Reading Guide for Celia, A Slave

This book is due in class on Friday, 5/15.
The questions are not due but will help you prepare for the essay and for class discussion.


Celia, A Slave Reading Guide


HERE’S A BIG GENERAL IDEA TO CONSIDER: Notice in this book moments when Celia expresses agency, the ability to make decisions and exert some measure of power on her own.


Describe the area of Calloway County, Missouri. What was the land like? What were the people like?

Describe Celia’s introduction to life as a slave of Robert Newsom.

George said “he would have nothing more to do with her [Celia] if she did not quit the old man.” Why does he say this? Who is George? What does he assume about Celia and Newsom?

How does Celia kill Newsom?

Describe the reaction of the press, the courts, and of the Newsom family to the killing.

Read the Chapter “The Verdict” carefully.

Interpret the quote on page 107, toward the beginning of Chapter Six: “At this point the defense’s arguments began to threaten the very foundations of the institution of slavery. Celia, the defense insisted, even though a slave, was entitled by law to use deadly force to protect her honor.”

What are the most important conclusions drawn by the author in the final chapter? If you had the opportunity to describe the meaning of the book to a friend, not what it is about but what it means, what would you say?