<P> The Tar - Baby is the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1880; it is about a doll made of tar and turpentine used by the villainous Br'er Fox to entrap Br'er Rabbit . The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar - Baby, the more entangled he becomes . </P> <P> In modern usage, tar baby refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional involvement with it . </P> <P> In one tale, Br'er Fox constructs a doll out of a lump of tar and dresses it with some clothes . When Br'er Rabbit comes along, he addresses the tar "baby" amiably, but receives no response . Br'er Rabbit becomes offended by what he perceives as the tar baby's lack of manners, punches it and, in doing so, becomes stuck . The more Br'er Rabbit punches and kicks the tar baby out of rage, the worse he gets stuck . </P> <P> Now that Br'er Rabbit is stuck, Br'er Fox ponders how to dispose of him . The helpless but cunning Br'er Rabbit pleads, "Do anything you want with me--- roas' me, hang me, skin me, drown me--- but please, Br'er Fox, don't fling me in dat brier - patch," prompting the sadistic Br'er Fox to do exactly that because he gullibly believes it will inflict the maximum pain on Br'er Rabbit . As rabbits are at home in thickets, however, the resourceful Br'er Rabbit escapes . </P>

What is brer rabbit's initial reaction when he encounters the tar-baby