he did not create him. Harris was mere- the brier patch because he wants to hurt derneath a white master all day, but
ly a genius at packaging. The rabbit’s him as bad as he can. Of course, Brer also became an important part ofAmer-
origin lies with African folklore, in Rabbit gets away. When the fox finds ican literature. In investigating the sto-
which the hare is a clever trickster. the rabbit, he taunts him, ries acceptance among whites, Hemen- j
The slaves on American plantations “Bred en bawn in a brienpatch, Brer way found the narrator, Uncle Remus  
carried on the idea of the rabbit as a Fox—bred en bawn in a brier-patch/" was the chief cause. 1
smaller, weaker animal who through ’en wid that he skip out dez ez liveht as When I·Iarris’ book appeared, the ti-  
the use of his wits overcomes stronger .a criket zAn de embers. tle page carried the image of Uncle l
animals. These after-dinner tales served just as Brer Rabbit was born and Remus, grinning, bespectacled, with a l
blacks as a way of coping with the cruel bred in a brier-patch, Hemenway says tuft of white cotton hair encircling his l
world of slavery. it was not hard for the slaves to see the head. By this time, Uncle Remus was ·1
Hemenway suggests "The Wonder- brier patch of slavery around them. thought of as an old-fashioned Negro j
ful Tar Bab Stor " as re resentative One of the stor ’s morals could be that with onl leasant memories of the dis- P]
Y Y P . . Y . . . Y P .
of these feelings. In the story, Brer Fox It IS better not to hit on something c1pl1ne of slavery. J
made a tar baby image and sat it by the smaller and black. This image originated with the play ‘
road as a trap for Brer Rabbit. Brer · These tales served the slaves as a re- adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s
A Rabbit spoke to the tar baby in passing lease from the anxiety of working un- novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The popular
and when the tar baby image did not
talk back, Brer Rabbit became angry.
Uncle Remus narrates in Harris’ book,
"l’m gwine ter lain you how-ter talk 6 ‘
ter ’spect—tubblef0lks eyfhitks de las’
ask, V" sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. "ef you OWdy’ Brei-
don t take of dat hat en tell me howdy, _ , , , ,
l’m gwineter bus’y0u wide open, " Rabblt, SCZ Brer FOX, S€Z€€. You  
sez . · · v M
ie. _ . SOITCY SU,lCl( up (IIS II1£lW1'111’1 , SCZCC, CIA1 (ICH
[ar Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he
)
to low he rolled on the groun , en laughed en
Brer Rabbit punched the tar baby and , ,
,,,1, M ,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,g ,,,-,,, ,,,,g,,·,,,_ H,. laughed twel he couldn t laugh no mo .
punched him again. Wzith bothjist
caught, Brer Rabbit said,     i ·’’,         _       ·  
"Tu ’n me loose, fo’ l kick de natal ·     .      ,V A        VV.·,   '''I    
stu/hn A outen you, " sez Brer Rabbit, , __._ il   V ,. ,_L._g  " E3    W,    
sezce, but do [ar Baby, she ain tsayin   ·   V ~ .  V;      ,   _V  
~<»¢bi¤eV - ‘ I           ~   
Brer Rabbit was completebi stuck AV 5   __ e         ;;,QjfU i i 
_ l _  ,. _  VV. A U {W ../·V.V;_        MM?./,.,4/i,,¢/;j:4V,%V 
when Brer Fox crept out of his hiding i . .» ,,¢ ‘ yi V   A'  fl
place. , · 4 _ e i , V    '”    `.,           A`  `".’  
"Howdy, Brer Rabbit, "sez Brer \ IA   V.   ’ti    .      
‘ P { ( i` \ J —    -’     . 'V At · A.’/Ai  · i v  
]*ox, sezec. You look sorter stuck up V V , .  .   tV   , tj ’     l  Q;
. . , , , _ .· ‘ x wyiegi  ‘..·»   ·   V. _   V ·  
dis mawnzn , sezee, en den he rolled \ P     · _*.t    tt tl  
on tlzcgroun ’, cn laughed en laughed · "    »   ,—»‘ * · ’  
.`¥·»·,i,A ·  ,/ ’ 
luwl hc couldn ’/ laugh no mo ’. V " ·` },_   V __ V, - t   t   ‘ ,
Uncle Remus ends the story at this V A - __ }¤ V V     Q P A V A ‘   V 
point, but later continues it when ap- ‘ Vg ’ t·  ·. “>f     ’/  
proztclieel by the little white boy who  p' ,· A     QZ   “ A  
lound the- old man with little or noth-     _ { U V .  ’ 6,* V J kl       ll
ing to do,"       / A .   .  ”    A ‘    
_ `· `· · 1 . ; .j{_;;·;`_’#,¢'_{é,*/l' réllfj  V!  "" ’ * ,4  ;·.·»w;g¤·‘· ' ttl, l
ln "How Mr. Rabbit was too sharp   ,,,       ;¢ We G V  ~  ~ ,
` i . ` " ' ¤,.ii·g·  AA ~ I     P/A Q VA     l
lot M1. Fox, Brer Fox decides to cook _____ we fi ‘ ··,·*   w; ,·»’ i_ ·V·=   ’/i —
the- rabbit now that he has trapped him. `   `°°"1 ‘ " be   ’   Q   .2 ,V it ~ Q     »l
. . . .   -·»·~ ·.·~ x ,4%&2]V I   ¤¤%·, M . · z ~ ~.
Brer Rabbit tools the iox by saying Q- ’ "tcfletif ‘   * t     " “ f   ’*
H V V _ * V .  \ [   ‘   ,‘V . t.V , I
I don I kccr ut at you do wid me, g} ‘    ,5 %   ,   ‘ W, ’ T A ‘ i ‘·_’”
1 t. ,, ' , . .. _ -  ‘ V ··c‘ ..’ ’C   ·· ‘ ~. ‘·
Brer box, .se.:ce·, so you don I/ling   mz   ey     P { ’ · *V
° ` V-! {IT » lil     Q iw, ir fill Hi    
I/ll‘I7l {l'(1{l1l'l¢`l'·/}{ll(`/l. . . . Roas   ‘    ’   rf "/AA
me'. Brer Fox. se·.:ec, but don t_/ling   ‘   V   I .   ay  VV
mr in dat l}fIit`f·[)(ll(`/l, " se;ec_ A. A IA A .  F. , _ · ’A   -   W  "  ii e if 
B _ __ I4. _ __ V, I. . _ j' Hyg   V   at     ‘‘._V ei _.VV   so ;V.  
iu os repeats its lines as the fox ._ Vp, ~ 1   V,x_;·a,`Vu,a»g-`EV  V   ,VVV_V· ,,,,a-VV~~,e,V Vi -_VV _, 
lbrezttens to hanglund drown him. Iii-   r   _. "’· V.        ~,_V V;,;,·;.V· 
nully, the tox decides to throw htm in     ,_,T°’   e. g   ·t   Q,
it V·   ‘V-  - iis .     ·    ;§ J: ~ .. { <> it
`{‘“P‘p iis  ‘   _          ~§ : "   A   Q · E
I4 we _     A           e   ’
 }f§'r¤*x9,.f  ,» II  gg ‘ °I   _ ·· V -{Er, I"-V"   V  .`·%   VV `—    
` · ··:—¥i3‘·i*·“   M ” · ·     »     .·    
».. M V- '   .-».··:· . · t’'.   ;d.,;;ael.-.ass __.  ._, ` _-..