Strings exude gentle symphonies, graceful sliding over an intricate bow, while fingers press shifting tones, expanding melodies. Whips float then abruptly break the air, a rough rope noose quickly surrounds a neck, strangling, stifling the gentle breathing. 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, masterfully presents the true story of Solomon Northup, a born free African-American who is forced to join a traveling circus as a violinist. The job that would appear to further his career as a musician is actually a plan to bring him to Washington DC where he will be sold into slavery. Throughout the film, violins appear, and as Solomon's situation evolves, the symbol reappears. In this article, I will analyze how the violin is a use of material rhetoric that makes audiences understand the complexity of slavery, but ultimately how it is a narrative about humanity accessible to Americans of Today. At the start of the film, Solomon Northup is family. a man with a wife and two children, he is described as wealthy, owning a house and a car. The symbol of the violin directly relates this wealth. In one short scene, we see Solomon's crafty hands opening a letter with new string wrapped in a pretty bow while he sits at a desk. He ties the string on the visibly worn instrument, immediately he carefully but confidently tightens the peg several times, then plucks the sting to tune it. When he approaches the intended note, he begins to hum a melody. The deep harmony leads to another interior, this scene is a celebration. The customers are Caucasian. The men dance in a line and court the parallel aisle of the ladies. They dance to the complex game of Solomon who puts aside the engagement. By the time he finishes playing, ...... middle of paper ...... identity varies at different times in our lives” (32). Through a series of extremely trying moments, like the violin, he has been enveloped in a new identity, a new name, a persona who remains discreet and does not draw attention to himself, he just try to survive. The violin symbolizes joy, hope, and passion. It is his identity as a free black man that is distorted with his encounter with racism and slavery. His journey with the violin adds to the complexity of slavery. There were racist plots in the North, supportive masters, highly skilled slaves, other ethnic groups at odds with society, and deafening internal tension among the oppressed. Solomon's journey alongside the violin shows that we must show compassion to those of all races, especially those who are oppressed, and not make assumptions about people's character when it comes to their individual identity..