During the 1850s, slavery was a common problem that included the use of sexual abuse against women. In the book “Celia, A Slave,” the author, Melton A. McLaurin, helps expose the powerful and impactful story of the tragedies of a slave and explains the story of a farmer's purchase and use of Celia named Robert Newsom who migrated west to seek better, cheaper land. After the death of Robert Newsom's wife, Celia was chosen by him as the woman with whom he would have sexual interactions. Celia was not only exploited by her owner Robert Newsom, but was completely dehumanized by being raped almost every day for five years. At the age of fourteen, Celia was purchased as a slave and that's when the rape began. Celia was given her own cabin by the other slaves so that Robert Newsom could bury the fact that he was doing the wrong thing. Celia had other feelings for a fellow African-American slave named George, who was interfered with by Robert Newsom's daily sexual assault. Celia believed she had the ability to defend herself even though she was a slave with very few rights. I believe that Celia was right to defend herself and that any woman who is treated unfairly and with disrespect should be able to get help and defend herself without fear of punishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Women should have the right to defend themselves without fearing the outcome of being rejected. Celia's lifestyle on Robert Newsom's plantation was harsh, lonely, and sad. She was treated with disrespect throughout the farm. Robert Newsom's intentions “...for acquiring Celia were different from those that motivated his previous slave purchases. Newsom wasn't looking for a farmhand or a servant... he had decided to purchase a replacement for his wife, who had been dead for almost a year now." During Celia's five years of misery, she felt that she was unable to fight back and express her opinion against sexual violence because she wanted to think about the future and not get killed. It's sad that a woman has to endure all those years of torture just because of her own fear. Celia's personal fear led her to not act on the fact that she had been raped, then led her to hold back all her anger until she had enough to drive her to take revenge against Robert Newsom. As African American slaves, they are less protected by the law to defend themselves and feel obligated to respect the actions of their masters so that the slaves are not the ones to be punished for the actions of other people. In my opinion, Celia did the right thing to stand up for herself and no longer allow herself to be treated like garbage. She decided to express her opinion to make an effort to stop sexual violence in order to recover personal well-being from her past. It can be argued that killing is never the answer and instead of using violence, Celia could have looked for a better way to handle her situation. Many people sided with the fact that he committed a crime that is considered first degree murder and no matter what. Robert Newson did it, people argued that he was not right to take his master's life. However, Celia had no options left and so she acted out of anger and wanted to protect herself. Celia was treated with disrespect, injustice and was put in several brutal situations, which led to her needing a way to stop her pain and suffering. Therefore, Celia had no more options and chose to.