Professor Sabir's Posse

Edwin Peabody
Wanda Sabir
5 October 2010
Eng 201A 8-850
Robbins choice to own slaves affected many people lives other than just his own. One person who was most affected by this was Henry Townsend. Henry Townsend grew up as William Robbins slave. Henry, growing up around slavery, had no knowledge of any other type of way to live. Henry viewed Robbins as a father figure so it was kind of expected for Henry to fallow Robbins footsteps. Robbins taught Henry that owning slaves showed a sign of power. Henry recognized that after he was done serving his time as a slave, he would then have a chance to be a slave owner. Henry becoming a slave owner was definitely influenced by Robbins.
John Skiffington choice of owning a slave affected other people lives other than his own. John’s choice to keep Minerva has helped her and also hurt her. John says that he doesn’t believe in he himself owning slaves but he does support the industry of slavery. John believes that he has helped Minerva by keeping her because if he would have gave her away, she would have lived a terrible life someplace else. So john has accepted Minerva in his home as a daughter figure in he and his wife’s life. Minerva lives some what of a free but not free life, which is better than being labeled as a full out slave.
Henry owning slaves has affected Caldonia life completely after Henry death. Caldonia is put in a position she has never been before. Caldonia faces the challenges of being a slave master and running Henry plantation. Henrys slave overseer Mosses, also becomes a person of significance in Caldonia life. Caldonia begins to use Mosses and a way to help her morn the lost of Henry. If Henry would of never owned slaves none of this would of happen. Caldonia would not be sleeping with Mosses.
 

Vanessa Dilworth
Professor Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50
6 September 2010

Choices
In life, as well as in the book The Known World, I saw people who were faced with situations and had to make decisions. Three people in particular were Mr.Robbins , a white slave owner, Skiffington , Manchester’s sheriff ,and Henry, a black slave owner. Though they all lead different lives, in the book we see how they all intertwined and many of the choices were on the same subject.
Mr.Robbins is a very prevalent character in this book and many of his decisions had a
lasting effect on many. He was the richest man in the county and was also a father figure to Henry. One of the decisions he made that had a large impact in the book was taking Henry in as a son. This decision changed the way that Henry viewed his life as a former
slave . If Mr.Robbins would not have interfered in his life, he would not have become a slave owner. The way Mr.Robbins lived gravely affected Henry. He spent so much time with Mr.Robbins that he didn’t see owning slaves as something that was wrong. His
parents had been slaves and when they found out they were appalled, his father Augustus said that he should not have had to tell him that he being black and owning slaves was wrong.
Another character that also made important choices was Henry Townsend. The decision to have slaves changed his whole life around. He was a boot maker and could have supported himself by doing that, but decided to live off the work of others. This
made him buy his first slave, Moses, and build a plantation instead of just a house. He
contributed to slavery, an institution that once held him captive. This is why his parents
almost disowned him. When I first heard of blacks actually owning slaves it seemed very odd, but the way that slavery was looked upon in the south made it understandable, even amongst some of the slaves.
Finally a person that made some of the hardest choices in the book was the towns’ sheriff, Skiffington. He was a God-fearing man that watched after peoples slaves. He once said in the book something of the affect that he would give his body to man but his
soul unto God. Though he didn’t believe in slavery he at times was forced to do things that confused him, such as when Augustus, Henry’s father was sold. He couldn’t turn his patrollers in for contributing to it because they were white men, but at the same time wanted to avenge the people that put him in that predicament.
In the book The Known World many characters were faced with moral decisions. Some of the choices they made were second nature, for others it was very difficult, and one person was stuck in the mist. As choices are in life they have a very lasting effect on us, even the choices that seem minuet. Mr. Robbins’s decision to take on Henry as a son
created a sort of typhoon. It caused Henry to buy his very first slave, which had a domino
effect in the city of Manchester. The effect would impact Skiffington, and would be the
direct cause of his demise. I saw in the book how each choice they made created the path they walked in Machester, Virginia. Some devastating the land, others helped the soil.
 

Vanessa Dilworth
Professor Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50
6 September 2010

Choices
In life, as well as in the book The Known World, I saw people who were faced with situations and had to make decisions. Three people in particular were Mr.Robbins , a white slave owner, Skiffington , Manchester’s sheriff ,and Henry, a black slave owner. Though they all lead different lives, in the book we see how they all intertwined and many of the choices were on the same subject.
Mr.Robbins is a very prevalent character in this book and many of his decisions had a
lasting effect on many. He was the richest man in the county and was also a father figure to Henry. One of the decisions he made that had a large impact in the book was taking Henry in as a son. This decision changed the way that Henry viewed his life as a former
slave . If Mr.Robbins would not have interfered in his life, he would not have become a slave owner. The way Mr.Robbins lived gravely affected Henry. He spent so much time with Mr.Robbins that he didn’t see owning slaves as something that was wrong. His
parents had been slaves and when they found out they were appalled, his father Augustus said that he should not have had to tell him that he being black and owning slaves was wrong.
Another character that also made important choices was Henry Townsend. The decision to have slaves changed his whole life around. He was a boot maker and could have supported himself by doing that, but decided to live off the work of others. This
made him buy his first slave, Moses, and build a plantation instead of just a house. He
contributed to slavery, an institution that once held him captive. This is why his parents
almost disowned him. When I first heard of blacks actually owning slaves it seemed very odd, but the way that slavery was looked upon in the south made it understandable, even amongst some of the slaves.
Finally a person that made some of the hardest choices in the book was the towns’ sheriff, Skiffington. He was a God-fearing man that watched after peoples slaves. He once said in the book something of the affect that he would give his body to man but his
soul unto God. Though he didn’t believe in slavery he at times was forced to do things that confused him, such as when Augustus, Henry’s father was sold. He couldn’t turn his patrollers in for contributing to it because they were white men, but at the same time wanted to avenge the people that put him in that predicament.
In the book The Known World many characters were faced with moral decisions. Some of the choices they made were second nature, for others it was very difficult, and one person was stuck in the mist. As choices are in life they have a very lasting effect on us, even the choices that seem minuet. Mr. Robbins’s decision to take on Henry as a son
created a sort of typhoon. It caused Henry to buy his very first slave, which had a domino
effect in the city of Manchester. The effect would impact Skiffington, and would be the
direct cause of his demise. I saw in the book how each choice they made created the path they walked in Machester, Virginia. Some devastating the land, others helped the soil.
 

Vanessa Dilworth
Professor Sabir
English 201A 8-8:50
6 September 2010

Choices
In life, as well as in the book The Known World, I saw people who were faced with situations and had to make decisions. Three people in particular were Mr.Robbins , a white slave owner, Skiffington , Manchester’s sheriff ,and Henry, a black slave owner. Though they all lead different lives, in the book we see how they all intertwined and many of the choices were on the same subject.
Mr.Robbins is a very prevalent character in this book and many of his decisions had a
lasting effect on many. He was the richest man in the county and was also a father figure to Henry. One of the decisions he made that had a large impact in the book was taking Henry in as a son. This decision changed the way that Henry viewed his life as a former
slave . If Mr.Robbins would not have interfered in his life, he would not have become a slave owner. The way Mr.Robbins lived gravely affected Henry. He spent so much time with Mr.Robbins that he didn’t see owning slaves as something that was wrong. His
parents had been slaves and when they found out they were appalled, his father Augustus said that he should not have had to tell him that he being black and owning slaves was wrong.
Another character that also made important choices was Henry Townsend. The decision to have slaves changed his whole life around. He was a boot maker and could have supported himself by doing that, but decided to live off the work of others. This
made him buy his first slave, Moses, and build a plantation instead of just a house. He
contributed to slavery, an institution that once held him captive. This is why his parents
almost disowned him. When I first heard of blacks actually owning slaves it seemed very odd, but the way that slavery was looked upon in the south made it understandable, even amongst some of the slaves.
Finally a person that made some of the hardest choices in the book was the towns’ sheriff, Skiffington. He was a God-fearing man that watched after peoples slaves. He once said in the book something of the affect that he would give his body to man but his
soul unto God. Though he didn’t believe in slavery he at times was forced to do things that confused him, such as when Augustus, Henry’s father was sold. He couldn’t turn his patrollers in for contributing to it because they were white men, but at the same time wanted to avenge the people that put him in that predicament.
In the book The Known World many characters were faced with moral decisions. Some of the choices they made were second nature, for others it was very difficult, and one person was stuck in the mist. As choices are in life they have a very lasting effect on us, even the choices that seem minuet. Mr. Robbins’s decision to take on Henry as a son
created a sort of typhoon. It caused Henry to buy his very first slave, which had a domino
effect in the city of Manchester. The effect would impact Skiffington, and would be the
direct cause of his demise. I saw in the book how each choice they made created the path they walked in Machester, Virginia. Some devastating the land, others helped the soil.