The complete stories of Uncle Rasmus by Joel Chandler Harris

This edition The complete tales of Uncle Rasmus has all of Harris' animal tales
plus, tales of witches, magic, and superstition. It is the best American Childrens
book ever written! And for everyone who is interested in the folklore and literary
heritage of the United States

Harris' Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf and other animals will make you laugh,
while giving a little more wisdom, with a central moral to each tale although the
animal characters do not always put these into practice. Uncle Remus at the end of
each tale reminds the reader of the difference between right and wrong. Completely
different from the other stories during this time period.

The complete tales of Uncle Rasmus is not merely as a collection of African-

American folklore. It is a valuable study of the dialect originated among enslaved
Africans in the American South. The Southern African-American "Gullah" dialect of
the 19th century being originally of an oral tradition, reading the tales aloud
helps make the dialect more understandable than just reading it silently.

These animal tales were banned in the late sixties from many schools and libraries
for being racist, Uncle Remus an exslave, who narrates each tale uses the "n" word
(not cursing, but as a discription of himself).

However the real reason for controvesy, is mainly due to the character Uncle Remus
1880 cover illustration which is considered to be a racial stereotype. The other
illustrations of Frederick Church, A.B. Frost, and the other artists are quite
fantastic, helping the reader imerge into the stories.

Harris didn’t choose the illustrator of the book, however, he did choose to use
Uncle Rasmus as the narrater of the tales.

In creating him, Harris secretly, let a different kind of thinking into the white
19th-century America. It must be remembered that Harris was writing under
constraints, ie censorship. Thousands of readers wouldn't have read or laughed,
had they recognized the subtle workings of Harris's mind.

In WHY THE NEGRO IS BLACK the little boy is told what White, Southern American
Christians of the time would never utter. The origin of the races story. Uncle
Remus tells him "we 'uz all niggers tergedder, en 'cordin' ter all de 'counts w'at
I years", the little boy who thinks it is a joke, but he is telling the truth.
Didn't mankind begin in Africa and then travelled to India and elsewhere?

Surely, if the Uncle Remus character has something to teach the little boy, Harris,
equally, would be was every bit as skilled at disguising his teachings to his
white, southern, 19th century readers.”

Folklore preserved African heritage on the plantation. The slaves used these animal
tales to disguise their hidden emotions towards the slaveholders and changed from
them from animal to human. Brer Rabbit became the slave and Brer bear the
Plantation Owner. These tales helped slaves celebrate success over the slaveholder,
secretly. Not only did these tales give the slave an area of life independent of
his master's control, they also were important devices for repressing anger and
projecting aggression with no physical threat, and also a form of enterainment. By
placing their lives in the folk tales, the slave was in a psychologically better
state to cope with them.

These tales were infused with serious messages to educate and socialize slave
children to survive on the plantation and to maintain a strong appreciation of
their African heritage. African folktales taught children how to act within the
slave home and community. African folktales were especially important during an era
when reading and
writing were illegal in Southern states

The goal of African folktales has always been to transfer tales from one generation
to the next to not only keep memories alive, but, most importantly, to espouse a
rational message about life on the plantation. These tales teach valuable lessons
about African-centered morals, values, customs and traditions with the purpose of
preserving the African way of life.

The complete tales of Uncle Rasmus provides a new and unique scenario for Brer
Rabbit to use his cunning to gain the upper hand over Brer Wolf, Brer Fox, etc. or
simply to entertain himself.

Some of the morals included in the tales include that one should never be too proud
to ask for help, not to tolerate laziness, theft, avoid gullibility, when to
retreat, accomplishing a goal without brute force, anything can be accomplished
with a sharp mind and of course how to combat daily racism

Brer Rabbit never loses a physical fight, nor is he outsmarted which allows him to
become the dominant character in this society filled with foxes, wolves, and even
much larger bears.

Classic stories for children and adults. Many of the Brer Rabbit stories have
surprise endings. Brer Rabbit usually finds himself in an unusual and seemingly
unavoidable jam, but in the end he always seems to find a way out of it and even to
turn the tables around on Brer Fox. With all of these well thought out literary
nuances, the author does a great job in capturing the audience in these colorful
tales of Brer Rabbit.

☀ However I must remind everybody, these are the original tales and the the "n"
word in every story.