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October 17, 1999Uncle Remus Tale Explains Gov. Whitman's EntreatyAesop, the Greek writer of 550 B.C.E., is well remembered for developing fables whereby talking animals illustrate moral judgments. Nearly forgotten is Joel Chandler Harris, an American editorial writer who in the late 1880s brought the art form to its peak through the medium of a former slave. Uncle Remus, Chandler's alter ego, was an elderly, respected African-American yardman who had spent the largest part of his life as a plantation field hand. Harris wrote that in the evenings Uncle Remus was welcome to come into his employer's home, sit by the kitchen fire and enjoy some special leftover from the white family's supper. During these interludes, he told folk tales to the seven-year-old Little Boy of the house. Your present day writer -- filling this space every Sunday with relatively recent history -- also doubles as an editorialist. It is a reaction to an editorial column that inspires today's "Our Fascinating Past." After noting that New Jersey Gov. Christy Todd Whitman had declared she was not interested in running for president, I opined: "All she asks is not to throw her into a briar patch." Several young readers were puzzled about the briar patch reference. It is apparent they had not read the classic Uncle Remus stories. Folk tales written in dialect have gone out of style. That literary device is hard to read unless you have been exposed to the real thing -- or are adroit at hearing speech in your mind by letter sounds rather than recognizing it by word forms. The briar patch admonition was the punch ending of Harris' most popular two-part story titled "The Wonderful Tar-Baby" and "How Mr. Rabbit Was Too Sharp for Mr. Fox." A few years ago there was some criticism that the Uncle Remus stories were racist inasmuch. His speech was seen to be slave-related. The Tar-Baby was perceived to be a black caricature. The criticism sparked a fuller reading of Uncle Remus's tales. The consensus of the general public - black and white - now is that Harris has accurately captured the wit, wisdom and generous spirit of the Africans of his day in the deep south. The Tar-baby is black because that is the color of the sticky material --- then commonly available -- of which it is constructed. The dialect is that of both uneducated blacks and whites of the time. The stories reflect more influence from Aesop than from African roots. In any event, the dialect and subject matter are historically accurate. Those who would see these qualities as demeaning, can appreciate the strength of character portrayed that enabled former slaves to overcome their plight. Harris was a 12-year-old boy in the little town of Hillsborough, Georgia, when the civil war started. He and his mother were abandoned by his day-laborer father before he was born. Mother and son struggled to make ends meet. His most enjoyable past time was going to the post office after school to read unclaimed newspapers and magazines. Consequently his grasp of literature and current events was unusual for someone of his age. These qualities enabled him to get a job as a "printer's devil" (type sorter and press tender) for the weekly "Countryman" newspaper. Young Harris also submitted humorous pieces to his paper, and these were widely reprinted by other newspaper "exchanges." This gained him considerable recognition. He joined the Atlanta Constitution in 1876. There he divided his time between writing editorials urging southerners to "reconstruct" their racial attitudes, and penning dialect stories humorously sympathetic to "Negro" character. Throughout his career, Harris insisted his stories were true recollections of former slaves and "uncooked" - that is, not slanted by him for political effect. Linguists marvel at his ability to capture dialect so accurately. Harris' popularity soared as that of Samuel Clemmons (Mark Twain) tapered off in old age. Both are considered American literary giants who reflected the changing relationships of whites and blacks during a critical period of our history. In the famous Uncle Remus story following, listen to the sounds of words. A bit of translation will help you get started. Brer means Brother. Hatter means have to. Dish year means this here. Bimeby means by and by. Twel means til. Gwine means going. Sezee means says he. * * *
Author: Lindsey Williams cutline - 3 col. drawing Original illustration from "Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings" [ "Bred and bawn in a briarpatch, Brer Fox - bred en bawn in a brierpatch." 000000 END 00000 |