Edward P. Jones Quote
Henry had been a good master, his widow decided, as good as they come. Yes, he sometimes had to ration the food he gave them. But that was not his fault—had God sent down more food, Henry would certainly have given it to them. Henry was only the middleman in that particular transaction. Yes, he had to have some slaves beaten, but those were the ones who would not do what was right and proper. Spare the rod . . . , the Bible warned. Her husband had done the best he could, and on Judgment Day his slaves would stand before God and testify to that fact.
Edward P. Jones
Henry had been a good master, his widow decided, as good as they come. Yes, he sometimes had to ration the food he gave them. But that was not his fault—had God sent down more food, Henry would certainly have given it to them. Henry was only the middleman in that particular transaction. Yes, he had to have some slaves beaten, but those were the ones who would not do what was right and proper. Spare the rod . . . , the Bible warned. Her husband had done the best he could, and on Judgment Day his slaves would stand before God and testify to that fact.
Related Quotes
About Edward P. Jones
Journalist Neely Tucker described Jones in The Washington Post as "arguably the greatest fiction writer the nation's capital has ever produced". According to biographer Diane Brady of Fortune, Jones has been recognized "as one of the finest writers of his generation". He has been a professor of creative writing at the University of Virginia, George Mason University, the University of Maryland, and Princeton University. In 2010, Jones became a professor of literature at George Washington University, where he was previously the Wang Visiting Professor in Contemporary English Literature.