Abel Meeropol's Strange Fruit

This is a poem that problematizes ‘language’. “Language plays an altogether fundamental role in human thinking, and it bestows on man his unique ability

11. A poet can work its magic on the reader by “choice of images, music of the language, idea content, and cleverness of wordplay” (Foster 17).

In the poem “‘Race’ Politics” by Luis J. Rodriguez, connotation, imagery, and syntax was used to enhance the writing by helping us visualize and feel what the main character went through while dealing with racism in a neighborhood among whites and Mexicans.

     The voice of one person can send a profound sound into the hearts of people to help liberate one’s mind. That profound sound is seen through poetry. The creative structure and style of poetry creates a different form of writing that can either have rhythm, alliteration or have a direct message. In the poem “I Too Sing America”, by Langston Hughes had a significant message in that he desired to voice his expression on the issue of black oppression in America. Langston basic themes focused on the American Dream and the possibilities of hope and advancement were constantly present in his poetry. The tension between the unrealized dream and the realities of the black experience in

George Szirtes article “Formal Wear: Notes on Rhyme, Meter, Stanza, and Pattern” from the Poetry Foundation opens with opinions which focus on limitations of poetic form. As a counter to these common arguments, Szirtes claims, “Verse is not decoration: it is structural. It is a forming principle and words at depth” ("Formal Wear: Notes” 2). He then develops an argument explaining, “the constraints of form are spurs of the imagination: that they are in fact the chief producers of imagination” ("Formal Wear: Notes” 2). Taking these ideas into consideration Szirtes incorporates the idea of language explaining how language connects to memory and imagination which come together to form poetic images. Additionally, when poets use form it develops

To help Year Twelve students that are studying poetry appreciate it's value, this pamphlet's aim is to discuss a classic poem and a

The profound languages used helps the reader develop an idea of what the context is and the main idea that revolves around the sentences or words. In the where it begins with “Love?” it shows the uncertainty of an individual who’s confused and possesses unanswered questions. When the speaker emphasizes the question mark at the end of the word, it genuinely separates the idea of a general question and one that is searching for answers. The goal of the language used in the poem will not be achieved without the speaker acting on it verbally. Words are empty without emotions and therefore the speaker plays an important role that enforces meaning and structure onto what is being said. Another important factor would be the speaker’s attitude. How the speaker approaches the poem gives away the main idea, the concept and even the identity of the person behind these words. For example, if the speaker proceeds through the poem with a very positive attitude, it sets a different atmosphere than the one that would be if it was approached negatively. In this case, the speaker continues with the poem

Many people analyze a poem and desperately try to find the meaning of it. In “Introduction to Poetry,” Billy Collins uses personification, metaphors, and diction to demonstrate that poetry often loses some of its joy when it is over-analyzed for its meaning.

They vividly depict the gruesome image of lynching and set the tone. “An example of this is ‘ Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh, then the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh’ the image of one moment, smelling the sweet flowers as you were outside, then the horrid smell of burning flesh instantly enters your mind. Juxtaposition also helps with this” (Strange Fruit). Juxatopostion helps get the image across revealing its message. The poem’s tone is dark and dull, and when the speaker reads it they have a serious tone. This relates to the theme of the poem because the theme is protest. When you talk about protest against something you are serious about the point you want to get across and that is what this poem is doing, trying to get its idea across seriously. This poem relates to history because it has to do with racism. “The key players of this story were all drastically affected by racism in America” (Meaning). Racism goes back many years before Meeropol wrote the poem. This poem was a global news flash on how far racism was being taken because of deep and clear he creates a picture in your mind using

Poetry has a role in society, not only to serve as part of the aesthetics or of the arts. It also gives us a view of what the society is in the context of when it was written and what the author is trying to express through words. The words as a tool in poetry may seem ordinary when used in ordinary circumstance. Yet, these words can hold more emotion and thought, however brief it was presented.

Two poems that perfectly display the placement of white and black female bodies against each other are “Face” and “Portrait in Georgia.” The two are far away from each other in the text but the parallels are undeniable. Both poems begin with “Hair—, “and go on to describe a woman. The white woman in “Portrait in Georgia” is textually linked to lynching. The portrait, if you will, is painted in images of lynching and violence against black bodies. Here, the white woman works as a symbol of essential whiteness that is meant to be protected. During the early 20th century, it was common for black men to be lynched because they were looking at or talking to white women. Toomer is drawing on the necessity of the white woman to further the white man’s motivation to eliminate black men. On the other side of the spectrum, “Face” features a woman of color. Her features are drawn with images of nature, suggesting the possibility of new life, even in her graying old age. The language of the poem is

“From the sphere of my own experience I can bring to my recollection three persons of no every-day powers and acquirements, who had read the poems of others with more and more unallayed pleasure, and had thought more highly of their authors, as poets; who yet have confessed to me, that from no modern work had so many passages started up anew in their minds at different times, and as different occasions had awakened a meditative mood.” (2) (paragraph 31).

poem is not merely a static, decorative creation, but that it is an act of communication between the poet and

Imagine racism taking over the world, with overwhelming thoughts about how you might be the next victim. Quarrels about whether the best skin is black or white, but always resulting that white is right. Hope would evaporate from an evanescent cloud and Faith became instinct as it was replaced by agony. Everywhere you turned around for help, all you saw were the bodies of those neglected and lynched. Abel Meeropol published the poem Strange Fruit in 1937, after seeing a drastic picture of lynching that traumatized him ever since then. As a result, the poem became a memory to all those who died and is momentous to our history.

“The relationship between the energies of the inquiring mind that an intelligent reader brings to the poem and the poem’s refusal to yield a single comprehensive interpretation enacts vividly the everlasting intercourse between the human mind, with its instinct to organise and harmonise, and the baffling powers of the universe about it.”