Week 9 Story: Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me 100 Times...?
All of the animals had assembled at Miss Meadows house for the day, as she had invited everyone over because she was making candy. No one could pass up the opportunity to divulge in some delicious candy, so everyone gathered for the evening.
Miss Meadows told the animals that, before they could enter her house, they all had to make a truce with one another for the night. There would be no fighting or pranking or mischief in her backyard-- she didn't want to risk them ruining her candy or tearing up her house. Of course, everyone agreed, and set to helping Miss Meadows get the molasses boiling.
After nearly all the candy-making work was done, the animals sat around the fire in the backyard, watching the molasses boil. Because a get-together wasn't complete without a little bickering and competition, some of the animals started debating which animal was best. Brer Terrapin, who usually had something to say about everything, was unusually quiet.
"I'm the fastest of us," said Brer Rabbit. No one argued with him, because they knew he was quick. Brer Terrapin rocked silently in his chair.
"I'm the most servigorous," said Brer Wolf. A few of the animals had no idea what that meant, so they didn't argue. Brer Terrapin continued rocking.
"I'm the strongest of us," said Brer Bear. A few of the animals shrugged, and Brer Terrapin said nothing.
"I'm the sharpest of all of us," said Brer Fox. A few of the animals rolled their eyes, not wishing to argue.
Brer Terrapin snorted and shook his head.
"Brer Fox, if we was all knives in one of Miss Meadows's kitchen drawers, you still wouldn't be the sharpest of us, and I can prove it to you," Brer Terrapin said with a chuckle. "Let's have a look at our evidence, and the group will decide who's smarter, me or you."
Brer Fox sneered at Brer Terrapin, getting angrier by the second. "Well I guess you can try. I promised Miss Meadows I wouldn't start any fights today, so I won't try to kill you for arguin' with me."
Brer Terrapin smiled mischievously at Brer Fox.
"Why, that's my principle evidence, Brer Fox! Last week, you got angry with me for helpin' Brer Rabbit, you see, and for my trouble you tried to drown me in the creek. I escaped you by foolin' you into thinkin' you had a hold of a root and not my tail. If you were the sharpest of us, you would'a known what you had, and I wouldn'a been able to talk you out of it. Plus, the frogs on the bank tricked you into thinkin' your reflection in the water was a new friend for you to meet, and you didn't realize the fox you were seein' was you until you fell into the creek and got all wet. You remember all that?" said Brer Terrapin.
Brer Fox's already red fur grew darker with embarrassment and shame.
The other animals nodded along with Brer Terrapin, saying "Brer Terrapin is so smart" and "that fox has no wits about him at all."
Brer Rabbit, particularly, delighted in the shaming of his arch nemesis.
"Brer Fox, do you remember when you tried to play dead so that I would come to your house in pity and you could finally catch me? I walked into your room, saw you layin' there prone on the bed, and said, He can't be dead, because dead people raise up one leg and shout WAHOO when they die, and you actually believed me and did it? Have you never seen a dead person before? Dead people can't move or talk, they're DEAD, Brer Fox!" Brer Rabbit exclaimed, breaking into peals of laughter, slapping his knee.
All of the animals but Brer Fox erupted in laughter, and Brer Fox grew redder than ever.
"Do you remember that time-" Brer Buzzard started, but he was cut off by Brer Fox.
"OKAY. Fine. You win this time, Brer Terrapin. I ain't the smartest of us," Brer Fox growled, leaning back in his rocking chair and crossing his arms. He glared into the fire, probably wishing he could throw some of the animals seated around it into the boiling pot of molasses.
Brer Terrapin smiled.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hey there! I hope you enjoyed my story for this week. This week, I read about Brer Rabbit and all of his neighbors. For my story, I used the story "Mr. Terrapin Shows his Strength." In the original story, all the animals gather at Miss Meadows house to make candy, and while they sit around the fire they start talking about who is best at certain things. When Brer Bear mentions he's the strongest of them all, Brer Terrapin challenges him, and ultimately shows the animals that he is stronger than Brer Bear (by cheating, nonetheless). For my story, I kept the original beginning but I made it so that Brer Terrapin challenged Brer Fox instead. I included some information from other stories I read about Brer Fox throughout the week as evidence that Brer Fox is not as smart as he claims to be.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings," by Joel Chandler Harries. Web Source: Untextbook.
Miss Meadows told the animals that, before they could enter her house, they all had to make a truce with one another for the night. There would be no fighting or pranking or mischief in her backyard-- she didn't want to risk them ruining her candy or tearing up her house. Of course, everyone agreed, and set to helping Miss Meadows get the molasses boiling.
After nearly all the candy-making work was done, the animals sat around the fire in the backyard, watching the molasses boil. Because a get-together wasn't complete without a little bickering and competition, some of the animals started debating which animal was best. Brer Terrapin, who usually had something to say about everything, was unusually quiet.
"I'm the fastest of us," said Brer Rabbit. No one argued with him, because they knew he was quick. Brer Terrapin rocked silently in his chair.
"I'm the most servigorous," said Brer Wolf. A few of the animals had no idea what that meant, so they didn't argue. Brer Terrapin continued rocking.
"I'm the strongest of us," said Brer Bear. A few of the animals shrugged, and Brer Terrapin said nothing.
"I'm the sharpest of all of us," said Brer Fox. A few of the animals rolled their eyes, not wishing to argue.
Brer Terrapin snorted and shook his head.
"Brer Fox, if we was all knives in one of Miss Meadows's kitchen drawers, you still wouldn't be the sharpest of us, and I can prove it to you," Brer Terrapin said with a chuckle. "Let's have a look at our evidence, and the group will decide who's smarter, me or you."
Brer Fox sneered at Brer Terrapin, getting angrier by the second. "Well I guess you can try. I promised Miss Meadows I wouldn't start any fights today, so I won't try to kill you for arguin' with me."
Brer Terrapin smiled mischievously at Brer Fox.
"Why, that's my principle evidence, Brer Fox! Last week, you got angry with me for helpin' Brer Rabbit, you see, and for my trouble you tried to drown me in the creek. I escaped you by foolin' you into thinkin' you had a hold of a root and not my tail. If you were the sharpest of us, you would'a known what you had, and I wouldn'a been able to talk you out of it. Plus, the frogs on the bank tricked you into thinkin' your reflection in the water was a new friend for you to meet, and you didn't realize the fox you were seein' was you until you fell into the creek and got all wet. You remember all that?" said Brer Terrapin.
Brer Fox's already red fur grew darker with embarrassment and shame.
The other animals nodded along with Brer Terrapin, saying "Brer Terrapin is so smart" and "that fox has no wits about him at all."
Brer Rabbit, particularly, delighted in the shaming of his arch nemesis.
"Brer Fox, do you remember when you tried to play dead so that I would come to your house in pity and you could finally catch me? I walked into your room, saw you layin' there prone on the bed, and said, He can't be dead, because dead people raise up one leg and shout WAHOO when they die, and you actually believed me and did it? Have you never seen a dead person before? Dead people can't move or talk, they're DEAD, Brer Fox!" Brer Rabbit exclaimed, breaking into peals of laughter, slapping his knee.
All of the animals but Brer Fox erupted in laughter, and Brer Fox grew redder than ever.
"Do you remember that time-" Brer Buzzard started, but he was cut off by Brer Fox.
"OKAY. Fine. You win this time, Brer Terrapin. I ain't the smartest of us," Brer Fox growled, leaning back in his rocking chair and crossing his arms. He glared into the fire, probably wishing he could throw some of the animals seated around it into the boiling pot of molasses.
Brer Terrapin smiled.
All the animals sitting around the fire. Source: Untextbook.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hey there! I hope you enjoyed my story for this week. This week, I read about Brer Rabbit and all of his neighbors. For my story, I used the story "Mr. Terrapin Shows his Strength." In the original story, all the animals gather at Miss Meadows house to make candy, and while they sit around the fire they start talking about who is best at certain things. When Brer Bear mentions he's the strongest of them all, Brer Terrapin challenges him, and ultimately shows the animals that he is stronger than Brer Bear (by cheating, nonetheless). For my story, I kept the original beginning but I made it so that Brer Terrapin challenged Brer Fox instead. I included some information from other stories I read about Brer Fox throughout the week as evidence that Brer Fox is not as smart as he claims to be.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings," by Joel Chandler Harries. Web Source: Untextbook.
Hi Abbi,
ReplyDeleteI love your storytelling style! You have such a wonderful way of bringing the characters to life with the words you use. I liked the new elements you added to the storytelling. Having Brer Terrapin challenge the fox instead made a good twist to the story. Also, having the rabbit able to confirm his arguments made the story pretty comical. Great work!
Hey Abbi!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your story. It was definitely interesting and kept me intrigued all the way through. Sometimes I get bored with some of the stories I have to read for this class but yours was captivating. I also like how you undermined the Brer Fox to give us more information that he is not the smartest tool in the shed. I have actually heard this story before, and I really enjoyed the new twist you added. I cannot wait to read more of your stories!
Hey Abbi!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your story and your story telling style. I think you have a unique voice and it shows throughout your writings. I had heard this classic story before, but not since I was a child. I think you had a really fun take on a story that I am sure most of us are familiar with. Something about fairy tales and stories with talking animals always takes me on a nostalgia trip.