father son holy rabbit essay

Summaries, Analysis & Lists

“Father, Son, Holy Rabbit” Summary: Stephen Graham Jones Short Story Plot Synopsis

“Father, Son, Holy Rabbit” is a short story of survival by Stephen Graham Jones. It’s about a father and son who get lost in a snow storm in the woods and the desperate measures the father takes to keep his son alive. If you’re not familiar with the story, be warned that it could be disturbing . It can be found in The New Black: A Neo-Noir Anthology . Here’s a summary of “Father, Son, Holy Rabbit”.

“Father, Son, Holy Rabbit” Summary

It’s a father and son’s third day lost in a snow storm. They’ve lost track of their camp, truck and the highway. They’re eating snow now. The father also eats seed and pine needles, an image that comes to the boy years later at a job interview. The father only has a knife on him.

They’re staying in a dry spot under a tree but it’s still windy. They hit each other in the face to stay awake. After falling asleep once, the boy wakes to his father crying and rubbing him to get the blood flowing. He tells his dad about a rabbit he dreamed of.

When the boy wakes up again later that day, his dad is gone. The boy follows the tracks until they get confused. His father finds him that night and they stay under another tree.

The next morning they make their way back to the first tree. The father is thinking of the rabbit. They see tracks in the snow. The father carves their initials into the trunk of the tree. That night, the father sets off with a sharpened branch to look for the rabbit, whom the boy has named Slaney. The boy sees his mother’s name has been added to the tree.

Hours later, the father returns covered with snow. He has the rabbit. He cuts it open and they eat it in chunks, without chewing. They throw the rabbit skin away. The boy throws up in his sleep and eats it again before his father wakes up.

The next day, they stay in their spot under the tree. The day after, the father sets out again with a stick. He comes back empty-handed and with one leg frozen from breaking through the creek.

When they wake up during the night, they see a rabbit about twenty feet away. The father takes off in pursuit but returns an hour later with nothing. The father adds a cartoon rabbit carving to the tree, with the name “Slaney” underneath.

“Father, Son, Holy Rabbit” Summary, Cont’d

The next time they wake up, the father goes out again. The boy climbs the tree and sleeps. His father returns with a rabbit, already cut open. He pulls out a long sliver of meat for the boy. They put the skin where they had put the last one. It has the same coloring.

The next morning, the skin is gone. The man uses his stick to stand and goes out looking again. Four hours later he returns with a rabbit like last time, already cut open with the guts eaten. The boy has the stringy meat. The father’s soaked to the hips from the creek.

The next morning, the father takes a second branch and uses them like ski poles to walk. He comes back thirty minutes later with another rabbit—it was just standing there. The boy’s meat isn’t as bloody and he can chew it now.

The father throws up that night. The boy pretends not to see. He tells his dad not to go out today, claiming he’s not hungry.

He has to go out the next day. The storm has broken and the birds are out. The boy hopes the rabbit won’t be on the other side of the creek this time, but his father comes back wet to the hips again. His whole front is bloodstained.

The boy eats. The father falls over trying to sit down. They sleep for a while. The boy wakes to scratchy voices like from a radio but they stop. His father doesn’t get up today. Looking at tracks in the melting snow, the boy tears the back of his pants because of dried blood from his father.

Sometime that night, a tired man in flannel with a flashlight finds them. Other men arrive and check on his father’s leg injuries. He looks away. When his father stands using the poles, the boy sees his tattered pants and legs from where the meat was cut. He starts moving into the woods.

The boy pulls away from the rescuers and digs in the snow, but there’s nothing there. He’s rescued that day, but a part of him stays in the woods. The interviewer eats a handful of sunflower seeds and asks what he’s written for a name—Slade? Slake? He reaches across and delicately thumps the man’s cheek, pretending he doesn’t see the small brown rabbit outside.

Some woods are so big, you can never find your way out.

I hope this summary of “Father, Son, Holy Rabbit” by Stephen Graham Jones was helpful.

A historic archive: 9 Years of Short Story Features, Expertise and Support for the Form

A Story You Must Read At Least Twice

A STORY YOU MUST READ AT LEAST TWICE: ‘FATHER, SON, HOLY RABBIT’

by KATHLEEN H. STORY

Stephen Graham Jones’ short story ‘Father, Son, Holy Rabbit’ is a highly recommended read, and I will guarantee that you cannot read it just the once. By the end of the first reading you will ask yourself, Wait, did I get that right? and you will have to read it again. And if you are not yet a parent and later become one, you will want to read it at least a third time – although it might scare you to do so. By then you will realise how powerful your love is for your child, which will make you consider just how far you are willing to go to save its life.

Parents often say they would give their left arm or even their life to save their children. That they could kill anyone who tries to harm them. But would they really? This story will force you to question yourself.

The story will haunt you with vivid mental pictures, snow white and blood red in colour, and it will pull you in directions you won’t want to go. And if you have a weak stomach, it could well make you nauseous. For it involves eating a great deal of red raw meat – and vomiting it up again.

In the story, father and son are lost in the snowy woods without food. The father is anxious to find sustenance to keep the young boy alive when he resorts to feeding his son raw rabbit meat. Here, the boy wakes to see the bloody mess he has vomited on the ground:

[the boy] turned to his see if his father had seen what he’d done, how he’d betrayed him. His father was sleeping. The boy lay back down, forced the rabbit back into his mouth then angled his arm over his lips, so he wouldn’t lose his food again.

After several such feasts, the father needs two sticks to get around and has to sit with his legs out straight. You must read for yourself. I merely hint at the shocking ending.

Where should this story be placed on the short story menu: is it a moral lesson, a twist ending tale, a scary story, a cliffhanger, or fantasy? Nearly all stories encompass a problem and a solution of some kind. Twist endings seem most entertaining, with readers looking for clues to determine where the story is taking them. With this story, though, it will be startlingly impressive if you correctly envision the path it takes. At less than 2,600 words in length, your reading pace will quicken as you sprint through their ordeal to discover the characters’ fates.

The writer’s language is crisp and energy-filled, despite there being little dialogue between the two main characters and the descriptive action with a rabbit which the boy names Slaney. At times you will question what is factual and what is fanciful for a certain amount of delirium is expected in a story focusing on cold and half-starved humans. At one point the boy sleeping by his father wakes to voices he hears on a scratchy radio. He looks out and sees Slaney’s rabbit skin in the snow:

The boy crawled out to it, studied it, wasn’t sure how Slaney could be out there already, reforming, all its muscle growing back, and be here too. But maybe it only worked if you didn’t watch. The boy scooped snow onto the blood-matted coat, curled up by his father again.

The father carves his and his son’s initials into the tree harbouring them, followed by the boy’s mother’s name, and finally a picture of the rabbit, Slaney. It is an act whose twin messages seems portentous, a creation by a hopeless man who anticipates imminent death. He is acutely concerned for both his son’s state of mind and the effect of their disappearance on his wife. Firstly, the picture of Slaney is the father’s attempt to amuse, occupy, and encourage his son, drawing the boy’s attention away from his fears and reinforcing the conviction that the magical rabbit is aiding them. The boy, however, is left waiting by a tree while his father seeks food. One time, when his father doesn’t return ‘for nearly a day’, he climbs up into a tree, ‘then higher, as high as he could, until the wind could reach him’, and there he falls asleep. When his father finally returns, he ‘reached up with his stick, tapped him awake. Like a football in the crook of his arm was the rabbit. It was bloody and wonderful, already cut open.’

Secondly, the father carves and then repeatedly circles his wife’s name to reassure her that, if they do not survive, their last thoughts were of her. Her carved name also enshrouds father and son with their love for her during this life-and-death nightmare. The boy runs his fingertips over the carving and brings the taste to his mouth, gathering his mother to himself like a security blanket. With mother beside them, their family complete, everything will be okay.

When asked what makes good writing Jones has said that a story comes alive when the reader identifies with a character who seems real and who acts as the reader’s ‘prose avatar’, encouraging him to ask What would I do? Jones also says that for him, writing fiction is like acting on a page instead of a stage: “It’s creating this made-up place and stepping into it, believing it, and that’s how the characters become real – they’re all you.”

Jones states that he writes stories that matter to him, and that he crafts them like art, going over them until they are cleaned and sculpted “toward a very specific purpose.” He aims, he says, for blind-leap endings, hoping there’s a ledge in the dark space. Just wait until you hit that ledge at the end of the dark space in ‘Father, Son, Holy Rabbit.’

Although a relatively new writer, Jones has published hundreds of short stories and eleven novels. He has won many awards, and is an English professor on the MFA programme at the University of Colorado Boulder and UCR–Palm Desert, and lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, son, and daughter.

‘Father, Son, Holy Rabbit’ is included in the anthology The New Black , a collection of thirteen ‘neo-noir’ short stories, published by Dark House Press. Read more about this talented, prolific dark author on his website, http://www.demontheory.net/ , on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SGJ72 , and on Facebook at stephengrahamjones.

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Off the page and into our lives, fifty pounds by weight in ashes, by the mouth and for the ear, teleological cinema: film as language in arrival, hanging on to dear life, editor interviews: rebecca o’connor, the moth, what i feel when i talk about short stories, alive and dreaming wide awake, food in exile, editor interviews: sean preston, open pen, venus and mars on a winter break.

Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., ed . The Faster Redder Road: The Best UnAmerican Stories of Stephen Graham Jones . University of New Mexico Press, 2015.

http://unmpress.com/books.php?ID=20000000006088

Billy J. Stratton, ed . The Fictions of Stephen Graham Jones: A Critical Companion . University of New Mexico Press, 2016.

http://unmpress.com/books.php?ID=20000000005880&Page=book

"I don't know if it's about visiting another world, a dream world. I think what it's about is the fact that the world doesn't make sense to me. But I can write a story that's twenty-four pages long, and for those twenty-four pages I can make the world make sense. I need those injections of the world making sense. It allows me to fake my way through this world that doesn't make sense." Stephen Graham Jones, The Fictions of Stephen Graham Jones (17).

From red ford trucks to teenage Halloween horror, and from West Texas to Montana, Stephen Graham Jones writes complicated and affective narratives about the American West. As editor of The Faster Redder Road , Theodore Van Alst Jr. explains that Jones is an author who 'can wrench your gut with horror and humor, leave you wandering and wondering, and ultimately make you ask for more hours in the day' (xvi). In this collected anthology of Jones's work, Van Alst has worked hard to include some of Jones's most exciting and challenging writing. He brings together a wide breath of Jones's previously published work ranging from eight novel extracts to 27 short stories. Some works that appear in both Van Alst's collection and Billy J. Strat ton's The Fictions of Stephen Graham Jones include The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong , "Captivity Narrative 109", The Long Trial of Nolan Bugatti , Demon Theory , It Came from Del Rio , and The Last Final Girl . If you have never read Jones, The Faster Redder Road is the place to start.

Part of the draw of this collection is Van Alst's introduction, where he sheds light on Jones's ability to write stories that explore more than what it means to be 'Indian in the twenty-first century' (xvi). He joyfully points out that 'finally, finally, when I read these stories, unless I am told otherwise, all of the characters are Indian. But best of all, very best of all, they're incidentally Indian'( xiv). This collection is as diverse as some of Jones's influences, which include Gerald Vizenor, Bret Easton Ellis, Louise Erdrich , Phillip K. Dick, and Stephen King. 'Infused with nostalgia', we travel with Jones to convenience stores, diners, playgrounds, and high schools (xvi). Reading like an all-access behind the scenes pass, Jones's story notes appear at the end of each narrative and explain Jones's writing techniques and thoughts when writing a particular character, place, or memory.

Two notable narratives that make us feel, as Van Alst explains, like we 'can't look away' or 'get away' are "So Perfect" and The Last Final Girl (xvi). "So Perfect " illustrates two murderous teenage girls and a gruesome tick infestation that is sure to make you queasy. Set on Halloween night, The Last Final Girl features a murderer in a Michael Jackson mask and turns the slasher genre on its head. Another of my favorites is "To Run Without Falling" a story of a 14-year-old boy and his friends' injurious teenage nights at a playground, where blood mixes with gravel and 'seesaws greased so quiet that we had to make up for it by screaming our presence, that we existed' (108). One of the most disturbing stories is "Father, Son, Holy Rabbit", which hauntingly portrays a father and son lost on a hunting trip. In a snowy wilderness, species boundaries are challenged as a father's love for his son turns deadly. Also, consider this from truck stop narrative "Paleogenesis, Circa 1970", one of the list stories in the collection: "This is how I say rain, in little grey drops of noise that roll down the face of the page, a silent patter that has been falling for years. But it's not raining now. Listen. This is how I say truck stop: a finger of neon light on the horizon; the feel of idling rigs in the stained concrete; the smell of diesel, grease, chiliburger, toys bought that will someday be the only thing a child has left" (135 ) . Followed by Jones's story note: "This one's just me sitting in a booth. Or, "me," I should say" (142). This is just one example of Jones bleeding onto the page as what he calls his shadow self. This is elaborated upon further by Jones in The Fictions of Stephen Graham Jones .

As editor of the critical essay collection, Stratton has orchestrated a timely and well-focused collection on an author whose work has previously not been given the scholarly attention it deserves. Reflecting on the ever-multiplying works of Jones and the variety of genres that he deploys, Stratton anchors the collection with an essay by Jones himself "Letter to a Just-Starting-Out Indian Writer— and Maybe to Myself". As an invitation to 'come for the icing, stay for the cake', Stratton's introduction hits right to the core of Jones's allure—empathy. It is precisely Jones's intense 'emotional core' and the authenticity of his work that pulls us as readers into each page (20). This is followed closely by a standout piece in the form of an interview with Jones titled "Observations of the Shadow Self". In the interview, Jones says when writing fiction he always is 'looking over at that shadow self, that other self that could have been' (21). Referring to his characters as his shadow selves, he says 'the way I make them real is by saying they're me'( 21-22).

Genre bending and fusing 'literary territories' with memory, Jones's human and more-than-human characters resist categorization and often reveal the blurred boundaries between the living and the dead (4). Jones's fiction involves many forms ranging from 'slipstream, thriller, sci-fi, horror, detective fiction, the graphic novel, film treatments, short stories, microfiction, and even blogging' (4). As Frances Washburn notes, Jones 's novels ' rupture ' American Indian literature in the sense that he writes in a genre that is his own (68). Jones has done countless interviews, many of which can be found on his site demontheory.net , and Stratton's interview reveals the 'dark pathways' and the major themes of Jones work (259). He has organized the collection into three main sections, each centered on Jones's dialogue with survivance, history, and genre. I focus on a few selected essays that illustrate the diversity of Jones's writing.

Welcoming us into the 'brave red world' of Jones, Stratton's love and dedication to Jones's work is apparent (402). His chapter stands out amongst the strongest of the collection and he points us towards the unique nature of Jones's work at every turn. Focusing on Jones's first novel The Fast Red Road , Stratton points out Jones's ability to lead the reader 'into territories beyond the belief to face the mystery of storytelling and what it can teach us' (107). As a postmodern gothic, The Fast Red Road layers conventions common to genre fiction whilst illuminating the spectral hauntings of colonial invasion from West Texas to New Mexico. There is a particularly succinct comparative exploration of The Fast Red Road and Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, which illustrates Jones's deconstruction of meaning and postmodernist influences. Intertextuality is central to Stratton's chapter and much of Jones's work. Also exploring Jones's postmodern fiction, Kristina Baudemann explains how Jones 's formatting is postmodern creating 'a sense of direction, metafiction, and diff érance ' (161).

Birgit Däwes's insightful chapter on The Bird is Gone uniquely explores the detective narrative perspective, ecological themes, and Jones's speculative future where the Great Plains is returned back into 'Indian Territories' (134). She is quick to point out that this novel is 'a Rubik's Cube' that has to be twisted and turned many times in order to tie together the narrative streams (68). John Gamber's chapter, which follows D¨wes's, is also on The Bird is Gone , and offers an in-depth analysis of the legal implications of land re-allocation in Jones's novel. Pinpointing the central current of the novel, he asks 'what if Native American proprietorship were suddenly recognized by the United States' (133). He successfully argues how Jones further complicates the notion of wilderness space through the mythos of the Great Plains and the frontier offering an insight into contemporary Native land issues (135). Both Däwes and Gamber break down what is known as one of Jones's 'least accessible novels' with a zeal that proves that The Bird is Gone is worth exploring (116).

Analysis of Jones's novels are covered extensively but the sections dedicated to his short stories illuminate why more attention should be paid to Jones's 200 plus short stories. Chris LaLonde's "Cryptic Portrayals" discusses the short story collection Bleed Into Me . Noting that when reading Jones 'one is rarely far from death' (218). A. Robert Lee also discusses a few of Jones's short story collections together in "Dark Illumination". Notable here are some of Lee's readings from The Ones That Got Away ; his short analysis of 'Monsters', which involves a young boy's summer vacation, a cadaver dog, and a vampire, underlines why 'memory again becomes haunt'( 266). Lee pinpoints the often cyclical nature of Jones's writing and reveals how he transforms the most ordinary situation into a nightmare.

The third and final section of the book deals with Jones's genre fiction, and builds on earlier discussions. Van Alst explores the Old West and the New West in "Lapin Noir: To Del Rio It Went". Describing It Came from Del Rio as 'literary noir' and 'Texas twisted', he offers an analysis of the novel alongside films such as Repo Man , Touch of Evil , and Navajo Joe (328). Rebecca M. Lush discusses two of Jones's more recent novels, The Last Final Girl and Zombie Bake-Off , in her contribution "Dead Celebrities and Horror Archetypes". Layered with zombie apocalypse, horror, and humor, Lush's analysis develops an understanding of Jones's engagement with horror and pop culture. Although Jones's more recent horror works deal less explicitly with Native themes, Lush notes that 'the Native is never too far around the proverbial corner' (306). She delivers a reading of Jones's horror and speculative fiction that demonstrates his deconstruction of classic horror tropes. As Jones disrupts narrative conventions of the horror genre, Lush shows how Jones engages with the slasher theme and zombies in order to flesh out how the boundaries between life and death remain tenuous.

  Bookending Stratton's collection is Grace L. Dillon's mediation on Native slipstream and science fiction "Native Slipstream: Blackfeet Physics in The Fast Red Road ". She explores The Fast Red Road , where time bends and realities blur. The novel reads as an Indian road trip narrative with a 'Native shuffle step' that switches between time periods (352). Dillon defines Native slipstream as alternative and multiple realities that promote 'cultural, economic, and environmental sustainabilities for self-determining Indigenous peoples' (344). She also links quantum physics and Indigenous futurism to the theme of the 'Native Glitch', where 'a series of defining moments or characters in Native history' are destined to repeat in an 'endless loop' (351). Demonstrating the relationship between speculative fiction, time-travel, and Native fiction, Dillon argues that these conventions are 'central to Native epistemologies' (345). Finished with over 20 pages of manuscript pages with Jones's notes scribbled in the margins, a glossary of terms, and an excerpt from the graphic novel of Demon Theory, this collection skilfully brings together essays that prove the many ways that Jones makes sense of living in the twenty-first century.

Entering the world of Stephen Graham Jones is an otherworldly experience and his characters live on in your mind long after the book closes. When read together, these collections insist upon how relatable and experimental Jones's fiction is. Reading Jones is certain to hot-wire your sight but, as both Van Alst and Stratton's collections show, the vision may not be quite what you had expected. Anything will happen; we just have to be brave enough to turn the page.

Nadhia Grewal, Goldsmiths University of London

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Father, Son, Holy Rabbit

Sep 10, 2020

Paul Michael Anderson ( Standalone ) joins us to discuss ska, She-Ra, and Stephen Graham Jones! We also talk about Max Booth III's latest novel, Touch the Night , Nicole Cushing's A Sick Gray Laugh , and several Grindhouse Press releases from Patrick Lacey, Scott Cole, and CV Hunt. Then, we take a deep, spoilerific dive into Jones' short story, "Father, Son, Holy Rabbit."

The theme music, "Insidious," was created by Purple Planet Music and is used here under the terms of a Creative  Commons Attribution License 3.0 .

Music:  https://www.purple-planet.com

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Staring Into The Abyss podcast is a round-table discussion of all things horror. Join hosts and authors Richard Gerlach, Matt Brandenburg, and Villimey Mist as they discuss a horror story of the week, along with the latest releases in horror films, television, games, and literature every Thursday.

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Storyville: Endings, Twisted and Otherwise

• fiction writing

The alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end; this is what you need to think about when writing a short story or novel. Whether you plot out your stories in excruciating detail or start with an idea and just run with it, the way you end your story will help people determine whether it's a good one or a bad one. Endings need to be fulfilling, they need to resonate—they need to stay with the reader long after the story is over. But how do you do that? That’s what we’re talking about this week, endings that matter—twisted and otherwise.

An iceberg is a massive piece of ice, and only the tip of it is seen above water. That’s why the Titanic was sunk; the majority of the body of ice was underwater and it ruptured the hull of the ship. You need to think about every word in your opening paragraph, because it will be your story, it will expand to fill the pages. If the opening line mentions a cat, then that cat better be an important part of your story. If your opening paragraph touches on that cat, a family moving, and a highway that runs alongside the farm, heavy trucks rumbling past, casting a shadow of doom over the page, then I think you know where that story is going, right? Do you know what story I’m talking about? I’m talking about Pet Sematary .

You need to set your audience up. Whether you are writing a 500-word bit of flash fiction or an epic series, you need to plant that seed. Here’s a great opening line, one of my favorites, and it really gives you a clue as to what is to come, the essence of the series:

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”

That’s from The Gunslinger by Stephen King. In that one line you can see the desert, a man fleeing, and a gunslinger (is this a western? Science fiction?) chasing after him. That image is burned into your mind and will sit there forever. It is the purpose of the gunslinger, Roland, to pursue—it is his essence.

So while you may not know your ending when you are starting your story, that opening paragraph will help to direct you. Don’t talk about anything that isn’t crucial to your story, and your ending, in the opening lines. If you mention a dead wife, you better address it in the story, and the ending should relate to it. If you mention an impending asteroid hurtling toward planet Earth, then we better have some resolution. Here’s another excellent one, from Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door :

“You think you know about pain?”

That is such a great set-up. The story that follows is all about pain and boy, what a hook.

FULFILLMENT THROUGH RESOLUTION

The ending to your story has to be satisfying. Where a lot of people fail to do this is in resolving their conflicts. If a man is out to exact revenge against the thugs that killed his wife, well, there better be some vengeance, right? And not only does he have to find these evil men and hurt them, kill them, but it must be done in a way that is above and beyond what happened to his wife—they must suffer, in the worst possible ways. And then, we must see how this changes the protagonist. It isn’t enough to simply get revenge. That’s the obvious situation we need to see, the bare minimum. Batman evolved out of Bruce Wayne not because of an act of revenge, but because of how that act changed him, how it made him into a vigilante, a lifetime of fixing problems and balancing the universe (see also F. Paul Wilson’s “Repairman Jack” series).

So be aware of your conflict. If you don’t resolve it, then we’re essentially writing a vignette, a slice-of-life story, bearing witness to some moments in time. And those stories can be well written, they can be entertaining, but they run the risk of not carrying the same weight as a story that resolves a major conflict. And when I say resolve a conflict, when I say that there has to be a resolution, it doesn’t mean that your hero (or villain) has to change 100%. They don’t have to do a 180 and become the exact opposite of who they were—the bad guy suddenly good, the jerk becoming a saint, the addict finally sober. That’s just one option.

The changes can encompass a wide range of emotions, philosophies, and concepts. Your protagonist can realize that in a violent world random events will continue to happen, and instead of becoming a vigilante, they can succumb to these heavy thoughts and give in, becoming a victim for all of eternity, their dreams squashed. The change can be an idea. A character simply coming to a resolution that they need to do more, sacrifice more, or the opposite, do less, sacrifice less. But whatever happens, there needs to be some sort of resolution. How much (or how little) is up to you. The resolution can even be to keep doing the same thing, to not change at all, but to at least be aware of this fact. To make that conscious decision in the face of great tragedy, or success, that they will not change, will stand their ground. The change is that they are now aware, they are now committed, whereas previous to this, they were merely drifting without purpose, or committing acts (of kindness or of selfishness) without any idea of why they were doing it. Acceptance can be a change. Motivations can change, hearts can change. These intangibles as well as literal and physical changes, like leaving the haunted house, burying the magic cube in the back yard, never to be opened again. It’s up to you.

I’ve been fond of endings with a twist ever since I started watch The   Twilight Zone as a kid. I’ve always loved the mystery, trying to figure out what’s really happening, trying to guess not only the ending, but every clue and turn and hint along the way. I loved watching Lost and movies by Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, and David Lynch. I find that entertaining. But you have to be careful.

I was given some advice by Stephen Graham Jones about one of the stories that I wrote in his class. He said to be careful of the twist ending, because it takes away much of the re-read value. And he makes a good point. If your entire story hinges on that last page, the last gasping words, will it change the way your reader enjoys the story? Will they ever want to read it again? ROSEBUD! SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! I SEE DEAD PEOPLE! You need to think about these things. If the audience feels cheated, they will be really angry with you. Many people complained about the ending of Lost and The Sopranos . But most people loved the end of Six Feet Under . You don’t have to spoon-feed every bit on information, not every question has to be answered. But you take a risk if you leave a story open-ended, if you end your novel with too many unanswered questions.

A better approach may be to have your twists and turns running throughout your story, slowly revealing information across the 5,000 words, or 300 pages. Most readers will allow you that surprise, that twist, if the journey is enjoyable enough, if you gave them real clues along the way, and the ending is mind blowing. For some people, and again, I’m talking about films here, the ending to The Village may have been a big cheat, whereas The Sixth Sense felt like a revelation. One of these was earned, one was not.

Stephen has a story in his collection, The Ones That Got Away that uses a pretty major twist to end the story. BUT, in my opinion, it isn’t the whole story. The story is “Father, Son, Holy Rabbit,” but I don’t want to blow the ending for you, so if you haven’t read the story (and it’s a great one, one of his best) then please skip ahead. It’s really a love story, a father and son story, about how far a father will go in order to keep his son alive. It’s touching, terrifying, and ultimately horrific and disgusting, but it is powerful. The feeling you walk away with, and this is why it works (in my opinion), is not one of horror, even though it is horrific, but one of sentiment, one of gut wrenching love. If you are a father (or a mother) it will certainly resonate even more. If you are reading this for one of my classes, read it first before continuing please!

****************************************WARNING SPOILERS*******************************************

Lost in a snowy forest, the father and son are stranded and will certainly die if they don’t find food. The father catches a rabbit one day, and they eat it raw. Over the next several days the rabbit magically replenishes itself. At the end of the story, we see that the father has been cutting strips of flesh out of his leg and feeding it to the boy.

So you can see how this might be a twist of an ending, a revelation. But it isn’t so much the revelation of fact, it isn’t the actions that are powerful, although they are—it’s the love of the father that overshadows everything else. And beyond that, how the consequences of that knowledge ripple out into the future, damaging the boy. They never REALLY come out of that forest whole. Can you see the difference?

DEUS EX MACHINA

Direct from Wikipedia: “Deus ex machina is Latin for ‘god from the machine’ and is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object.” Don’t do this. Don’t have a villain run over by a random car, or a sudden rainstorm appear and wash away the fire, or a new character jump in who can solve all of the problems. I’m sure you’re smart enough to know this already.

DO WE CARE?

I’ve shown you a few ways to end your stories here, by resolving conflict, by showing change, by revealing twists and bits of information to add up to an epiphany. But one thing to keep in mind when it comes to your endings is DO WE CARE? The ending will only matter if you create characters that we can root for (or against) and give us backstory, show us scenes and moments, build dimensional people that matter to us. If the villain is never thoroughly depicted, the depth of his (or her) ruthlessness and darkness never really shown, then do we really want to see them suffer and lose? No. If we never really get to know the husband and wife, how they have always wanted a child, how hard it has been for them to conceive, then will we really care when their child is run over by a tractor-trailer and killed? Sure, the event is horrible, but deep down in your gut, in your heart—do you really care about what happened? You need to get to know these people, laugh with them, be touched by their grace and kindness, and then see it all fall apart—build them up and break them down. It’s a tough journey, but we need all of that in order for the ending to resonate.

How you write your stories, with an ending in mind or only an idea rattling around inside your head, that’s up to you. You can plot out the entire story, or you can feel your way through the narrative. Take a moment when the story is written, after your first draft, and read through the whole thing to see how it feels. Look at your ending and sit with it. And if it needs to be tweaked, think about what is missing, what doesn’t work. In time you will be able to recognize where the ending is, you’ll know when to stop, down to the word. Here’s one of mine, from “Twenty Reasons to Stay and One to Leave.” This is the reason to leave:

“Because every time she looked at me, she saw him, our son, that generous boy, and it was another gut punch bending her over, another parting of her flesh, and I was one of the thousand, and my gift to her now was my echo.”

One of my favorite contemporary writers of all things dark is Paul Tremblay. He writes crime, noir, horror and everything in between. One of his best stories is “It’s Against the Law to Feed the Ducks,” originally published in Fantasy Magazine , and collected in In The Mean Time . I mention it because the end of the story is so powerful it almost made me cry. 

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Column by Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas is the award-winning author of eight books— Disintegration and Breaker (Penguin Random House Alibi), Transubstantiate , Staring Into the Abyss , Herniated Roots , Tribulations , Spontaneous Human Combustion (Turner Publishing), and The Soul Standard (Dzanc Books). His over 175 stories in print include The Best Horror of the Year (Volume Eleven), Cemetery Dance (twice), Behold!: Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders (Bram Stoker winner), Lightspeed, PANK, storySouth, Gargoyle, Weird Fiction Review, Midwestern Gothic, Shallow Creek, The Seven Deadliest, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, Qualia Nous, Chiral Mad (numbers 2-4), PRISMS, Pantheon, and Shivers VI. He was also the editor of four anthologies: The New Black and Exigencies (Dark House Press), The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers (Black Lawrence Press) and Burnt Tongues (Medallion Press) with Chuck Palahniuk. He has been nominated for the Bram Stoker (twice), Shirley Jackson, Thriller, and Audie awards. In his spare time he is a columnist at Lit Reactor. He was the Editor-in-Chief at Dark House Press and Gamut Magazine. For more information visit www.whatdoesnotkillme.com or contact Paula Munier at Talcott Notch.

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I always enjoy these. Thanks.

I really like the part about the first paragraph.  I never thought of them as the iceberg you can see while the rest of the story is the part that actually sinks your ship (especially the ending).  In that analogy, it's like the tip of the iceberg represents what's going on beneath and especially the damage it can do to the ship or the reader or the characters.

thanks jack and bryan. maybe it's too many years of school, but i always see the story in a pyramid or triangle (or iceberg) shape. and while you may not be aware of your ending, your beginning is probably your first clue of what may come (or what SHOULD come). hope this article helps, guys! nothing worse than an ending that is anti-climactic or just quietly fades away into nothing. you want impact, whether it is a whisper or a scream.

Great lecture with so many important considerations. Especially appreciated the differentiations you made between slice-of-life pieces and a good short story. This is my first attempt at writing a short story, but I write vignette, creative memoir type pieces all the time and have discovered  they leave me wanting...and that is one of the reasons I took a leap to take this class. So glad you touched on it as it clarified something I hadn't really internalized!

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Adventures in Fantasy Literature

Horrific fright and traumatic scenes: the only good indians by stephen graham jones, saturday, august 1, 2020 james mcglothlin comments 0 comment.

Cover designed by Ella Laytham

The Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones Saga Press (310 pages, $26.99 hardcover/$7.99 ebook, July 14, 2020)

Stephen Graham Jones has been a force on the horror scene for well over a decade now. His first major book Demon Theory came out back in 2007. But he quickly became a regular in many horror anthologies and magazines in the ensuing years and he has over two dozen books to his name including the amazing collection When the People Lights Go Out (2014) and his werewolf novel Mongrels (2016).

I first came across Stephen Graham Jones around 2013 in an anthology that included his gut-wrenching short-story “Father, Son, Holy Rabbit.” That story is still one of the most heartbreaking “horror” stories I’ve ever read. Another story of his that really sticks out to me is his “The Darkest Part” in Ellen Datlow’s edited Nightmare Carnival 2014, which I raved about here on Black Gate a few years ago. Though I have not read all of Jones’ stories, I have found him to have a consistent ability to evoke a range of raw emotions, all within the satisfying milieu of the clearly recognizable genre of supernatural horror.

Jones’ latest novel is no exception. The Only Good Indians is packed with wallops of horrific fright as well as some very upsetting and traumatic scenes, emotionally and viscerally so. Jones is himself Native American and most of his stories that I have read have Native American main characters. Given the title of his new novel, it should be no surprise that the main characters here are Native American as well. But The Only Good Indians also takes place within contemporary Native American life, including reservation or “rez” life: its idiosyncrasies, its glories, and most fervently of all, its tragedies.

And, in my humble opinion this is what makes The Only Good Indians so uniquely good — and for me, very thought-provoking.

I live in the inner city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. My neighborhood is quite diverse, including a large urban Native American community. However, I must sadly report that many of homeless here in Minneapolis tend to be Native American. I’ve lived near homeless populations before in other places. But I have never seen a homeless population quite like the one here in Minneapolis that is so nearly monolithic in ethnicity and so glaringly inundated with criminality and drug-use. It is heartbreaking and perplexing. The Only Good Indians is insightful in explaining how at least some Native Americans often view themselves and their cultures. The challenges of being Native American are not white-washed by Jones, but the dignity of the human spirit within such cultures is, I believe, still upheld. It is the very Native American context of this horror story that makes it so distinctively excellent and gives us non-Native Americans some food for thought.

The Only Good Indians centers upon four Native American men who performed a very selfish hunting action ten years earlier, which is slowly revealed fairly early in the book. In short, the book centers upon the reckoning or comeuppance from that action. Though I need to be purposively vague here, the revenge is supernatural and related to Native American mythology. Let me just say this, the hardback cover of The Only Good Indians is beautiful until you understand what it references. Sitting in front of my computer typing this right now I have the book right next to me and the picture on the cover still creeps me out. (You’ll see what I mean if you read it.)

Jones expertly builds tension and suspense throughout the book with chilling hints in the most mundane of things, like flickering lights, borrowed paperback books, or ceiling fans. The supernatural is teasingly suggested throughout, though for most of the first half of the book the possibility that the main characters are crazy or experiencing post-traumatic stress is still held out. By the time the supernatural entity is clearly and unambiguously established, the tension is cemented in place since the reader knows what the remaining characters do not.

One scene I have to briefly comment on—again very vaguely—is about a hundred or so pages in. It is one of the most whiskey-tango-foxtrot moments I have ever experienced in a book! I’m still not sure what to make of it. But count this is my warning and your teaser.

As Stephen Graham Jones does so well with his stories, the characters are very alive and real. Though the main characters are not the most admirable people (with the exception of one Native American girl who towards the end of the novel comes to the fore), they are sympathetic and you feel sorry for what ends up happening to them. Their contemporary Native American context makes everything even more tragic and depressing.

The book is not all horror and darkness though. There are bits of humor throughout, such as the following:

[Gabe’s father is] watching that same channel as always: that camera angled down onto the parking lot of the IGA. On his rounded little screen there’s nothing and nothing and then some more nothing on top of that, and then—and then a tall dog trots through on some dog mission or another. Gabe’s father grunts approval and Gabe looks over to him like, What? Like, This is what passes for action? His father chins Gabe back to the television. The same nothing, like bank robbers have looped the footage, are cracking into the IGA, stealing all the heads of lettuce they want for their big salad enterprise. (pgs. 215–216)

Jones has a knack for peppering the horrific with these sorts of funny comments or scenes, which makes the characters and situation all the more believable and relieves some of the tension at times.

The Only Good Indians is an excellent overall story, an insightful look into Native American culture, and also a top-notch horror novel. I highly recommend it!

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The Ones That Got Away

Stephen graham jones, prime (www.prime-books.com), $24.95 (256p) isbn 978-1-60701-235-1.

Reviewed on: 01/31/2011

Genre: Fiction

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St. Augustine's Analogy for Understanding the Trinity

Ah, the Trinity. I’m not sure he realized that his question was, in fact, not so small at all, but rather monumental. So how do you succinctly explain the Trinity to a 15-year-old, or anyone for that matter? As tempting as it can be to escape the question with, “Well, that’s a mystery of the Catholic faith,” I quickly thought back to Dr. Jan Poorman sharing her frustration as a young girl when teachers would dismiss her questions with this answer. “Just because it’s a mystery,” she told us, “does not mean that it cannot be more fully understood.”

So I decided to share with this young man an analogy by St. Augustine that had helped me to grasp the mystery of the Trinity.

Memory, Understanding, and Will

St. Augustine, one of the most important Fathers of the Church, wrote a great deal on the doctrine of the Trinity. In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus’ Baptism. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable , while, in this passage, they do not seem unified, as all of their works are clearly separated.

St. Augustine searches for an analogy to help his listeners comprehend the oneness of the Trinity but the distinct works of each Person (though it’s important to remember that all Trinitarian analogies fall short). He talks about the mind's ability to remember, to understand, and to will. 

When you remember a story, you had to have understood the words that were being said and you need to will yourself to recall that story. 

When you seek to understand a concept, you have to remember what the concept is and will yourself to understand it. 

When you will or desire something, you must understand what you are willing, and you must remember what you are willing. 

Thus, while a certain act like remembering might be more visible or tangible, it necessarily depends on understanding and will.

As these acts can never be fully separated, so too with God: “The divine Persons are also inseparable in what they do. But within the single divine operation each shows forth what is proper to him in the Trinity, especially in the divine missions of the Son's Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit” ( CCC , 267). While we might see the work of the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit more distinctly in particular situations (the Father in Creation, the Son on the Cross, the Spirit at Pentecost), you can never divorce one from the other: “Because it does not divide the divine unity, the real distinction of the Persons from one another resides solely in the relationships which relate them to one another” ( CCC , 255). The Father reveals the Son, the Son reveals the Father, and the Father and the Son are revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Though the mystery is difficult to comprehend, and requires an act of faith to believe it, we should be thankful that we live in an age where we have concrete doctrine (or teaching) on the Trinity. There was a time when many theologians argued over what we should or should not believe—whether or not Jesus and the Holy Spirit were divine, whether or not the Holy Spirit could be included in the Trinity . . . and so on. It sounds exhausting! I’m just grateful that now, rather than having to formulate a teaching, we have the privilege of trying to understand one that has been revealed to us by God and developed by many holy people over many years.

Topics: doctrine , Trinity , formation , Revelation , St. Augustine

Living and Handing on the Faith

The McGrath Institute Blog helps Catholics live and hand on their faith in Jesus Christ, especially in the family, home and parish, and cultivates and inspires everyday leaders to live out the fullness and richness of their faith in the simple, little ways that make up Church life.

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In this Book

• Sophie McCall, Deanna Reder, David Gaertner, and Gabrielle L'Hirondelle Hill, editors
• Published by: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Series: Indigenous Studies

“Don’t say in the years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You’ve heard it now.” —Thomas King, in this volume

Read, Listen, Tell brings together an extraordinary range of Indigenous stories from across Turtle Island (North America). From short fiction to as-told-to narratives, from illustrated stories to personal essays, these stories celebrate the strength of heritage and the liveliness of innovation. Ranging in tone from humorous to defiant to triumphant, the stories explore core concepts in Indigenous literary expression, such as the relations between land, language, and community, the variety of narrative forms, and the continuities between oral and written forms of expression. Rich in insight and bold in execution, the stories proclaim the diversity, vitality, and depth of Indigenous writing.

Building on two decades of scholarly work to centre Indigenous knowledges and perspectives, the book transforms literary method while respecting and honouring Indigenous histories and peoples of these lands. It includes stories by acclaimed writers like Thomas King, Sherman Alexie, Paula Gunn Allen, and Eden Robinson, a new generation of emergent writers, and writers and storytellers who have often been excluded from the canon, such as French- and Spanish-language Indigenous authors, Indigenous authors from Mexico, Chicana/o authors, Indigenous-language authors, works in translation, and “lost“ or underappreciated texts.

In a place and time when Indigenous people often have to contend with representations that marginalize or devalue their intellectual and cultural heritage, this collection is a testament to Indigenous resilience and creativity. It shows that the ways in which we read, listen, and tell play key roles in how we establish relationships with one another, and how we might share knowledges across cultures, languages, and social spaces.

Table of Contents

• Series Page, Frontispiece, Title Page, Copyright
• Table of Contents by Decade of Publication
• Acknowledgements
• pp. xv-xvii
• Centring Indigenous Intellectual Traditions: Introducing Read, Listen, Tell
• 1. “The Truth about Stories Is … Stories Are All That We Are”
• “The Way of the Sword” (2011)
• Dawn Dumont
• “King of the Tie-snakes” (2001)
• Craig Womack
• “As It Was in the Beginning” (1899)
• E. Pauline Johnson
• “Deer Woman” (1991)
• Paula Gunn Allen
• “‘You’ll Never Believe What Happened’ Is Always a Great Way to Start” (2003)
• Thomas King
• 2. Land, Homeland, Territory
• “Like Some Old Story” (2002)
• Kimberly Blaeser
• “Borders” (1993)
• Thomas King
• “Rita Hayworth Mexicana” (2002)
• M. E. Wakamatsu
• “An Athabasca Story” (2012)
• Warren Cariou
• “The ‘Oka Crisis,’” from The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book (2010)
• pp. 104-108
• “Goodbye, Snauq” (2004)
• Lee Maracle
• pp. 109-122
• 3. “Reinventing the Enemy’s Language”
• pp. 123-124
• “The Son Who Came Back from the United States” (1992, 2001)
• Sixto Canul
• pp. 124-125
• “Ghost Trap” (1992)
• Gloria Anzaldúa
• pp. 126-131
• “I’m Not a Witch, I’m a Healer!” (1997, tr. 2007)
• Joel Torres Sánchez
• pp. 132-136
• “Aunt Parnetta’s Electric Blisters” (1990)
• Diane Glancy
• pp. 136-141
• “Land Speaking” (1998)
• Jeannette Armstrong
• pp. 141-156
• 4. Cree Knowledge Embedded in Stories
• pp. 157-159
• Chapter 14 from Kiss of the Fur Queen (1998)
• Tomson Highway
• pp. 160-165
• Excerpt from Darkness Calls (2004)
• Steven Keewatin Sanderson
• pp. 165-169
• “I’m Not an Indian” (2007)
• Solomon Ratt
• pp. 170-172
• “The Republic of Tricksterism” (1998)
• Paul Seesequasis
• pp. 172-177
• “Delivery” (2013)
• Lisa Bird-Wilson
• pp. 179-186
• “Rolling Head’s Grave Yard” (2006)
• Louise Bernice Halfe (Skydancer)
• pp. 186-192
• “Einew Kis-Kee-Tum-Awin (Indigenous People’s Knowledge)” (2005)
• Harold Cardinal
• pp. 193-196
• 5. “Each Word Has a Story of Its Own”: Story Arcs and Story Cycles
• pp. 197-198
• “Uinigumasuittuq / She Who Never Wants to Get Married” (1999)
• Alexina Kublu
• pp. 198-208
• “Summit with Sedna, the Mother of Sea Beasts” (1993)
• Alootook Ipellie
• pp. 208-213
• “Beaded Soles” (1997, 2004)
• Susan Power
• pp. 213-226
• “The Devil” (1921)
• Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin)
• pp. 227-228
• “Coyote and the People Killer” (2004)
• Tania Willard
• pp. 228-235
• “Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective” (1981, 1996)
• Leslie Marmon Silko
• pp. 236-244
• 6. Community, Self, Transformation
• pp. 245-246
• “The Toughest Indian in the World” (2000)
• Sherman Alexie
• pp. 246-256
• “The Secret of the Zutz’baläm” (1997, tr. 2004)
• Isaías Hernández Isidro
• pp. 256-259
• “Devotion” (2012)
• Richard Van Camp
• pp. 259-264
• “Grandma and the Wendigo” (2000, tr. 2017)
• Sylvain Rivard
• pp. 264-268
• Excerpt from Red: A Haida Manga (2009)
• pp. 268-273
• “The Boys Who Became a Killer Whale” (2006)
• Ellen Rice White
• pp. 273-286
• 7. Shifting Perspectives
• pp. 287-288
• “Never Marry a Mexican” (1992)
• Sandra Cisneros
• pp. 288-300
• “Weegit Discovers Halibut Hooks” (1956)
• Gordon Robinson
• pp. 300-302
• “The Many Lives of Anakajuttuq” (1969)
• Joe Panipakuttuk
• pp. 302-305
• Excerpt from Wendy (2014)
• Walter K. Scott
• pp. 305-309
• “Lullaby” (1974, 1981)
• pp. 310-318
• “Notes on Leslie Marmon Silko’s ‘Lullaby’: Socially Responsible Criticism” (2002, 2017)
• Jo-Ann Episkenew
• pp. 318-324
• 8. Indigenous Fantasy and SF
• pp. 325-326
• “Tatterborn” (2017)
• Daniel Heath Justice
• pp. 327-336
• “Men on the Moon” (1978, 1999)
• Simon Ortiz
• pp. 337-345
• “Father, Son, Holy Rabbit” (2010)
• Stephen Graham Jones
• pp. 345-352
• “Terminal Avenue” (2004)
• Eden Robinson
• pp. 352-359
• “On Drowning Pond” (2010)
• Allison Hedge Coke
• pp. 360-364
• “The Space NDN’s Star Map” (2015, 2017)
• L. Catherine Cornum
• pp. 364-372
• pp. 373-376
• Works Cited
• pp. 377-382
• About the Editors
• pp. 383-386
• Copyright Acknowledgements
• pp. 387-390
• Further Series Titles

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Essay On Rabbit – 10 Lines, Short And Long Essay For Kids

Key Points To Remember When Writing An Essay On Rabbit For Lower Primary Classes

10 lines on rabbit in english for kids, a paragraph on rabbit for children, essay on ‘my favourite pet– rabbit’ for children, long essay on rabbit in english for kids, what will your child learn from the essay on rabbit.

Rabbits are cute and furry little animals that all kids love and are common as pets in houses and farms. Fairly tales and moral stories also frequently feature rabbits as significant characters as everyone loves them. Children are thus familiar with these adorable animals and will have several ideas and thoughts to express. When teachers assign them an essay writing topic on rabbits, they may need a little help as this essay will require a few facts apart from their personal views. Let us help your child write an essay for classes 1, 2 and 3 on these little furry animals.

Remember these points before you begin your essay writing assignment:

• Collect important information on the physical characteristics and behaviour of rabbits.
• Smaller essays can include a description of rabbits without elaborate facts.
• Long-form essays can delve deeper into the characteristics of rabbits.
• Add an introduction and concluding lines to long-form essays.

A ten-line essay is a great start to essay writing for children. A few lines about rabbits, including some facts and their own thoughts about the animal, can make for a good essay.

Here is an essay for classes 1 and 2 on rabbits:

• Rabbits are tiny and furry animals popularly known as bunnies.
• Rabbits belong to the Lagomorpha order.
• Rabbits can move their eyes 360 degrees.
• Rabbits have sharp front teeth to cut thick vegetables and leaves.
• Their body is covered in thick and soft fur, making them look adorable.
• Rabbits often hop when they move from place to place.
• Rabbits can also run fast and jump very high when chased by predators.
• Rabbits are kept as pets by many people.
• Male rabbits are known as bucks, the female is called a doe, and the babies are called kits.
• Rabbits live in colonies called a warren.

Here is a short paragraph on rabbits that can be used as an example.

Rabbits are adorable little animals. Everything from their soft fur, cute appearance and funny mannerisms make them lovable pet animals. Rabbits have pointed ears to help them hear the sound of approaching predators from a distance. They have powerful hind legs that help them jump and run away from danger. In the wild, they live in colonies called ‘warrens’. Rabbits are popular as pet animals with people as they are easy to maintain and bond well with their owners. Their unique appearance and qualities make them one of the most loved animals. A male rabbit is called ‘buck’, and a female is called ‘doe’. They are herbivorous in nature.

When writing a short essay, it would help to construct the write-up by diving the ideas into paragraphs. Here is n example of how to write an essay about rabbits for children:

My pet rabbit is named Buggs after the famous cartoon character Buggs Bunny. He is one and a half years old and the most adorable little rabbit in the world. Buggs is a white coloured rabbit with some black spots on his back. We got him from the pet store when he was merely three months old. He likes to run around the house and play with me. Buggs loves his meals which include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

We have built a little house for him out of plywood and mesh. He stays in my room and is always active throughout the day. I fill his bowl with fresh water every day. Buggs loves sleeping under my bed and getting plenty of pats before bedtime. He always wants a friend around him and plays with my grandpa when I am at school.

He loves playing in the backyard as there is a lot of grass and open space. I always watch over Buggs when he plays, as predators like eagles and cats can cause him to get hurt. Buggs is my favourite pet, and he is adorable.

Long essays need to be information-rich. Below is an example of how to write an essay for class 3 on rabbits:

Rabbits or ‘bunnies’ are popular pet animals. The critters are many people’s favourite because of their furry and cute appearance. Everyone from adults to children loves these animals as they look like living and breathing stuffed toys! Rabbits belong to the Lagomorpha order. They are small herbivorous animals found in most places around the world.

Rabbits in the wild live in colonies called warrens. They dig burrows underground as it shelters them from predators and other forms of danger. Rabbits hop to move around but can also sprint at surprising speeds when pursued by a predator. They are frequently preyed upon by eagles, big cats, foxes and snakes. Rabbits have a high breeding rate and can quickly increase their numbers in months. They live both, in the wild and as pets.

Rabbits are popular as pets among animal lovers. Anyone with some basic knowledge of pet care can keep rabbits at home as a pet. They are often brought home in pairs as they are social animals and need companions. Single rabbits get closely bonded to their owners and treat them like family. They spend most of their time with the owners and show affection by nibbling and bumping their heads.

Rabbits are popular in children’s stories, and children also love to see them in cartoons. They make excellent pets and are fun animals. Having a pet rabbit at home is a great way for children to learn how to care for small and fragile pets.

Physical Features And Habitat Of Rabbits

Depending on the breed, rabbits come in sizes that fit in the palm or are as large as a baby. They have a slender rounded body covered in soft fur. Rabbits have long ears, which help them hear the faintest of sounds. They have long, powerful hind legs that propel them far in a single leap. Typically rabbits are over 8 inches long and weigh 2-4 kg. They are seen in different colours such as white, brown and black. One can see wild rabbits in woods, grasslands, meadows, etc. They are capable of creating a tunnel system for resting and nesting purposes. But, if you want to keep a rabbit as a pet, then you must provide it with a well-lit, dry room. Having an exercise area near their resting place is recommended for pet lovers.

What Are The Qualities Of Rabbit?

Rabbits in the wild are alert and fast prey animals. They are often out foraging while being attentive to any threat from predators. They jump and bolt towards their burrows at the first hint of a rustle. They have outstanding eyesight and a keen sense of hearing. Rabbits tend to stomp their back feet when they feel angry or impatient. They are excellent runners and burrow diggers.

Eating Habits And Social Behaviour Of Rabbits

Rabbits are herbivorous creatures that thrive on a diet of mostly plants. They are social animals that live in colonies called warrens. Rabbits are well known for breeding fast and multiplying at a rapid rate. The young ones are called kits. They grow up rapidly and become independent in about a month.

Amazing Facts About Rabbits That Kids Should Know

Here are some amazing facts about rabbits:

• Rabbits can see 360 degrees around them.
• The teeth and claws of rabbits grow throughout their life.
• Rabbits are jumpers. They can leap up to 10 ft when running.

This essay writing assignment on rabbits is meant to enhance each child’s writing skills. Children can write their own essays successfully by drawing from the facts and ideas given in the examples above.

Why Do Rabbits Dig Holes For Themselves?

Rabbits live in burrows; therefore, they dig the holes as an entrance to their home that they require for resting and nesting purposes.

What Are The Special Needs Of A Pet Rabbit?

Rabbits need a clean space when they are kept as pets. Since they litter often, a separate litter box must be provided for them that is not shared with other house pets.

What Type Of Weather And Temperature Are Suitable For Rabbits?

Rabbits thrive in a wide range of temperatures. They do well when the temperature is between 20 to 30 degrees celsius.

We hope that you learnt something new from this collection of different write-ups on rabbits. These essays are written in simple language and describe the animal in detail to help children craft their essays on the subject.

Essay On The Horse For Kids Essay On The Cow For Children Essay On The Cat For Children

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5 Recommended Books To Add To Your Child’s Reading List and Why

5 absolute must-watch movies and shows for kids, 15 indoor toys that have multiple uses and benefits, leave a reply cancel reply.

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