This week, I chose to read Brer Rabbit from the African unit. To be honest, the biggest reason that I chose this story is because of the Splash Mountain ride at Disney World. A big part of this ride is the storyline that depicts the journey of the the Brer Rabbit as he escapes many of his foes. I didn't know if the stories would be similar, but I really wanted to find out. When I began reading, I found that there were several similarities to the Disney story that I am familiar with. One of the unique aspects of this story, however, is the point of view from which it is told. I really enjoy the idea of a narrator (Uncle Remus) that takes on the task of relaying these stories to someone who might not understand them. These stories didn't include the back and forth between the narrator and the listener, but I did listen to some of the audio clips and enjoyed this framework there. Through the use of the unique colloquial dialect in a story telling setting, the reader is able to picture these stories taking place in their respective settings and with the respective characters. Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading every story in Part A, as it gave some insight and background into the characters that I know from the Disney ride, like the fox, rabbit, possum, and buzzard, one story really stuck out to me. This story is "The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story".
I enjoyed reading this story because it is one that I had never heard of before, even though the note before says it is one of the most popular of this collection. In this story, Brer Rabbit has just escaped Brer Fox and doesn't plan on getting caught any time soon. After just having been tricked by Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox wants revenge, so he thinks up a way to entrap the cunning rabbit. He makes a baby out of tar and puts it on the side of the road, knowing full-well that the rabbit will stop by and try to talk with the "baby". When the rabbit sees the tar-baby, he approaches it and tries to make conversation. Eventually, Brer Rabbit becomes infuriated by the baby's lack of words and hits the baby upside the head. Because the baby is made of tar, Brer Rabbit sticks to it, falling victim to the clever Fox's trap.
This story of Brer Fox trapping Brer Rabbit is very different from the depiction on the Disney ride, but this one is funnier and more interesting to watch! In the Disney ride, the Brer Rabbit just catches his foot on a booby trap and is hung upside down from a tree. It was really fun to picture the ride while I was reading the original story, and for my retelling, I think I would like to tell the story that is actually depicted in the ride and compare and contrast the two in great detail! I think it would make for a really fun story!
Bibliography: Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris (1881). The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story
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| Brer Fox and the Tar-Baby, Blogspot |
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