. I've actually decided to download Paradise Lost on to my Kindle so that I have another source of ideas for God, although God in my story is already one that I know rather intimately.

I wish I was one of those writers that could go into great detail about the reasons why I chose what I did. I honestly don't know the reason why I chose what I did, or rather, I can't explain them in fancy literature talk. But I do know that I'm very much in love with my current form of God, and how It's working for my character.

Maybe after I read Milton, I'll have another opinion on the subject. But as for right now, all I can do is suggest to people to put God in their stories, if It fits, because it will be a very rewarding experience.