In this post I will tell a story that I read for my school subject, Writing and Rhetoric. At the end I wrote an adventure that Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit go on with another friend. Please keep in mind while reading that animals don’t talk but it is a fable and animals don’t go fishing. It is a fable and you must go along with it.
How Brer Fox Caught Brer Rabbit
Note: Brer is a contraction of the word brother. Also I am citing the next 12 paragraphs from chapter 7 of Writing and Rhetoric book 5.
One hot summer day in the South, Brer Fox actualy did catch Brer Rabbit. He got some tar and mixed it with some turpentine and shaped it into a figure about the site of a fat baby. Brer Fox took this Tar Baby and set him in the middle of the big road. Then he hid in the bushes to see what would happen.
Well, he didn’t have to wait long. Down the road came Brer Rabbit lippity-dipity, dippity lippity – just as sasy as a jaybird. Brer Fox lay low and Brer Rabbit came prancing along until he spied the Tar Baby, just sitting there.
“Good morning!” said Brer Rabbit. “Nice weather this morning.” The Tar Baby didn’t say anything, and Brer Fox lay low.
“How are you doing today?” asked Brer Rabbit. Brer Fox, he winked his eye slow, and lay low, and the Tar Baby didn’t say a word.
“How you come on, then? Are you deaf?” demanded Brer Rabbit. “Cause if you’re deaf l can always holler louder. HOWDY, I SAY! The Tar Baby stayed still, and Brer Fox, he lay low.
“You’re stuck up, that’s what you are!” cried Brer Rabbit. “And I’m going to cure you, that’s what I’m going to do!”
Brer Fox, he sort of chuckled in his stomach, but the Tar Baby didn’t say anything. “I’m going to teach you how to talk to respectable folks if it’s my last act!” Shouted Brer Rabbit. “If you don’t take off that hat and tell me howdy, I’m gonna bust you wide open!” Well, that Tar Baby stayed perfectly still, and Brer Fox lay low.
Brer Rabbit kept asking questions and the Tar Baby kept on saying nothing. Presently, Brer Rabbit drew back his fist and hit the Tar Baby up the side of its head. Right there is where he got into trouble. His fist got stuck and he couldn’t pull it loose.
The tar held him fast. But the Tar Baby sat still and Brer Fox lay low. “If you don’t lemme loose, I’ll knock you again!” cried Brer Rabbit. With that, he fetched the Baby another swipe with the other fist and that stuck too. The Tar Baby didn’t say a word and Brer Fox lay low.
“Turn me loose! Turn me loose before I knock the stuffing out of you!” shouted Brer Rabbit, but the Tar Baby didn’t say anything. It just held on while Brer Rabbit kicked. He lost the use of his feet this way. Brer Fox just lay low, chuckling to himself.
Then Brer Rabbit started squalling and saying, “If you don’t turn me loose I’ll butt you with my head! So he butted, and his head and that got stuck too. Then Fox sauntered forth looking as innocent as one of your mother’s mockingbirds.
“Howdy, Brer Rabbit,” Brer Fox said. “You look sort of stuck up this morning.” And then he rolled on the ground and laughed til he couldn’t laugh anymore. “I expect you’ll take dinner with me this time, Brer Rabbit. I’ve laid in some calamus root, and I’m not gonna take any excuse this time.”
Completely my opinion
As you can see the caricatures in this story are not exactly virtuous. Fox is clearly trying to catch Rabbit to eat him. Rabbit is portrayed as a gentlemen at first but he quickly loses his temper. This story was written by Enid Blyton. The version I used was an adaptation by Joel Chandler Harris. Note: This paragraph and beyond are my own work.
Refutation
This Refutation is about the story How Brother Fox Caught Bro Rabbit Adapted by Joel Chandler Harris. The parts of the story that are improbable and improper are when Rabbit thinks the tar baby is real and alive. An Unclear part is how Fox was able to make and shape the Tar Baby without getting himself stuck. The Improper part is Rabbit Punching, Kicking, and head butting the Tar baby.
At the start of the story Fox is crafting a tar baby that he puts in the road. Rabbit comes along and greets the baby. Being made of tar the baby did not respond. Rabbit quickly got very flustered at this and became angry enough to punch the baby. He got stuck (duh) and was even angrier. He punched and kicked the baby until he was fully stuck then finished it off with a grand finale of Head Butting the baby and getting completely stuck. Fox came out and shrewdly asked Rabbit if he would join him for dinner.
It is completly unbelivable that Rabbit would be stupid enaugh to think that the Baby was alive. It is also Improper that Fox was trying to catch and eat Rabbit. Even though fox’s intentions were not pointed out it is clear what he is trying to do. Since the animals behave like humans lets think about this story as if the charactures are human. Fox would be cannibalist and Rabbit would be put in jail for beating up another.
The author intended to write a childrens story but it (in my opinion) it turned out to be a improper fable. However if you are looking at the fable from a non critical mind you would see it as a funny life lesson. I only had to think about how to criticize it for my school assignment which I am more than happy to do.
Bro Fox, Bro Rabbit and Bro Bear go fishing
Situation: Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit and Brer bear decide to go fishing together. They walk to a nearby lake. They all want to catch the biggest and most fish.
Brer Bear: “Good morning Fox, Rabbit. How are you this fine morning? For your information I am quite well for I plan to catch the biggest fish today.”
Brer Rabbit: “The biggest fish!? How could a silly fool like you catch the biggest fish amongst us? Thats a ridiculous notion! Im going to catch the biggest fish today!”
Brer Fox: “Ha! Neither of you could come near catching anything! Brer bear is too stupid and Brer Rabbit, your Far to small to even use an oar! Im going to catch the biggest fish today!”
Brer Rabbit: “Okay since i am the only one here with any brains, I propose we have a contest and whoever wins gets to eat the others!” Note: I am sticking with the theme of the previous story. 🙂
Brer Fox: “Thats fine with me, for I know both of you will be delicious and you are to stupid to win!”
(Brer Rabbit said to Brer Bear “ Do you think if he eats us then he will become fat and stupid?”)
Brer Bear: Thats all fine by me because both of you clearly don’t have any brawn, let alone enough to haul a big fish.”
All three said “Let the Contest Begin!”
Narrarator: Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, and Bro Bear all went to different spots on the lake and began to fish. Little did they know that all of their boats were slowly drifting to the deepest part of the lake. Fox looked up from his fishing and shouted
“ Hey you! Don’t drift so near to me, you’ll catch onto my line!”
At this the other two looekd up and realized their positons. All three fishers paddled away from each other. Then out of the blue Brer Bear shouted,
“I’ve got one, I’ve got a big, huge one!”
Then Fox shouted,
“I have one too! A ginormous one!”
At this Rabbits blood turned to ice. Only for a moment though because he felt a sudden, hard tug on his line! He too then exclaimed with joy his find.
Brer Rabbit: “I’ve got one, a huge Colossal one!”
Then all three Cotten Headed ninny Muggins started reeling in their lines but as they were, somehow, without them noticing, all three boats were quickly “drifting” toward each other.
Within seconds the three boats crashed together and capsized. A few seconds later all three fishers came spluttering to the surface and in realizing their folly they all swam to the shore and walked home in shame.
Alternate ending: Within seconds the three boats crashed together and rapidly sank below the surface. Bear, Fox and Rabbit were never seen again and there was never any quarrels of disruptions in Animal Oppidum Loquentes.