“Strange Fruit” “Strange Fruit” is a poem that was written in 1937 by Abel Meeropol, who was inspired to write this poem when he looked at a picture of two teens, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, who were broken out of their jail cells, by a mob, and lynched. Meeropol "’was very disturbed at the continuation of racism in America, and seeing a photograph of a lynching sort of put him over the edge.’" (Npr.org) After reading the poem, I was mortified. The poem gives you a very graphic picture of the “fruit” hanging from the tree after the lynching. After reading the poem, I listened to Billie Holiday’s performance where she sang the poem. Her voice intensified it to a level that I didn’t know was reachable. “Strange Fruit” is overall, a frightening, …show more content…
but very communicative poem. In the poem, the “fruit” is really a symbol for Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, the two teens who were lynched after being broken out of their jail cells by an angry mob. The “fruit” hangs from the tree, “Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze” (Meeropol). Through this poem, the author is trying to communicate the message that lynching is not okay, and is not something that should be watched and celebrated. He does this by making the poem so intense that the reader gets the brutal picture in their head of the strange fruit hanging with “Blood on the leaves and blood at the root” (Meeropol), which gives the reader chills, and makes them grit their teeth in sympathy and disgust because of the lynching. The theme of the poem “Strange Fruit” is lynching, which gives the poem an intense, mortifying tone. The intense tone could be seen in the line “The bulgin' eyes and the twisted mouth”(Meeropol). This line is intense because it shows the wickedness of lynching and the emotions that would probably be on a person’s face when he or she is being lynched. The emotions of Billie Holiday as she sings this horrifying poem helps to convey the theme because the poem is already intense, but with the emotion that she shows and the tones in her voice that she uses deepens the potency. For example, when she sings the lines “Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck” (Meeropol), she gets louder, to make the line more dramatic. The poem also relates to history because it shows the way that African Americans have been treated throughout time, such as slavery, then lynchings. The lynchings were watched by crowds filled with white people, as if entertaining them or doing them a favor by satisfying their needs, such as slaves did by satisfying the needs of the white people, such as work being done on their farms. Not only does Meeropol use intense locutions, but he also uses literary devices such as personification, imagery, and juxtaposition. In “Strange Fruit”, Meeropol uses personification, like how he gives fruit human like qualities.
For example, he says “Then the sudden smell of burnin' flesh” (Meeropol), which gives fruit the human-like quality of flesh. Another example of personification in the poem “Strange Fruit” is when Meeropol says “The bulgin' eyes and the twisted mouth”(Meeropol), which gives the fruit hanging from the tree the human qualities of eyes and a mouth, which fruit does not have. Another literary device that is used by the author is imagery, which is visually descriptive or figurative language. An example from the poem that includes imagery is, “Blood on the leaves and blood at the root”(Meeropol). This is quote uses imagery when it gives such descriptive details of the “fruit”, with blood on the leaves, meaning the bodies of the two teens, and at the root, meaning the head of the two teens’ bodies. The last literary device used in “Strange Fruit” is juxtaposition, or the placement of two or more things side by side, oftentimes in order to bring out their differences. Meeropol uses this when he says,“Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees”(Meeropol). This is juxtaposition because the author says “black bodies”, directly talking about humans, then he says, “fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees” referring to the humans as fruit …show more content…
again. The author of “Strange Fruit” uses many literary tools in the poem, such as symbols, the fruit, themes, such as lynching, emotion, such as intensity, and literary tools such as personification, imagery, and juxtaposition.
“Strange fruit” is a well written, but disturbing poem that was inspired by a photograph of two teenagers who were lynched. The poem’s disturbing like tone expresses a message, that we can learn from today, which is that racism should not be accepted today, and should no longer exist. Meeropol is successful in delivering this message by giving such a graphic, and disturbing tone to the poem that it delivers a scary picture into the reader’s mind, and that picture shows that racism and lynching should not be tolerated in the world today. In my opinion, this poem is very significant in this world today, because, sadly, racism still exists, and it teaches us that it
shouldn’t.
To begin, the use of assonance can be heard in the poem in comparing the context or appearance of the black berries to words. This can be seen in the second line of the poem, “among the fat, overripe, icy, black berries,” where words can also be “fat” as in full of positive or negative meaning, “overripe” as in exaggerated,” and “icy” as in hurtful or cold. Nonetheless, the emphasis in the vowels in the phrase makes it stand out more to the ears of the readers. Another example of assonance can be seen in the eighth line, “fall almost unbidden to my tongue,” where the vowels in “fall” and “unbidden” can be heard. According to this phrase, the speaker compares “the ripest berries” to words, seeing as both “fall” from their tongue, as if the speaker could not control the need to learn more words.
There are multiple examples of visual imagery in this poem. An example of a simile is “curled like a possum within the hollow trunk”. The effect this has is the way it creates an image for the reader to see how the man is sleeping. An example of personification is, “yet both belonged to the bush, and now are one”. The result this has is how it creates an emotion for the reader to feel
Through the study of life and literature, one can tell that racism continues to be truly pervasive. In Nikky Finney’s “Dancing with Strom”, the reader can witness the tension that exists between the races in society today. Although the poem shows how as times progress, mentalites seem to change as well, it is evident that many African Americans, such as Nikky Finney, still live in fear of the racism that hides and lurks in the corners.
In this poem called “Creatures” by the author Billy Collins there is a literary device called a metaphor when the reader is reading this poem. A metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things without using the words like or as. In lines one (1) through...
In his poems, Langston Hughes treats racism not just a historical fact but a “fact” that is both personal and real. Hughes often wrote poems that reflect the aspirations of black poets, their desire to free themselves from the shackles of street life, poverty, and hopelessness. He also deliberately pushes for artistic independence and race pride that embody the values and aspirations of the common man. Racism is real, and the fact that many African-Americans are suffering from a feeling of extreme rejection and loneliness demonstrate this claim. The tone is optimistic but irritated. The same case can be said about Wright’s short stories. Wright’s tone is overtly irritated and miserable. But this is on the literary level. In his short stories, he portrays the African-American as a suffering individual, devoid of hope and optimism. He equates racism to oppression, arguing that the African-American experience was and is characterized by oppression, prejudice, and injustice. To a certain degree, both authors are keen to presenting the African-American experience as a painful and excruciating experience – an experience that is historically, culturally, and politically rooted. The desire to be free again, the call for redemption, and the path toward true racial justice are some of the themes in their
One of the literary techniques most prominently featured throughout the passage would be that of imagery. The author takes great care to interweave sentences comparing the traits
“Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday conveys the inhumane, gory lynchings of African-Americans in the American South, and how this highly unnatural act had entrenched itself into the society and culture of the South, almost as if it were an agricultural crop. Although the song did not originate from Holiday, her first performance of it in 1939 in New York City and successive recording of the song became highly popular for their emotional power (“Strange fruit,” 2017). The lyrics in the song highlight the contrast between the natural beauty and apparent sophistication of the agricultural South with the brutal violence of lynchings. Holiday communicates these rather disturbing lyrics through a peculiarly serene vocal delivery, accompanied by a hymn-like
American Romantics believe that life and death are both a part of nature, as well as the natural process. Both should be celebrated, not feared. This point is especially driven home in “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant. Bryant states, “...where each shall take/His chamber in the silent halls of death/Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night/Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed/By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave/Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch/About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams (Bryant, 75-81).” The phrase “where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death” means that each and every person will eventually die. So, we should not go as if we are a “quarry slave at night.” Instead,
...ites a short 33-line poem that simply shows the barriers between races in the time period when racism was still openly practiced through segregation and discrimination. The poem captures the African American tenant’s frustrations towards the landlord as well as the racism shown by the landlord. The poem is a great illustration of the time period, and it shows how relevant discrimination was in everyday life in the nineteen-forties. It is important for the author to use the selected literary devices to help better illustrate his point. Each literary device in the poem helps exemplify the author’s intent: to increase awareness of the racism in the society in the time period.
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 first literary device that can be found throughout the poem is couplet, which is when two lines in a stanza rhyme successfully. For instance, lines 1-2 state, “At midnight, in the month of June / I stand beneath the mystic moon.” This is evidence that couplet is being used as both June and moon rhyme, which can suggest that these details are important, thus leading the reader to become aware of the speaker’s thoughts and actions. Another example of this device can be found in lines 16-17, “All Beauty sleeps!—and lo! where lies / (Her casement open to the skies).” These lines not only successfully rhyme, but they also describe a woman who
This is a figure of speech which takes on animals, ideas, abstractions and inanimate objects with human form, character or sensibilities. It is representing imaginary creatures or things as having human personalities, intelligence and emotions. In the poem ‘ALL THAT TIME’, in stanza one the poet has given the trees the human character of embracing each other and leaning on each other. The poet also describes one of the trees upright one which is also a human characteristic.
Despite the efforts of King and many of his comrades, racism is still prevalent in modern society. However, its presence is evidenced primarily in the attitudes and values which are taught to individuals in the private sector of American life as opposed to the laws and restrictions placed on individuals in the public sector during the civil rights era. Therefore, while racism appears to have dissipated within the public arena, it is most powerfully present in the privacy of our families and homes. This is also the most destructive arena for racism as seen in the poem "Beloved Spic" by Martin Espada. Espada uses his own life experiences to illustrate racism's continued effect and presence in American culture today. Despite society's best efforts to keep racism contained within the private domain, its effects filter through familial boundaries and mock the efforts of past martyrs for social change.
Often times in today's society, we stumble upon instances of racism and oppression. About 60 years ago, innocent civilians were poorly treated and ridiculed on a day to day basis during the time of segregation. The courage and strength of those men and women was indescribable. So now we ask ourselves, what was it like? In Maya Angelou's “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” Maya effectively uses multiple writing strategies to bring awareness to the prominently apparent issues of racism and oppression that still exist in our society using imagery, pathos, and strong diction to craft her overall message.
Over the course of the century chronicling the helm of slavery, the emancipation, and the push for civil, equal, and human rights, black literary scholars have pressed to have their voice heard in the midst a country that would dare classify a black as a second class citizen. Often, literary modes of communication were employed to accomplish just that. Black scholars used the often little education they received to produce a body of works that would seek to beckon the cause of freedom and help blacks tarry through the cruelties, inadequacies, and inconveniences of their oppressed condition. To capture the black experience in America was one of the sole aims of black literature. However, we as scholars of these bodies of works today are often unsure as to whether or not we can indeed coin the phrase “Black Literature” or, in this case, “Black poetry”. Is there such a thing? If so, how do we define the term, and what body of writing can we use to determine the validity of the definition. Such is the aim of this essay because we can indeed call a poem “Black”. We can define “Black poetry” as a body of writing written by an African-American in the United States that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of an experience or set of experiences inextricably linked to black people, characterizes a furious call or pursuit of freedom, and attempts to capture the black condition in a language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm. An examination of several works of poetry by various Black scholars should suffice to prove that the definition does hold and that “Black Poetry” is a term that we can use.