“Epps asked me if I
could write and read, and on being informed that I had received some
instruction in those branches of education, he assured me, with emphasis, if he
ever caught me with a book, or with pen and ink, he would give me a hundred
lashes.”
~
Excerpted from the book 12 Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup, who could not only read, but wrote eloquently and passionately.
Every so often a movie is released that is important more
for its message than its entertainment value (and oftentimes they are still
from an artistic point of view, excellent viewing). Nearly always these films are historical
dramas.
