Strange Fruit
In the mid 1930’s, a New York teacher by the name Abel Meeropol was stunned by an eerie photograph taken at a lynching on August 7, 1930. The revolting glimpse of the lifeless bodies hanging helplessly on a maple tree was said to “haunt” Meeropol “for days.” The sight disturbed him so much, it led him to write a poem titled, “Strange Fruit” in 1937, which was published and later converted into a song reperformed by Billie Holiday in 1939. “Strange Fruit” was significant to the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, and protested racism against blacks, specifically lynching. This poem really emphasises the repulsive characteristics to the immoral actions taken by the lynch mobs during this time period. In the viewpoint of …show more content…
The dark and intense energy the poem gives off causes an abundance of chills and the cold feeling of goosebumps to take over a figure. The emotion of the speaker is slow, yet demanding. Wanting to savor every stanza, but also wanting to increase the anticipation of what comparison or impression the author will give us next. The emotion and mood of the poem set the importance of the theme. Racism is burdensome, and vehement. Unlikewise, in the 1930’s the discrimination of blacks was so common, not many people saw it that way. In Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, the main conflict involves a racist and biased trial. It didn’t matter if he was telling the truth, or lying his head off, as long as he was colored, no one would believe him. “Until my father explained it to me later, I did not understand the subtlety of Tom’s predicament: he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long, so he took the first opportunity to run--a sure sign of guilt” (Lee). It seems reasonable that colored people back then would be more careful about the things they did, because all it could have taken is being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it could have costed them their life. The examples of racism given in To Kill a Mockingbird and the racism inferred in “Strange Fruit” corresponds with the real-life events …show more content…
Billie Holiday does an excellent job at recreating this dreary piece and really emphasises Meeropol’s clever choice in adjectives, figurative language, and the overall comparison. The unethical behaviors of the lynch mobs was transported to the eyes of the nation after the publishing of this poem and song. It ignited the Civil Rights movement, and was one of the first poems written about racism. In my opinion, this poem and song was very significant to this time period, and its significance continues today. This sickly yet incredible writing piece has touched the minds and hearts of many American citizens and transfers the message of how abhorrent racial discrimination was then and is
In the mid 1930’s, a New York teacher by the name Abel Meeropol was stunned by an eerie photograph taken at a lynching on August 7, 1930. The revolting glimpse of the lifeless bodies hanging helplessly on a maple tree was said to “haunt” Meeropol “for days.” The sight disturbed him so much, it led him to write a poem titled, “Strange Fruit” in 1937, which was published and later converted into a song reperformed by Billie Holiday in 1939. “Strange Fruit” was significant to the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, and protested racism against blacks, specifically lynching. This poem really emphasises the repulsive characteristics to the immoral actions taken by the lynch mobs during this time period. In the viewpoint of …show more content…
The dark and intense energy the poem gives off causes an abundance of chills and the cold feeling of goosebumps to take over a figure. The emotion of the speaker is slow, yet demanding. Wanting to savor every stanza, but also wanting to increase the anticipation of what comparison or impression the author will give us next. The emotion and mood of the poem set the importance of the theme. Racism is burdensome, and vehement. Unlikewise, in the 1930’s the discrimination of blacks was so common, not many people saw it that way. In Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, the main conflict involves a racist and biased trial. It didn’t matter if he was telling the truth, or lying his head off, as long as he was colored, no one would believe him. “Until my father explained it to me later, I did not understand the subtlety of Tom’s predicament: he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long, so he took the first opportunity to run--a sure sign of guilt” (Lee). It seems reasonable that colored people back then would be more careful about the things they did, because all it could have taken is being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it could have costed them their life. The examples of racism given in To Kill a Mockingbird and the racism inferred in “Strange Fruit” corresponds with the real-life events …show more content…
Billie Holiday does an excellent job at recreating this dreary piece and really emphasises Meeropol’s clever choice in adjectives, figurative language, and the overall comparison. The unethical behaviors of the lynch mobs was transported to the eyes of the nation after the publishing of this poem and song. It ignited the Civil Rights movement, and was one of the first poems written about racism. In my opinion, this poem and song was very significant to this time period, and its significance continues today. This sickly yet incredible writing piece has touched the minds and hearts of many American citizens and transfers the message of how abhorrent racial discrimination was then and is