“Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees” Strange fruit was written in 1937. For a protest poem, ostensibly intended to give voice to an explicit political agenda, “Strange Fruit” oddly provides no identifiable perspective. Written by Abel Meeropol in 1937 and first published under the title “Bitter Fruit”, the poem was initially intended as a harsh indictment of racial
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
The song “Strange Fruit” was a landmark song at the time as it was a call to attention of the racial segregation and the injustices committed in not only the south but all across the Unites States. This song is best known as being performed by Billie Holiday in 1939. However, it has more history to it than that. The song was originally written as a protest poem by Jewish high school teacher Abel Meeropol (Holiday). He wrote it as a poem protesting the racism in America and specifically the lynching
Strange fruit is a poem about a lynching, where two colored men were forced out of their cells by an angry mob and the men were lynched. The author, Abel Meeropol, wrote this poem when he saw a disturbing picture of two young colored men lynched and white people were amused by the event of the black’s death. It was published in 1937 and became famous when the famous singer, Billie holiday, sang the song on television. This poem is very dark and makes me feel curious about why they would act that
“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
Tyler Talbot U0574986 3/2/13 Strange Fruit 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
Strange Fruit is a song that was written by Abel Meeropol and performed by Billie Holiday in 1939. A dark and meaningful ballad with an underlying message about the grim reality of most black people in the 1930’s. At this time, slavery was at its worst, and a wildfire of torture and slaughter was rapidly consuming America and poisoned the impressionable minds of civilians. When I listened to Strange Fruit a couple of times and began to investigate the song at a deeper level, I came to a startling
In the 1900s, the United States was a nation that took part in racism and, eventually, took part in the lynching of African Americans. “Strange Fruit”, a poem written by Abel Meeropol, and the song being performed by Billie Holiday, is a poem that demonstrates the horror of the author to discover the happenings of a lynching and to see the image of one taking place. The poem was widely known as a song sung by Billie Holiday in 1939 and was written and published by Abel Meeropol in 1937 being the
the poem was strange fruit and it was written by (Abel Meeropol), the date that the poem was published was January 1, 2000. The reason why the author wrote this poem was to show that back then in the 1940s people were racist and would lynch people on trees without any trial or evidence, the author also wrote this poem for Billie Holiday to sing and to show people how bad it is. After weeks of Billie Holiday’s singing from the poem it was the most famous and and ironic song Strange fruit, a haunting
Published in 1937, Strange Fruit was written by Abel Meerpol under the pseudonym Lewis Allan. The poem, inspired by a photograph of a lynching in America, protested racism and expressed Meerpol’s horror at the violence associated with it. Strange Fruit is set in a time and place where racism was rife. Despite the decline of the Ku Klux Klan, racially motivated lynching continued to be used to terrorize the black community while allowing white Americans to regain their sense of status. Fifteen years
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
there was one song that made a huge impact. That song was Strange Fruit, a poem by Abel Meeropol that was set to music. The title came from the analogy that compared the lynched bodies of two men to fruit that hung on trees. Though Holiday was negatively affected by the song, Strange Fruit mostly impacted people’s lives positively. Even today, people are still being affected by Strange Fruit. Billie Holiday’s performances of Strange Fruit sparked a revolution that would later result
Strange Fruit By Abel Meeropol published in 1999s. Strange Fruit a poem written by Abel Meeropol, was written about an experience that probably none of us have experienced before. This Poem was based on our world where people like us hated the colored, and blamed them for no reason. Abel Meeropol a poet and a social activist was disturbed by a picture of two African American teenagers who were hung (lynched) on a tree. Abel stated that he was haunted for days, he stated how cruel and how fast racism
“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
I’m going to talk about the famous poem, Strange Fruit. Abel Meeropol is the mysterious writer of the poem Strange Fruit. The poem Strange Fruit was published in 1937. Abel Meeropol was sent to court in 1940 because he had wrote Strange Fruit. To me the poem doesn’t seem like an act of protesting, to me it seems like he is just telling a story of what had happened. The problem was that this was in the 1930s and 1940s when racism was still a very big deal. Racism still exists today but it was worse
Strange Fruit Break Down Strange fruit is an amazing dark poem that was sung by Billie Holiday as a very powerful deep meaning 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 still haunts people who live down there, reminding them that it was only a short time ago. Very rarely did any one person get prosecuted
conjured by Abel Meeropol’s “Strange Fruit”. It was made popular in 1939 by the hauntingly melodic woeful vocals of Billy Holiday. This poem is culturally relevant for it reflects an age in American history in which society was rampant with blatant racism. Sadly a lot of those sentiments have been perpetuated to modern day. This is why it is so
When I first watched the video “Strange Fruit” I found it nothing short of gruesome. The words swelled my eyes with tears as the images thwacked into my empathetic heart like an axe cutting into a tree. I could feel each clang as each picture changed. I listened intently to the words that sadly sawed through the lyrics leaving sawdust and residue in my mind. The song bears the pain of the fruit that has been lost. The title, like the trunk of a tree, is the foundation of the song, the representation
People of all colors will always wonder about the sad and unfortunate death against racism in American’s history. A poem called, “Bitter Fruit” also known as “Strange Fruit” is perhaps one of the greatest poem and song ever written to protest the hatred of discrimination. This poem was written by a Jewish male teacher named Abel Meeropol, who was inspired by a haunted photographic picture of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith being lynched in Marron. After seeing an image of the lynch, Meeropol was deeply
Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald." 12 Nov 2001. <www.wam.edu/~ellisj/news_femalejazz.htm>. Foley, Jack. David Marolick, Strange Fruit: Billy Holiday, Café Society, and an Early Cry for Civil Rights. The Alsop Review. Running Press. 9 Nov. 2001. <www.alsopreview.com/foley/jfmargolick.html>. Keep on Pushing: Say it Loud. VH1 Productions, 2001. Margolick, David. "Strange Fruit: A Song that Reverberates in the American Soul." 14 Nov. 2001. <www.qkw.com/racematters/nytarchjb218.htm>.