YOUR AD HERE »

What Brer Rabbit has to say about today

Cindy KeiserBlue River

The current mess overseas brought to mind the old story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. If you remember this story, Brer Rabbit also got himself into a mess by trying to fight the Tar Baby, which was a trick set by Brer Fox to catch him. It was a losing proposition for Brer Rabbit from the start; the more he fought, the more hopelessly entangled and stuck he became in the Tar Baby. In this way, Brer Fox was finally able to catch the wily rabbit. And then the fox correctly pointed out to Brer Rabbit that his confinement and imminent death was of his own making. Had he not tried to fight the Tar Baby, he would not be stuck in the mess he was in.Brer Rabbit was finally able to save his life at the end of the story by tricking the fox into throwing him into the briar patch. “I don’t keer w’at you do wid me, Brer Fox,’ sezee, ‘so you don’t fling me in dat brier-patch. Roas’ me, Brer Fox,’ sezee, ‘but don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.”So, he did what he thought would cause the most damage and pain and threw him into the briar patch. But as it turns out, Brer Rabbit was “Bred en bawn in a brier-patch, Brer Fox – 1bred en bawn in a brier-patch!’ en wid dat he skip out des ez lively as a cricket in de embers.”I find two lessons that apply to today here: First, don’t play your enemy’s game; he is probably better at it than you are, so find another way. Second, things have not changed much since this story was copyrighted in 1880.Cindy KeiserBlue River


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.