Where did the Brer Rabbit story come from?
Many stories about Brer Rabbit originated in African folklore and were brought to America by African slaves. Perhaps the most famous Brer Rabbit story is the one about Brer Rabbit and the tar baby. In this tale, Brer Fox makes a life-size figure out of sticky tar and places it on the road in the hopes of catching Brer Rabbit with it.
What kind of animal is Brer Rabbit?
Brer Rabbit, trickster figure originating in African folklore and transmitted by African slaves to the New World, where it acquired attributes of similar native American tricksters ( see trickster tale ); Brer, or Brother, Rabbit was popularized in the United States in the stories of Joel Chandler Harris (1848–1908).
What is Br'er Rabbit's dream?
Br'er Rabbit's dream, from Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation, 1881. Br'er Rabbit /ˈbrɛər/ (Brother Rabbit), also spelled Bre'r Rabbit or Brer Rabbit , is a central figure as Uncle Remus tells stories of the Southern United States.
What did Brer Fox do to Brer Rabbit?
Brer Fox pulls Brer Rabbit out of the tar, with the intent of doing him harm. He proposes several different ways of disposing of Brer Rabbit, and Brer Rabbit makes a show of accepting each option, but adding a plea each time that Brer Fox not throw him into a nearby briar patch.
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What does Brer Rabbit represent?
Clearly, Brer Rabbit is the enslaved African American's alter ego and trickster-hero, and the so-called stronger animals represent the white enslavers. On deeper rhetorical, symbolical, and archetypal levels, Uncle Remus's role is to initiate his young white listener into the complex realities of adult life.
What is the moral of the story Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby?
He will then decide to teach the Tar Baby a lesson and by doing so get stuck in the sticky tar when he tangles with it and get caught. And so it happens. The moral of this story? battle is worth fighting for.
What is the thing Brer Rabbit got?
He would make a tar baby! Brer Fox went and got some tar and he mixed it with some turpentine and he sculpted it into the figure of a cute little baby. Then he stuck a hat on the Tar Baby and sat her in the middle of the road.
Why did Brer Rabbit get banned?
It's been banned for decades, called racist – yet reflects a longstanding Black oral tradition. What's the REAL story behind this controversial folktale? #1: This story was STOLEN by a white man. He heard Black people telling stories to each other, and wrote them down.
What does dont throw me in the briar patch mean?
Using the phrases "please don't throw me in the briar patch" and "tar baby" to refer to the idea of "a problem that gets worse the more one struggles against it" became part of the wider culture of the United States in the mid-20th century.
What is the significance of Tar-Baby?
Today, the term "tar baby" is interpreted by many as a racial slur, and politicians have gotten in trouble for using it. But in its original context, it was a metaphor for a sticky situation that got worse the more one tangled with it.
What Brer means?
brother'Brer' is how some people in the southern US say 'brother'.
What does the African American folklore story of Brer Rabbit reveal about life for those who were enslaved?
What does the African American folklore story of "Brer Rabbit" reveal about life for those who were enslaved? African Americans devised ingenious ways of resisting their confinement by forging their own sense of community and inventing stories of resistance.
How did Brer Rabbit escape?
In a Cherokee tale about the briar patch, "the fox and the wolf throw the trickster rabbit into a thicket from which the rabbit quickly escapes." There was a "melding of the Cherokee rabbit-trickster ... into the culture of African slaves."
Is Brer Rabbit and Peter Rabbit the same?
Brer Rabbit (cousin to Peter across the water)
Where did the Brer Rabbit tales originate?
Brer Rabbit, trickster figure originating in African folklore and transmitted by African slaves to the New World, where it acquired attributes of similar native American tricksters (see trickster tale); Brer, or Brother, Rabbit was popularized in the United States in the stories of Joel Chandler Harris (1848–1908).
Why is Uncle Remus banned?
The stated reason has to do with the way Uncle Remus talks. He and his characters--Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Terrapin and the rest--use a dialect spoken by unschooled southern black slaves in the last century. School spokesmen said that was ''inappropriate'' and might confuse the 2d graders.
Who does Brer Rabbit represent who does the fox represent?
the slave ownerEven in The Tar Baby, Brer Rabbit outwits Brer Bear and Brer Fox, who represent the slave owner. Brer Rabbit, the ''trickster,'' is the slave. The retelling of these stories in strong dialect gave the slaves a chance to relieve their frustrations, aggressions and to have a good laugh at the expense of their owners.
How does Brer Rabbit escape?
In a Cherokee tale about the briar patch, "the fox and the wolf throw the trickster rabbit into a thicket from which the rabbit quickly escapes." There was a "melding of the Cherokee rabbit-trickster ... into the culture of African slaves."
Does Brer mean brother?
'Brer' is how some people in the southern US say 'brother'.
What is a brer rabbit?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Brer Rabbit, trickster figure originating in African folklore and transmitted by African slaves to the New World, ...
Where did the Brer Rabbit originate?
Brer Rabbit, trickster figure originating in African folklore and transmitted by African slaves to the New World, where it acquired attributes of similar native American tricksters ( see trickster tale ); Brer, or Brother, Rabbit was popularized in the United States in the stories of Joel Chandler Harris (1848–1908).
What is Brer Rabbit's story?
Brer Rabbit in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life. Several stories of Brer Rabbit and his friends were combined and adapted into the Disney animated feature Song of the South, released in 1946. The characters can also be seen in the Splash Mountain attractions at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World amusement parks.
How does Brer Rabbit get into trouble?
The stories of Brer Rabbit are generally trickster tales and involve Brer Rabbit getting himself into trouble through his own selfishness or mischievous nature. He must then use his cleverness to get himself out of trouble.
What does Brer Fox do to Brer Rabbit?
Brer Fox pulls Brer Rabbit out of the tar, with the intent of doing him harm. He proposes several different ways of disposing of Brer Rabbit, and Brer Rabbit makes a show of accepting each option, but adding a plea each time that Brer Fox not throw him into a nearby briar patch.
Who is the rabbit in Uncle Remus?
As a trickster—a mischievous character known for the ability to deceive—Brer Rabbit outsmarts larger and stronger animals, such as Brer Fox and Brer Bear .
Who wrote the Uncle Remus books?
After originating in African-American oral tales, Brer Rabbit became one of the main characters in the Uncle Remus books, written in the 1880s and 1890s by Southern journalist Joel Chandler Harris. The books brought the stories to a whole new audience, but also generated controversy.
What is the idea behind Br'er Rabbit?
The idea is to make a person-like puppet out of tar and put it along the path they know Br’er Rabbit takes . Br’er Fox is really the clever one of of the two and explains to Br’er Bear how they will use Br’er Rabbit’s friendliness and cockiness to trap him. You see, Br’er Rabbit is friendly but expects the same in return.
What is the personality of Br'er Rabbit?
The personality of Br’er Rabbit can be described as sneaky, comical, fun-loving, clever, cocky but in a well-meaning way, friendly, caring, carefree, cute, lovable, curious, adventurous, resourceful, quick-thinking, a trickster. Many cultures knew such a figure and used it to express concerns about forms of oppression through a character that would not be seen as threatening through it’s comical nature. In Europe this used to be the court jester and similar stories are known like those of Tijl Uilenspiegel .Because of their nature these stories often have a deeper moral and one of those I like to talk about is the story of Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby. ( Click here or on the image above to watch the movie and start at the 39 min mark)
What does Br'er Rabbit show us?
5. Br’er Rabbit is showing us that if we’re not strong we better be smart. He got himself into this pickle but is clever enough to see that fighting the situation will only make matters worse. He will only get more tar on him and Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear are so much stronger. He cleverly uses the argument between Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear on how to best cook him. After they free him from the tar he uses reverse psychology to win his freedom. Instead of protesting the various ways in which he could end up as their lunch he agrees with each proposal and ends on “as long as you don’t throw me in the briar patch”, as if that was the worst that could happen to him. By doing so he prevents either of the two from winning the argument and gives them an alternative he says he does not want. Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear, not agreeing on how to cook Br’er Rabbit, finally seem to agree then on the worst and throw Br’er Rabbit in the briar patch where he escapes.
Why is Br'er Rabbit not available in North America?
Unfortunately the film is no longer available in North America because of perceived racial issues. The origin of Br’er Rabbit however goes back to tales brought from Africa to North America by slaves and contain a lot of humor and wisdom which I would regret to loose.
What happens when Br'er Fox gets stuck in the sticky tar?
When the Tar Baby does not respond, Br’er Fox expects Br’er Rabbit will get frustrated and angry in the end. He will then decide to teach the Tar Baby a lesson and by doing so get stuck in the sticky tar when he tangles with it and get caught. And so it happens.
What did Brer Fox do to Brer Rabbit?
And with that, Brer Fox yanked Brer Rabbit off the Tar-Baby, and he flung him - KERPLUNK!- right into the briar patch.
What did Brer Rabbit say to the Tar Baby?
The Tar Baby, she sat there and Brer Fox lay low. “Good morning,” said Brer Rabbit, “Nice weather we’re having.”. The Tar-Baby said nothing. Brer Fox laid low and grinned an evil grin.
What did Brer Fox do after he fooled him with calamus root?
“One day after Brer Rabbit had fooled him with the calamus root, Brer Fox went to work and got some tar. He mixed it with some turpentine, and fixed up a contraption that he called a Tar-Baby. He put a straw hat on the Tar-Baby and sat her in the middle of the road, then hid in the bushes to see what would happen.
What tore the tar out of Brer Rabbit's fur?
The thorns of briars (brambles, blackberry bushes) tore the tar out of Brer Rabbit’s fur as he worked himself free of them.
What does tar baby mean?
Tar baby is an expression used to describe a sticky situation. It is “a situation or problem from which it is virtually impossible to disentangle oneself”.
What is the book "Bre'r Rabbit Outwitting Bre'r Fox" about?
This 1880 book helped popularize the story of Bre'r Rabbit outwitting Bre'r Fox, but versions of the tale exist around the world. At heart, they're all about who controls access to food and subverting the powers that be, a new book argues. The tar baby story in which Bre'r Rabbit outwits Bre'r Fox is a classic trickster folk tale.
What is the tar baby story?
The tar baby story in which Bre'r Rabbit outwits Bre'r Fox is a classic trickster folk tale. But like all fables, it is a double-barreled affair, with entertainment firing in tandem with a serious message.
How does a fox entrap a rabbit?
An archetypal trickster tale, the tar baby story describes how a fox entraps a rabbit by using a tar figure. The rabbit gets stuck to it in five places – front and hind feet and head – after mistaking it for a real person and pummeling it for not replying to his polite greetings. Trapped but tactical as always, the rabbit begs the fox to roast, hang, skin or drown him but please not to throw him into the briar patch. Of course, the fox does precisely that, hoping to inflict maximum pain on his enemy, without knowing that rabbits are born and bred in thickets. The rabbit skips out as "lively ez a cricket in de embers" to live another day.
What does the rabbit skip out as?
The rabbit skips out as "lively ez a cricket in de embers" to live another day. The allegorical symbolism, rooted in slavery and its inequalities, is not hard to decipher: The rabbit is the underdog who constantly has to outwit his more powerful (but dim) master in order to steal his food to survive.
What is the briar patch?
"The briar patch," says Wagner, "is a symbol of the commons, the unenclosed, unowned land that provides refuge and resources that sustain the life of the community.". Illustration of the Br'er Rabbit and the Tar-Baby.
Where did the tale of Uncle Remus originate?
No one can say for certain when or where it first originated, but in the U.S., the most popular version comes from Joel Chandler Harris' 1880 collection, Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings.
Where is the story of the sailor's tale?
Wagner explores how hundreds of variants of this tale, passed on through the oral tradition, are present throughout the world in regions as far-ranging as the Philippines, India, Africa, Corsica, Colombia and Brazil, as well as among several American Indian tribes.
Character Overview
- Brer Rabbit is the main character in the Uncle Remus tales written by Joel Chandler Harris(1848-1908). As a trickster—a mischievous character known for the ability to deceive—Brer Rabbit outsmarts larger and stronger animals, such as Brer Fox and Brer Bear. Many stories about Brer Rabbit originated in African folklore and were brought to America by...
Brer Rabbit in Context
- After originating in African-American oral tales, Brer Rabbit became one of the main characters in the Uncle Remus books, written in the 1880s and 1890s by Southern journalist Joel Chandler Harris. The books brought the stories to a whole new audience, but also generated controversy. Since the tales were taken from African-American folklore, Harris, a white man, was accused of …
Key Themes and Symbols
- The stories of Brer Rabbit are generally trickster tales and involve Brer Rabbit getting himself into trouble through his own selfishness or mischievous nature. He must then use his cleverness to get himself out of trouble.
Brer Rabbit in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life
- Several stories of Brer Rabbit and his friends were combined and adapted into the Disney animated feature Song of the South, released in 1946. The characters can also be seen in the Splash Mountain attractions at both Disneyland and Walt DisneyWorld amusement parks.
Read, Write, Think, Discuss
- Some people feel that Joel Chandler Harris took the Brer Rabbit stories from African-American folklore and wrongly sold them as his own. Do you think it is acceptable for a person to write his or her own version of a folktale or myth, and then sell it? What about modern authors who create their own versions of fairy tales or Greek myths? In your opinion, do myths belong only to the cul…