Celia A Slave Book Analysis

The book Celia, a Slave by Melton Alonza McLaurin provides a critical insight into one of the pivotal points in the history of the American slavery: the trial of a young African American slave who had the courage to stand up against abuse but was executed by her master. McLaurin does not attempt to romanticize the story and instead strives to show the realities of the time when slaves were treated as commodities, deprived not only of their freedom but also of dignity and ethical treatment. The book Celia, a Slave by McLaurin is a good piece of historical writing that empowers to reader to live through the hardships of slaves, to learn more about the society based on slavery, and to ultimately gain deeper appreciation for racial and ethnic diversity that the American nation currently has. The book is not very long and is organized in chapters, which makes the process of reading more comfortable. Despite being a historical piece of literature, the language is not formally harsh and the readers are given an opportunity to delve into the feelings and emotions that the main character, young slave Celia, has to go through in her daily life in slavery. In the introductory part of the book, McLaurin puts forward the purpose of

Instead, he tells the story of Celia through the eyes of the slaves, giving readers an opportunity to live through their feelings. In his critical review of McLaurin’s book, Martha Hodes comments, “He convincingly demonstrates, for example, how Celia’s actions immediately following the murder reveal the depth of her hatred for her master’s family” (369). McLaurin does not merely create the dry overview of Celia’s trial but shows the motivation for her actions as well as explains why the trial went as it