Brer Rabbit Tricks Brer Fox Again by Julius Lester
Analysis of Poem
In this short story Brer Fox gets tricked by Brer Rabbit again. This story has roots all the way back to a traditional story about a spider named Anansi. Anansi eventually became known in Southern United States as Aunt Nancy. Brer Rabbit, like Anansi, is a trickster. Although both characters are physically weak they can utilize their wit to get out of unpleasant situations or cause mayhem.
Brer Rabbit and Brer fox seem to be equal peers in the animal society that they live in. In this and other tales, Brer fox tries hard to please his peers and apparently the plantation master. In “Brer Rabbit tricks Brer Fox again” the fox arrives first and the rabbit tricks the fox into jumping into the well and looking like a lazy animal. Brer rabbit tricks Brer fox into situations that ridicule Fox and makes Rabbit look like the Hero.
Bio of Author
Julius Lester was born in St.Louis Missouri January 27, 1939. He received a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University which is located in Tennessee in 1960. Over the 30 years he taught at the University of Massachusetts he wrote numerous works of literature that range from children’s stories to retellings of traditional stories. Although Julius was born long after the times of slavery he wondered what it was like to live as his ancestors. He couldn’t find a book so he started to write them to answer all of his questions about slavery.