Strange Fruit “Southern trees bear a strange fruit / blood on the leaves and blood on the root” (Meeropol 1-2). These were the first two lines used in Abel Meeropol’s famous poem “Strange Fruit.” Published in 1937, Meeropol got his inspiration from the 1930 lynching of two negro teenagers. A famous photo was taken the horrific night and seven years later when it landed in Abel’s hand, he found it so disturbing and he realized he had to write something about it, thus the poem, “Strange Fruit” was born. In the poem, Meeropol describes of a “strange fruit” hanging from trees, in reality he is relating fruit to the dead bodies of the two negroe teenagers who were lynched. “Meeropol once said the photograph "haunted" him "for days.” So he wrote …show more content…
The tone and the mood of the poem distinctly states the message and you can easily tell how the poem sounds melancholy and ominous. The speaker, either Meeropol or Holiday, uses a strong but saddened tone, the reader or listener can tell the meaning of the poem. The amount of emotion used in the poem helps convey the theme because by the way Holiday sings the gruesome lyrics, anyone can tell how badly some people were affected by the lynching. The poem relates to history because it was written about the lynching of two teenagers in Marion, Indiana. The two teenagers, Thomas Shipp and Abraham Smith, were accused for the death and the rape of two white citizens, and they were later arrested. However, the people in the town were infuriated and busted in the jail and carried the two teens to be lynched. “That evening, local police were unable to stop a mob of thousands from breaking into the jail with sledgehammers and crowbars to pull the young men out of their cells and lynch them” (Blair). Photographer, Lawrence Beitler took the infamous photo that inspired Meeropol to write “Strange Fruit.” The photo Beitler took got a lot of attention and many copies were sold.“ The photograph shows two bodies hanging from a tree surrounded by a crowd of ordinary citizens, including women and children. Thousands of copies were made and sold. The photograph helped inspire the poem and
The first four stanzas are a conversation between the mother and daughter. The daughter asks for permission to attend a civil rights march. The child is a unique one who believes that sacrificing something like “play[ing]” for a march that can make a difference will be worthwhile (2). However, the mother understands that the march is not a simple march, but a political movement that can turn violent. The mother refuses the child’s request, which categorizes the poem as a tragedy because it places the child in the chur...
Throughout the film, Stranger than Fiction, director, Marc Forster conveys idealistic concepts through the use of symbolism and imagery. Alluding to René Magritte's Son of Man, the green apple was a prevalent symbol in the film -- often being held or eaten by Harold Crick. It exemplified the idea that the beguiling sight of that which is hidden by what is visible was sought after by Harold. This motif is portrayed when Harold abruptly stopped everything in pursuit of determining how he would die after hearing the narrator express that a small act “ … would result in his imminent death” (Stranger than Fiction), therefore becoming enmeshed in his efforts to see what is hidden by what is visible. In doing so, Harold disregarded the miniscule feats that could potentially change his fate, and only focused on that which he had no control over. Forster
The text is the main engine of “Strange Fruit”. The music may be thought of as the wheels, the way in which the idea spread and the manner in which it was presented. However, the text is what stands out to me; it is what makes it come to life, the hand in the glove. The text utilizes the tree and fruit motif as the literal setting of lynching as well as a metaphor for something bigger than each individual event. Abel Meeropol’s poignant words nail the atrocities to the people responsible for committing them. He doesn’t haphazardly mention trees in a general sense, but “Southern trees”. It is not simply in the air, but the “southern breeze” that black bodies swing in. In case the reader is tempted to forget, he reiterates that these things are taking place in the “gallant south”. The implication is quite powerful; this is the South’s problem, it is happening, and he forces them to own it and take responsibility for it rather than slough it off. Neutral bystanders in the South are forced to face the reality of these things taking place under their nose. “Strange Fruit” certainly would not have exposed the South to lynching; they knew it was happening. However, the text has a way of burrowing into one’s heart and forcing people to face inconvenient realities that are all too easy to forget about otherwise.
This poem represents the holocaust. It goes through the process of desensitization with woodchucks instead of stating the Jewish people. This poem used many literary devices to help portray the meaning that Kumin wanted to get across to the reader. The two main literary devices that she used to portray her image were dramatic irony and symbolism. These along with the other devices were used seamlessly to help put this poem together.
The language makes up the overall mood of the poem. At first the poem seems positive and happy, but looking into the language the reader sees that there is a overpowering sense of negativity behind the imagery
The poem demonstrates the discord that exists when people do not treat others humanely. When we discriminate based on culture or wealth, the ending is a tragic one. The author is able to combine diction, which makes violence occur in the readers mind after every stanza, with a view into both worlds in the society to demonstrate the flaws within the form of government. The author not only brings the tragedy to life, she makes it personal. The poem causes the reader to empathize with the workers and realize that they were slain for no reason other than a cultural difference and an inability to leave.
Poems and other readings with strong racial undertones such as Strange Fruit allow me to reflect back on the role race plays in my life as a black young woman and analysis if much has changed in terms of racism in the American society today.
In this poem, there is a young woman and her loving mother discussing their heritage through their matrilineal side. The poem itself begins with what she will inherit from each family member starting with her mother. After discussing what she will inherit from each of her family members, the final lines of the poem reflect back to her mother in which she gave her advice on constantly moving and never having a home to call hers. For example, the woman describes how her father will give her “his brown eyes” (Line 7) and how her mother advised her to eat raw deer (Line 40). Perhaps the reader is suggesting that she is the only survivor of a tragedy and it is her heritage that keeps her going to keep safe. In the first two lines of the poem, she explains how the young woman will be taking the lines of her mother’s (Lines 1-2). This demonstrates further that she is physically worried about her features and emotionally worried about taking on the lineage of her heritage. Later, she remembered the years of when her mother baked the most wonderful food and did not want to forget the “smell of baking bread [that warmed] fined hairs in my nostrils” (Lines 3-4). Perhaps the young woman implies that she is restrained through her heritage to effectively move forward and become who she would like to be. When reading this poem, Native American heritage is an apparent theme through the lifestyle examples, the fact lineage is passed through woman, and problems Native Americans had faced while trying to be conquested by Americans. Overall, this poem portrays a confined, young woman trying to overcome her current obstacles in life by accepting her heritage and pursuing through her
The poem also focuses on what life was like in the sixties. It tells of black freedom marches in the South how they effected one family. It told of how our peace officers reacted to marches with clubs, hoses, guns, and jail. They were fierce and wild and a black child would be no match for them. The mother refused to let her child march in the wild streets of Birmingham and sent her to the safest place that no harm would become of her daughter.
The theme throughout the two poems "A Black Man Talks of Reaping" and "From the Dark Tower" is the idea that African American live in an unjust
Through conquest and exploration, apples were spread when Romans conquered England and when Spaniards brought them to Mexico and South America. It wasn’t until the mid 1600’s that the Pilgrims cultivated them in Massachusetts. It is believed that John Endecott, an early governor, was the first to bring an apple tree to North America, and the first orchard was planted on Beacon Hill by a clergyman named William Blaxton. It is Blaxton who is credited for growing the first named apple, the Yellow Sweeting. Once apples were established in New England, they played an active role in everyday life. As a fruit which was easily stored through the winter, as well as being very beneficial to settlers’ health, apples were a main staple in early settlers’ diets. Despite the fact that apples were not initially from North America, and have been growing disease-free for centuries in their native habitats, the early settlers found that the long, hot summers and cold winters of New England grew apples unlike anywhere else in the world. New England apples are known not only for their unique blend of tart and sweet flavors, but also for their size and freshness.
“Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh/ Then the sudden smell of burning flesh” describes a bloody event for which something beautiful is destroyed. This line explicitly references the south due to magnolias which are found in most southern states. Meeropol gives a more broad perspective on lynching but still overwhelming the audience with the emotion expressed through the
Strange fruit is and amazing dark poem told by Billie Holiday as very powerful song. Strange Fruit is a terrifying protest against the inhumane acts of racism. Strange Fruit was about the murders and lynching going on in the south at the time from public hangings to burnings. The south has a cruel and terrifying past that haunts the very people who still live down there and remind them that only a short time ago was no one prosecuted for killing someone of dark skin since whole towns were involved in it.
The phrasing of this poem can be analyzed on many levels. Holistically, the poem moves the father through three types of emotions. More specifically, the first lines of the poem depict the father s deep sadness toward the death of his son. The line Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy creates a mental picture in my mind (Line 1). I see the father standing over the coffin in his blackest of outfits with sunglasses shading his eyes from the sun because even the sun is too bright for his day of mourning. The most beautiful scarlet rose from his garden is gripped tightly in his right hand as tears cascade down his face and strike the earth with a splash that echoes like a scream in a cave, piercing the ears of those gathered there to mourn the death of his son.
To begin, the reader may gather that the poem has a very dark and saddened tone. Due to Lowell's vivid imagery, a mental image of a dark urban setting is created. It also seems very cold, with the mentioning of wind and nighttime. Readers may be able to relate to urban places they know, adding to the reality of the poem. Connections can be made. The imagery is left in such a way that the reader can fill in the gaps with their own memories or settings. Also, since the poem uses free verse, the structure is left open to interpretation. This makes the poem more inviting and easier to interpret, rather than reading it as a riddle. However, though simple in imagery, the poem still captures the reader's interest due to the creation it sparks, yet it never strays away from the theme of bei...