Writing Strange Fruit - My Favrouite Poem

[Shinobi]

Strange Fruit is a poem that was wrote by a Jewish teatcher in the 1920's i think, i am not sure. It was about Lynching and other Racist segragational things happening in the south. In the 1940's Billie Holiday released it as a song, i think it is very touching and a brilliant poem:

[b]Strange Fruit[/b]

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.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.


Please note, this is [b]NOT[/b] my poem, most people will know that anyway. I would just like to see what you people feel about this poem

[Charles]

This is also one of my favorite poems. I read it back when I was studying racism. Almost anyone who is familiar with the practice of lynching should be able to instantly [i]feel[/i] the savagery and emotion involved with it by reading these lines.

The imagery is simple, but it's so powerful.

[Shinobi]

I agree, that is probably what strikes me most. We are studying "Free at last?" in History just now and since i LOVE history i was very intrested in this and my teacher showed us this poem and i was astounded by it, it was just plain genious. It gave me the imagery of Dead rotting carcases hanging, falling apart in a very tranquil, bright happy country side view, as if it is almost "normal" with small white children prancing about in the long golden wheat in the background...actual i might draw a picture of this...

[Charles]

Yeah, it would make a great art project. I can almost see the dark silhouette of a figure with its head bowed, standing beside the silhouettes of two children, holding their hands. The scene would be very somber. When I think about the subject matter I realize how false the ideas of equality and justice can be, even to this day with the "lynching" that still occurs...

[TheShinje]

Very, sombering, It captures the raw emotion of the days of racial segregation, and the blacks being sold into slavery. How unfortunate it is that there are a small minority that cannot put racial differences aside for the greater good.

heck, it's only the color of your skin! Any argument against any one color of skin is like an argument against hair color, pathetic, stupid, moronic and unfounded.

This poem shoul be a reality check for all of them.

and yes, it would be a great art project.