A depiction of Brer Rabbit in Uncle Remus Songs and Sayings
The Brer Rabbit stories, originating from the collection of stories known as Uncle Remus Songs and Sayings in the late 19th century in the post-Civil War South in the United States, serve as an important development and resource in the African-American folklore in the United States post-slavery, as these people were separated from their ancestral cultures, values, and stories by the slave trade. Additionally, these stories, written by Harris, are written in dialect, which means every word is spelled phonetically. This is important because not many African-Americans, let alone people in general, were literate in this period, which allowed these stories to be accessible to the public. In Reading B, there are stories of Brer Fox trying to trick Brer Rabbit, a slight detour from the tricky rabbit trope he has used for so long, Old Man Terrypin fishing, Tarrypin talk, which is how the turtle character speaks in the context of the story. In one thrilling story, Brer Rabbit sneaks into Brer Fox's garden in hopes of stealing his goober peas, also known as peanuts at this time. Unfortunately, Brer Rabbit is caught in a trap and help upside in the air by a rope. He shutters at what Brer Fox will do to him, but quickly notices Brer Bear approaching, who is notoriously slow. Brer Rabbit convinces Brer Bear that he is there for a job as a scarecrow and that he makes a dollar an hour being in the trap, but he'll swap with Brer Bear if he wants to make some money. Brer Bear agrees and takes his place, while Brer Rabbit steals the peanuts and heads home.
Bibliography: Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris. http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-brer-rabbit.html
No comments:
Post a Comment