The Celia a Slave - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review Of Celia, A Slave Introduction The book Celia, a slave provides a broad perspective over which a number of issues can be painted. Melton Alonza McLaurin wrote the text by presenting the audience with a picture of the issues the African-Americans went through in the slavery era. The book was published in 1993 in the month of February and the city of publication was Athens. The volume is relevant to the study of African-American history because it provides information critical for the understanding of the history of the black community in the United States. The southern region of the US especially in Missouri had serious contentions concerning individuals of color yet such tendencies did not help in dealing with issues at the time. Slavery had far reaching implication on African-Americans in the southern part and the occurrences are illustrated in the text Celia, a slave. The United States especially in the Southern and Northern regions had specific issues dealing with slavery. Slavery had both defacto and dejure tendencies to the extent that most of the regions had indifferences established in law (McLaurin 12). The text puts in perspective discriminatory tendencies that were faced by the black community in Missouri. In 1850 when the story of Celia begins, there were a number of controversies concerning the slavery status in the state. The US congress raised a number of concerns in so far as the existence of slavery in a free state was concerned. When Missouri presented its request for statehood, it had to deal with the challenge of allowing slavery to exist in a free society. At the time, emotions flared in the US congress whether the abandonment of slavery was supposed to be a determinant of statehood. In 1821, a compromise vote was passed in the congress effectively allowing Missouri to become a legally defined slave state (McLaurin 33). The specific group discussed in this context is the African-Americans and how they suffered under a system that legally accepted slavery as a moral doctrine in the society. The book is a novel presenting the various views and issues concerning individuals conflicted by racial prejudices inherent in the society. The book addresses a number of issues that the African-Americans had to deal with during the slavery era in the US. One of the themes presented in the book is gender based and sexual violence against the women. The master buys Celia in the disguise of having a work as an assistant. In the state of Missouri, there were laws that specifically prohibited unlawfully taking women against their wish or by use of force. Consequently, the law intimated that women were allowed to employ the use of force to defend themselves against unlawful tendencies committed against them. When the master defiles and sexual abuses Celia, she decides to use the same force defined in law to protect herself (McLaurin 88). However, the courts convict her for homicide. The court totally disregards the plight of Celia and just because she is black the judgment goes against her favor. The black women in the traditional days faced a number of negative issues that included sexual violence and rape. Racial discrimination is another theme that is extensively addressed in the text. The American-Americans faced racial prejudices in the American society with a number of people condemning them for their color. White domination was the order of the day as the society was indoctrinated to view the black community with contempt. Slavery was the face of racial indifference in the American society. The white community looked down upon blacks and the women were the easier target of racial indifferences. The ordeal is illustrated in the text when Newsom’s wife dies and his search for sexual fulfillment compels him to buy a slave called Celia (McLaurin 112). When she buys the girls, the main agenda is sex without due consideration for the dignity of the female black. The fact that slavery was a component in the constitution worsened the situation at the time. Ideally, the law allowed the white dominated state to racially abuse and exploit those who are perceived to come from diverse backgrounds. The African-Americans were bound by the law to work for the whites as a consequence of receiving their livelihoods. Different states had varied laws on racism, but the application had similar implications because the target was the African Americans (McLaurin 112). Racial discrimination and abuses made the African-Americans react violently to the negative tendencies. For instance, Celia reacts violently to the abuses and rape ordeal she encounters at the hands of the white master. The African-Americans suffered a numerous injustices both at the judicial and societal level. Essentially, the constitution already had among the clauses that slavery was legal and such tendencies effectively passed undue prejudices to the blacks. The society knew about the relationship between Newsom and Celia yet no one raised concerns to condemn the barbaric act by the white master. Consequently, the law was skewed to the extent that it did not take into consideration the concerns of the marginalized group. When Celia acted against the provocations from the master, the justice system did not look into the issues affecting her and the circumstances surrounding her actions. If indeed the law was fair, Newsom was supposed to be convicted of sexually molesting a female black. When Newsom buys Celia, it is thought and rightfully so that she is supposed to be an employee (McLaurin 115). However, Newsom turns the black female into a sex slave. There were a number of issues that the African-Americans had to deal with as illustrated in the text. While a majority of the black population resisted white domination, some suffered physical and psychological trauma. Most parts of Southern America had an orientation that was patriarchal in nature. It meant that women were mere subjects and property as opposed to being viewed as dignified individuals. The women were subjected to violence and sexual harassment. The book Celia, a slave presents a number of issues that are representative of the historical issues the African-Americans faced in the traditional days. The book specifically has a bias in the black community and their plight during the slavery era. One of the major issues that perpetuated slavery is the fact that enslavement was a legal entity. The book is categorical in stating the plight of African-Americans. The book, however, tells the slavery story from the point of view of a woman. Ideally, the book does not conclusively elaborate on the plight of the African-Americans in a multi-dimensional fashion. The history of slavery can be told conclusively if all the aspects are taken into consideration. Even though the history is told from the point of view of a slave, it provides a complete picture of the ordeal of the issues the African-Americans dealt with at the time. King (5) provides an in-depth review the book Celia, a slave by illustrating the plight of women in the slavery era. The article specifically addresses the racial prejudices the women had to undergo as a consequence of their marginalization. While some women were sexual molested, others suffered from unjust judicial systems in the southern states. King (23) intimates that the women were abused and sexual mutilated due to their racial background. The law did not protect or support the black community and neither did the white population. While the white people found it necessary to support one of their own in the event of a crisis, they completely ignored the African-Americans. King (23) further notes that white domination and marginalization of the black community played a major role in the mistreatment of women such as Celia. The Patriarchy society did not consider the plight of Celia but instead subjected her to harsh treatment after the actions she took a perfect display of her disgust (King 37). The author does not comprehensively address most of the issues that African-Americans faced during the slavery era. McLaurin has a bias on the plight of women slaves during the era of slavery. Some of the key highlights include sexual violence, rape and injustices women faced at the time. During slavery, African-Americans did not have equal access to employment opportunities and did not have educational facilities. McLaurin does not focus on these issues, even though they were major concerns of the black community during the time. Fremon (15) presents similar issues that McLaurin elaborates in the text, though in a diverse dimension. While the two authors focus on the racial indifferences during the 1850’s, there are major differences in the manner in which they present their arguments. McLaurin focuses on the plight of women and the racial profiling leveled against them during the era. On the other hand, Fremon extrapolates on the Jim Crow laws that condemned African-Americans to the periphery by denying them certain freedoms (Fremon 22). For instance, the blacks were not allowed to attend the same schools as whites and had limited job opportunities in employment. Fremon further elaborates how civil movements and agitation led to the ratification of the oppressive laws. Conclusion There are a number of lessons that can be learned from the book. One of the issues that can be studied is that profiling of groups and individuals is detrimental to the wellbeing of the society. Marginalization, ethnic and racial profiling generates anger, not to mention violent tendencies that affect the lives of individuals. Some of the areas of further interrogation in so far as the themes, problems and issues are concerned have to do with how such disputes were solved before and how they are being dealt with presently. Work Cited McLaurin, Melton A. Celia, a Slave. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991. Internet resource. Fremon, David K. The Jim Crow Laws and Racism in American History. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2010. Print. King, Wilma. "Mad" Enough To Kill: Enslaved Women, Murder, And Southern Courts.’’The Journal of African American History. 2008. Retrieved From: < http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/slavery/celia-murder.pdf.> Read More