CROSSROADS Language StudioÊs Newsletter January, 2023
Peter Rabbit, created by British author Beatrix
Potter in 1893 is another, sometimes naughty andmischievous, adventurous young rabbit who mustuse his wits to get himself out of thetrouble and danger he puts himself in.
B re’r (brother) Rabbit, the main
These three rabbit characters fit
protagonist in Joel Chandler Harris’
well with the archetypal image of“Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings:
the Trickster who relies on wit, charm,
The Folk-lore of the Old Plantation”, has
cunning and even deceit to survive in an
been a well-loved character inoften hostile world. They represent a
American literature forvery ancient archetype: the rebel,
well over a century. Hist h e f r e ed om f ig ht e r , t h e no n persona is a derivation from
conformist forever elusive, escaping
traditional African folktales that
dangerand refusing to be caught
include Trickster rabbits. Those stories
or defeated. Perhaps it is for thistravelled to North America with thereason that in many cultures rabbits
slave trade and they were mixed
also
symbolize
good luck and are associatedwith Native American folktales also featuring
Trickster rabbits. Theses stories were shared with spring and rejuvenation. Take fororally among plantation workers who identified example the belief that carrying a rabbit’swith the cunning and resourceful rabbit who foot amulet will offer protection and bringseemed to always get the better of his more good luck; a practice that goespowerful antagonists, Bre’r Fox and Bre’r Bear. back to 600 BC in Europe
Some 50 years after the initial publication of and is still practiced
Uncle Remus and Bre’r Rabbit, the “Trickster” to this day in many
rabbit theme was picked up in the form of the now parts of the world.
world famous Bugs Bunny character. Bugs madeRabbit and hisEllahis début in 1930’s for Warner Brothers
in an wilder cousin Hareanimated cartoon and he is now are not always seen
one of the most internationally in such a positive light. ForPeter inJanis
recognized comic characterstrouble, again
example, in Aztec mythologyof all time. Bugs, like Bre’r
Rabbit represented not only fertility
Rabbit, is a relatively modern
but also parties, promiscuity and drunkenness! In
manifestation ofa v e r y a n c i e n t some Native American tales, Rabbit is a clown, a thief,archetype that can or lecher – an ambivalent, amoral figure dancing on
be found in many the edge of right and wrong. So what will the rabbit
cultures all over bring us this year? Whatever it is, we wish everyone…
Happy New Year!
the ancient world– the Trickster.
Bugs is cunning, charismatic,
smart and can always outwit andescape h is enemies who,
NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
invariably, are stronger…. Try our lessons on the net!
Here’s a little more on rabbits and mythology:
and more powerfulhttps://thebunnyhub.com/rabbit-symbolism/than he.

Joshua Says: The language of AI is definitely English. An article was brought
to my attention recently expressing this very concept. It was reported that many
Japanese Tech companies are now shifting operations completely over to English.
This is, primarily, to attract talented foreign staff, but this also requires theJapanese staff to use only English. It seems that the road to success is more andmore dependent on the ability to effectively use English at work in Japan.
Junko Says: A renowned gastroenterologist says a healthy plant-based diet is thebest way to lose weight, restore your health and optimize your micro biome. He says
fiber is the basis of good health, and short chain fatty acids generated from fiber are
the key. Here are some fiber rich foods: fruits, vegetables and legumes; and some of
the top probiotic foods: yogurt, sauerkraut, soft cheese, miso, kefir, sourdough breadand sour pickles. I hope this list will help support some New Year resolutions.
Marek Says: New Year is upon us and, traditionally, it`s time to treat
yourself to a resolution or two. It is quite likely that you will just rehash yourresolution from a previous year, as many of us do. Only around half of thepeople, who set themselves a new year`s resolution, manage to continue withit. Provided you have strong motivation and a genuine reason for it, yourchances of succeeding are pretty high.
Mandcy dit: Dans quelques jours, c'est la chandeleur. En effet, chaque année le 2février, les français mangent des crêpes. Le secret pour cuisiner des crêpes, c'est lerhum ! Beaucoup de rhum !! L'alcool disparaît avec la chaleur de la cuisson alorsn'hésitez pas à en utiliser beaucoup. Attention, si vous voulez manger sucré, c'est
une crêpe. Mon conseil : Nutella, chantilly, divers fruits et une boule de glace. Mais
si vous désirez avaler une crêpe salée, alors le nom change. Cela s'appelle unegalette. Mon conseil : jambon, fromage, oignon et salade. Bon appétit !Bon appétit !!
1

ACROSS
3 the main character in a work of fiction
6 coming from the source or origin
7 jewelry worn for protection
9 difficult to catch
12 misleading, fraudulent
13 without any change
16 rivals, enemies
18 playfully annoying
19 be smarter than
20 original model
DOWN
1 at the beginning, first2 unfriendly, an enemy
15
4 restoring to a youthful condition16
5 clear appearance
8 skillful, deceptive
10 uncertain which way to proceed
11 very charming and attractive
14 surface personality
15 bad behavior
17 clever, intelligent thinking (print version here)

2

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How much do you know about rabbits?Here’s a Rabbit Quiz to start theNew Year off with.
1. What kind of sound do rabbits make when they are happy?
2. How do they make that sound?
3. What vegetable isn’t part of a rabbit’s normal diet?
4. What do we call a baby rabbit?
5. How high can an averagerabbit jump?
6. When a rabbit is very
happy, it will hop and twist
in the air. What is this called?

Choose your answers here:
1. They: a) purr like a cat; b)bark like a dog; c) grunt
like a pig.
2. a) exhale air; b) grind theirteeth; c) thump their feet.
3. a) hay; b) lettuce; c) carrot.
4. a) a pup; b) a joey; c) a kit.

7. In the wild, rabbits live
in ___ ?
8. What is a female rabbit
called?
9. Rabbit’s teeth ____ ?
10. What is a male rabbit called?
B
L A V AI M P E R C E P T I B L E
MODADESI N E F F E C T I V EVSLVE R A D I C A T E
ESNTF L O R ATGESARUPITF A U N A
PP R E T T I F Y I N GLAUOYNLSRPGYSI N V A S I V EVUUN
D O R M A N T
M
H A R D I N E S S
SITIT O X I CNB O T A N I C A L
GYY

5. a) 50cm; b) 90cm; c) 120cm.
6. a) flip; b) joust; c) binky.
7. a) dens; b) tunnels; c) warrens.
8. a) a sow; b) a doe; c) a fawn.
9. a) never stop growing; b)
can break easily; c) fall out
and are replaced when they
are young.
10. a) a buck; b) a stag; c) bobby.

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSS
2 produced by volcanoes
4 impossible to detect
6 useless, hopeless
8 remove or destroy
completely
9 all plant life
12 all animal life
14 making more beautiful
15 penetrate, assault intrude
harmfully
17 inactive
18 being strong, healthy
19 poisonous
20 relating to plants

DOWN
1 variation of plant andanimal life
3 gathering together
5 causing extensivedestruction
7 to or from the side
10 humble, modest
11 tendency to do something
13 go in search of
16 to a great extent

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