A Walt Disney Productions depiction of Brer Rabbit from their adapted cartoon series.
One day at the estate of Mr. Brother Fox, a mischievous and malicious thought entered the catacombs of his mind. Though he was indeed a man of literature and finer things, Mr. Brother Fox was still a fox, an animal with animal needs. After pondering about how to execute his plan to ensnare Mr. Brother Rabbit, he began preparing. The plan was simple: create a life-like child made of tar and turpentine that resembled a very small child. Mr. Brother Fox began sculpting the child out of tar and turpentine, then dyed the skin and painted a greatly detailed face, which was easy for him with his arts background from his study abroad year at the Paris Conservatory. After completing his masterpiece, he laid it out near where Mr. Brother Rabbit would be often approaching. Mr. Brother Rabbit, a proud Yale graduate, came around the corner and quickly noticed the baby leaning against a rock. He called out many a time to greet the child and attempt to locate the parents, but he was finding the child's lack of initiative quite disturbing. After his frustrations grew greater, Mr. Brother Fox delivered the coup de grace. He roared in a child's voice "Yale is a second rate institution and Harvard is clearly superior in all facets." Mr. Brother Rabbit, unable to control his animalistic instincts, punched the baby and quickly became stuck. After struggling and getting more stuck, Mr. Brother Rabbit gave in and Mr. Brother Fox appeared. Trying to think on his feet and escape, Mr. Brother Rabbit began pleading not be thrown into the briar patch, as it would be the worst fate of them all. Mr. Brother Fox, possessing a minor in Biology, retorted that rabbits are actually very comfortable and at home in those particular areas of nature, and was mostly just confused by his pleadings. After allowing Mr. Brother Rabbit to get his affairs in order and visit with a lawyer to set up his estate and inheritance, Mr. Brother Fox hosted a grand party, with the main course being a delectable entree of rabbit.
Author's Note: I began thinking about the nature of the story and how dialectical language predominates to engage readers that were mostly illiterate, and I thought it would be funny and interesting to experiment with characters that were well-read, literate, intelligent, and critical thinkers. From there, I just put a twist ending on the classic Tar Baby tale.
Bibliography: Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris. http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-brer-rabbit.html
Hey Chase,
ReplyDeleteWow this was an awesome story to read. I really enjoyed the image you included as it made me laugh. It would be helpful if you included a bit more in your author’s note about the original story for those who did not read the original. That being said, you did a great job on this story.
-Andy
Hi Chase!
ReplyDeleteYour classic Chase Gaddis humor strikes again! What a clever way to retell this Brer story. I was especially amused when I read what Fox yelled to get Rabbit to punch the tar child. Sometimes, you just can't help yourself. You just have to punch a child if he insults your university. Especially if it is Yale. Great story!
Hey, Chase!
ReplyDeleteThis story was hilarious--I love the twist of having well-educated characters and also enjoyed the Yale-Harvard rivalry theme! The ending was dark, as expected, but humorous. At least the fox let the little rabbit prepare for death (I'm sure he probably had lots of children to provide for). I also loved your note about how rabbits have no problem living in briar patches--I honestly did not know that! Also, your story reminds me of Splash Mountain and that makes me so happy--such a great ride!
Great job with this and I am excited to read your other stories!
I love this not so typical but still typical rabbit and fox story. I was surprised but liked how you created educated animals, it was a nice excuse to add a rivalry and set a trap in place. I do like the dark ending that involves civil matters as well. What a funny way to end this story!
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