NationStates Jolt Archive

...story when he was a little kid?

Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby

Retold by Catharine Farrell from a story retold by Joel Chandler Harris


One day Brer Fox thought of how Brer Rabbit had been cutting up his capers and bouncing around until he'd come to believe that he was the boss of the whole gang. Brer Fox thought of a way to lay some bait for that uppity Brer Rabbit.

He went to work and got some tar and mixed it with some turpentine. He fixed up a contraption that he called a Tar-Baby. When he finished making her, he put a straw hat on her head and sat the little thing in the middle of the road. Brer Fox, he lay off in the bushes to see what would happen.

Well, he didn't have to wait long either, 'cause by and by Brer Rabbit came pacing down the road--lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity--just as sassy as a jaybird. Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit came prancing along until he saw the Tar-Baby and then he sat back on his hind legs like he was astonished. The Tar-Baby just sat there, she did, and Brer Fox, he lay low.

"Good morning!" says Brer Rabbit, says he. "Nice weather we're having this morning," says he.

Tar-Baby didn't say a word, and Brer Fox, he lay low.

"How are you feeling this morning?" says Brer Rabbit, says he.

Brer Fox, he winked his eye real slow and lay low and the Tar-Baby didn't say a thing.

"What is the matter with you then? Are you deaf?" says Brer Rabbit, says he. "Cause if you are, I can holler louder," says he.

The Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low.

"You're stuck-up, that's what's wrong with you. You think you're too good to talk to me," says Brer Rabbit, says he. "And I'm going to cure you, that's what I'm going to do," says he.

Brer Fox started to chuckle in his stomach, he did, but Tar-Baby didn't say a word.

"I'm going to teach you how to talk to respectable folks if it's my last act," says Brer Rabbit, says he. "If you don't take off that hat and say howdy, I'm going to bust you wide open," says he.

Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low.

Brer Rabbit kept on asking her why she wouldn't talk and the Tar-Baby kept on saying nothing until Brer Rabbit finally drew back his fist, he did, and blip--he hit the Tar-Baby on the jaw. But his fist stuck and he couldn't pull it loose. The tar held him. But Tar-Baby, she stayed still, and Brer Fox, he lay low.

"If you don't let me loose, I'm going to hit you again," says Brer Rabbit, says he, and with that he drew back his other fist and blap--he hit the Tar-Baby with the other hand and that one stuck fast too.

Tar-Baby she stayed still, and Brer Fox, he lay low.

"Turn me loose, before I kick the natural stuffing out of you," says Brer Rabbit, says he, but the Tar-Baby just sat there.

She just held on and then Brer Rabbit jumped her with both his feet. Brer Fox, he lay low. Then Brer Rabbit yelled out that if that Tar-Baby didn't turn him loose, he was going to butt her crank-sided. Then he butted her and his head got stuck.

Brer Fox walked out from behind the bushes and strolled over to Brer Rabbit, looking as innocent as a mockingbird.

"Howdy, Brer Rabbit," says Brer Fox, says he. "You look sort of stuck up this morning," says he. And he rolled on the ground and laughed and laughed until he couldn't laugh anymore.

By and by he said, "Well, I expect I got you this time, Brer Rabbit," says he. "Maybe I don't, but I expect I do. You've been around here sassing after me a mighty long time, but now it's the end.

And then you're always getting into something that's none of your business," says Brer Fox, says he. "Who asked you to come and strike up a conversation with this Tar-Baby? And who stuck you up the way you are? Nobody in the round world. You just jammed yourself into that Tar-Baby without waiting for an invitation," says Brer Fox, says he. "There you are and there you'll stay until I fix up a brushpile and fire it up, "cause I'm going to barbecue you today, for sure," says Brer Fox, says he. :confused:

Tony Snow (http://wizbangblog.com/2006/05/17/white-house-press-secretary-tony-snows-tarbaby.php) is way ahead of you.

I wouldn't eat the rabbit after that, all covered in tar.

This is a terribly written story ...

This is a terribly written story ...

It's a children's fable. What do you want,

"Behold, what light through yonder window break? Ti's the east, and Juliet is the sun!"

...story when he was a little kid?

:confused:

It wouldn't have helped anything. He'd have read half way through and then said "so? I don't hunt foxes."

Even fables need correct grammar ...

Plus, what kind of name is "Brer?" Would it be too terrible to call the characters Rabbit and Fox?

That's how dem southern folk talk.

You've never watched "Song of the South"?

Even fables need correct grammar ...No they don't.

Plus, what kind of name is "Brer?" Would it be too terrible to call the characters Rabbit and Fox?

A coloquialism or something...

That's how dem southern folk talk.

You've never watched "Song of the South"?

I've seen a clip of it during one of those Disney Singalong movies. I've never seen the entire movie in stores though.

But... but... THE BUNNY IS STUCK IN THE BABY!!!!1111 :eek:

Even fables need correct grammar ...

Plus, what kind of name is "Brer?" Would it be too terrible to call the characters Rabbit and Fox?

here

Br'er Rabbit is a fictional character, the hero of the Uncle Remus stories derived from African American folktales of the Southern United States.


The word "Br'er" in his name (and in those of other characters in the stories) reflects the habit of addressing another man as "brother" in many African cultures. Indeed, the stories can be traced back to trickster figures in Africa, particularly the hare that figures prominently in the storytelling traditions in Central and Southern Africa. These tales continue to be part of the traditional folklore of Bantu-speaking peoples throughout that region. In West Africa, the trickster is usually the spider, though the plots of spider tales are often identical to those of rabbit stories.

The term brer lends itself to interesting linguistic speculation. Upon Brer Rabbit's first encounter on a country road with Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit calls him "Brother Bear". In French, the term for "brother" is frère and a Louisiana Cajun mixture (or corruption) of both terms brother and frère becomes Brer, used as a title in informal, direct address. Indeed, all characters animated or otherwise are "brotherly" to one another in Song of the South. Another interesting usage of language is the word "patch". In the movie, there is a briar patch, a cotton patch, and even a possum and bull patch, where o'possums and bulls are raised. Usage of pumpkin patch and cabbage patch are all that have survived into our present day speech.

Even fables need correct grammar ...
Not one based south of the Mason Dixon in the post-civil war era.

Plus, what kind of name is "Brer?" Would it be too terrible to call the characters Rabbit and Fox?
Brer = Briar: bri-er, br'er, brer.

Edit: Well, damn I'm wrong. It isn't slang, they are all communists.

Only pumpkin and cabbage patch survived? What about briar patch? That is still commonly used.

Even fables need correct grammar ...

Plus, what kind of name is "Brer?" Would it be too terrible to call the characters Rabbit and Fox?

its not a name, its an honorific.

it means brother.

calling them brother fox and brother rabbit indicates that it is a story that isnt realistic but is meant as a fable for us to learn from.

Oh, I see. I suppose it can't hurt to be exposed to different writing styles.

anyway

neil gaiman used that story in "anansi boys" (out in paperback). i read it recently and thought that it was a shame that it cant be used today in the very context you are talking about.

but NOOOO some racist asshole had to make the tarbaby mean something other than "personal quagmire" and now we have to erase the whole great story from our minds.

Oh, I see. I suppose it can't hurt to be exposed to different writing styles.

Especially if you're prone to go flailing about wildly in the Middle East yelling, "Bring it on!" ;)

anyway

neil gaiman used that story in "anansi boys" (out in paperback). i read it recently and thought that it was a shame that it cant be used today in the very context you are talking about.

but NOOOO some racist asshole had to make the tarbaby mean something other than "personal quagmire" and now we have to erase the whole great story from our minds.

Shame, too, since it's a part of African American folklore.

Even fables need correct grammar ...

Plus, what kind of name is "Brer?" Would it be too terrible to call the characters Rabbit and Fox?

It's an African-American thing. Brer means brother, and is a term of address, like "Mr.".

That part of the story is a very good paralell for what he's done in the Middle East. However had he read that far, he would have read the rest of the story as well. Brer Rabbit then tricks Brer fox into throwing him into a briar patch, in which he uses the thorns to clean his fur, thus coming out tops in the story and so outsmarting Brer Fox.

Maybe Bush is thinking that he's going to pull off a cunning scheme to make America come out top of the whole thing.

Somehow I doubt it.

As to the question posed by the OP, well, it's about on Bush's grammatical level, but he never seems to learn from any other experience, so I don't know why this would be any different.

This is a terribly written story ...

I'd actually agree on that, but for different reasons. The version posted above is an overly cleansed version, in my opinion. See the original below, told in proper dialect, as collected by Joe Harris in 1879.

Even fables need correct grammar ...

And this one has correct grammar. One ought not criticise the grammar of an unfamiliar dialect.

I've seen a clip of it during one of those Disney Singalong movies. I've never seen the entire movie in stores though.

Read the Harris versions. They're much better than the Disneyfied ones.

Oh, I see. I suppose it can't hurt to be exposed to different writing styles.

And dialects, as well, I might add.

By the way, and for whatever it's worth, here's the source for PD's post re the origins of Brer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brer_Rabbit

And, as promised above, here's the version originally collected by Harris:

THE WONDERFUL TAR BABY STORY

“DIDN’T the fox never catch the rabbit, Uncle Remus?” asked the little boy the next evening.

“He come mighty nigh it, honey, sho’s you born—Brer Fox did. One day atter Brer Rabbit fool ’im wid dat calamus root, Brer Fox went ter wuk en got ’im some tar, en mix it wid some turkentime, en fix up a contrapshun w’at he call a Tar-Baby, en he tuck dish yer Tar-Baby en he sot ’er in de big road, en den he lay off in de bushes fer to see what de news wuz gwine ter be. En he didn’t hatter wait long, nudder, kaze bimeby here come Brer Rabbit pacin’ down de road—lippity-clippity, clippity -lippity—dez ez sassy ez a jay-bird. Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit come prancin’ ’long twel he spy de Tar-Baby, en den he fotch up on his behime legs like he wuz ’stonished. De Tar Baby, she sot dar, she did, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘Mawnin’!’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee—‘nice wedder dis mawnin’,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby ain’t sayin’ nuthin’, en Brer Fox he lay low.

“‘How duz yo’ sym’tums seem ter segashuate?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.

“Brer Fox, he wink his eye slow, en lay low, en de Tar-Baby, she ain’t sayin’ nuthin’.

“‘How you come on, den? Is you deaf?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. ‘Kaze if you is, I kin holler louder,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘You er stuck up, dat’s w’at you is,’ says Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘en I’m gwine ter kyore you, dat’s w’at I’m a gwine ter do,’ sezee.

“Brer Fox, he sorter chuckle in his stummick, he did, but Tar-Baby ain’t sayin’ nothin’.

“‘I’m gwine ter larn you how ter talk ter ’spectubble folks ef hit’s de las’ ack,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. ‘Ef you don’t take off dat hat en tell me howdy, I’m gwine ter bus’ you wide open,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“Brer Rabbit keep on axin’ ’im, en de Tar-Baby, she keep on sayin’ nothin’, twel present’y Brer Rabbit draw back wid his fis’, he did, en blip he tuck ’er side er de head. Right dar’s whar he broke his merlasses jug. His fis’ stuck, en he can’t pull loose. De tar hilt ’im. But Tar-Baby, she stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘Ef you don’t lemme loose, I’ll knock you agin,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, en wid dat he fotch ’er a wipe wid de udder han’, en dat stuck. Tar-Baby, she ain’y sayin’ nuthin’, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘Tu’n me loose, fo’ I kick de natal stuffin’ outen you,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, but de Tar-Baby, she ain’t sayin’ nuthin’. She des hilt on, en de Brer Rabbit lose de use er his feet in de same way. Brer Fox, he lay low. Den Brer Rabbit squall out dat ef de Tar-Baby don’t tu’n ’im loose he butt ’er cranksided. En den he butted, en his head got stuck. Den Brer Fox, he sa’ntered fort’, lookin’ dez ez innercent ez wunner yo’ mammy’s mockin’-birds.

“‘Howdy, Brer Rabbit,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee. ‘You look sorter stuck up dis mawnin’,’ sezee, en den he rolled on de groun’, en laft en laft twel he couldn’t laff no mo’. ‘I speck you’ll take dinner wid me dis time, Brer Rabbit. I done laid in some calamus root, en I ain’t gwineter take no skuse,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee.”

Here Uncle Remus paused, and drew a two-pound yam out of the ashes.

“Did the fox eat the rabbit?” asked the little boy to whom the story had been told.

“Dat’s all de fur de tale goes,” replied the old man. “He mout, an den agin he moutent. Some say Judge B’ar come ’long en loosed ’im—some say he didn’t. I hear Miss Sally callin’. You better run ’long.”
http://www.uncleremus.com/tarbaby.html

I think the part where Br'er Rabbit tricks Br'er Fox into throwing him into the briar patch is also relevant ...

...story when he was a little kid?

:confused:


Your name suits you :p

I think the part where Br'er Rabbit tricks Br'er Fox into throwing him into the briar patch is also relevant ...

Err... not really, that's a later day addition. In the version I posted above, which as far as I can tell is the earliest recorded version, Brer Rabbit does not escape. In fact, it's implied he got eaten. In the OP's version, it's fairly explicit that Brer Fox eats Brer Rabbit.

The difference in versons is quite relevant...

Err... not really, that's a later day addition. In the version I posted above, which as far as I can tell is the earliest recorded version, Brer Rabbit does not escape. In fact, it's implied he got eaten. In the OP's version, it's fairly explicit that Brer Fox eats Brer Rabbit.

The difference in versons is quite relevant...

Well, you know, after Disney children's fables aren't the same. The rabbit doesn't get eaten, Snowwhite doesn't kill her own mother as in some versions, and Little Red Riding Hood is rescued from the wolf's innards and then sues him for harrassment.