“Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze / Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees” (3-4). The poem “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol was published in 1937. It sets a deep tone on how racism occurred back in the 1930s. Meeropol was an ordinary high school teacher who went on to teach English for seventeen years. He was also a poet and social activist. Meeropol was troubled at the racism going on in America. He was inspired to write this poem after seeing a photograph of two teenagers; Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, get lynched. “The night before, on Aug. 6, 1930, they had been arrested and charged with the armed robbery and murder of a white factory worker, Claude Deeter, and the rape of his companion, Mary Ball” (Strange Fruit: Anniversary Of A Lynching). Meeropol said after looking at the photograph, he was “haunted for days”. The poem, “Strange Fruit” sets a
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Meeropol describes the man as he is hanging from the poplar tree, and the weather of place the man is at. “Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze / Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees” (3-4). The author also uses metaphors in the poem. For example, the “Strange Fruit hangin’ from the poplar tree” (4) are black casualties. The author compares strange fruit to a black man lynched. Finally, the author uses juxtaposition when he starts off by saying, “Pastoral scene of the gallant South” (5). This indicates that the South is very spiritual and romantic. Meeropol then goes on with saying “The bulgin’ eyes and the twisted mouth” which is almost the opposite of the first stanza in the second verse. The next stanzas also juxtaposes each other when Meeropol writes, “Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh / Then the sudden smell of burnin' flesh” (7-8). These four stanzas juxtapose each other because the contemptment of the positive stanzas outweigh the dreadfulness in the other
Meeropol describes the man as he is hanging from the poplar tree, and the weather of place the man is at. “Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze / Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees” (3-4). The author also uses metaphors in the poem. For example, the “Strange Fruit hangin’ from the poplar tree” (4) are black casualties. The author compares strange fruit to a black man lynched. Finally, the author uses juxtaposition when he starts off by saying, “Pastoral scene of the gallant South” (5). This indicates that the South is very spiritual and romantic. Meeropol then goes on with saying “The bulgin’ eyes and the twisted mouth” which is almost the opposite of the first stanza in the second verse. The next stanzas also juxtaposes each other when Meeropol writes, “Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh / Then the sudden smell of burnin' flesh” (7-8). These four stanzas juxtapose each other because the contemptment of the positive stanzas outweigh the dreadfulness in the other