Forbidden fruit

“This shit is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s!” I will always remember how Gwen Stephani’s catchy tune “Hollaback Girl” finally taught me how to spell bananas. To this day I still have to sing the song to get it right, but hey, at least I learned. Learning is an essential part of life; an unknown source said it best, “if we cease to learn, we die.” This quote holds true, in that learning is imperative, as it presents us with information that can be useful when making difficult decisions. Yet, I have…

The man behind "Strange Fruit" is a man from New York City named Abel Meeropol. In The Guardian news article by Caryl Phillips He says, "Meeropol was motivated to write the poem after seeing a photograph of two black teenagers, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, who had been lynched in Marion, Indiana on August 7 1930. Their bodies were hanging limply from a tree" (Phillips 5). Harold heft says in The Jewish Daily Forward, "The poem “Bitter Fruit” was first published in the union journal The New York…

The Jazz Age took place in the 1920s. In this era jazz music and dance came together and created what is known today as the Jazz Age. This name was adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American novelist and short story writer. He came up with this name because of the rhythms it had, fast paced beats, and the style and spirit that it possessed. In this literary analysis, tone, symbolism, and imagery will be acknowledged and discussed based on the lyrical rhythm this song has. Billie Holiday…

“Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol displays great example of acceptance. Although this poem refers to specific events that occurred several years ago, this poem captures a great feeling of acceptance since it shows how African-Americans of the past were not accepted or treated as people; which is something relevant and relatable to this day. “Strange Fruit” protests against African-American lynching during the 1930s as it was common in the South. It narrates the sadness, desperation, and sorrow…

“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;…

West’s plot line. The integration of Nina Simone’s rendition of Strange Fruit throughout the song brings the reader back to the fragility and vulnerability of the track. The first 47 seconds of the song is probably the most important part, as it is where we are introduced to Nina Simone singing Strange Fruit, a song that addressed lynching in the early 1940’s in America, and a soft piano riff. The selection of Strange Fruit is an important sign towards the goal of the song as a whole. The song…

“Strange Fruit” Poetry Analysis Essay “Blood on the leaves and blood on the root / Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze” (Meeropol 2-3). The poem “Strange Fruit” was published in the 1930s by Abel Meeropol. Meeropol was an English teacher in Dewitt Clinton High School, a photograph of lynching motivated Meeropol for writing the poem, “Strange Fruit”. Meeropol didn’t like that racism was still persistent in America. The photograph of the lynching was a terrible and disturbing picture of…

Lemon balm and lemon verbena are two lemon-scented culinary herbs that have been used all over the world for centuries. However, they are not among the most well-known or widely used herbs in the west. While you should have an easy time finding herbs like basil and thyme in your local grocery store, you may have to go to a specialty retailer for the lemon-scented herbs. If you are trying to choose between them, it is important that you understand and weigh each herb’s unique characteristics. In…

The song Strange Fruit was first sang by Billie Holiday, who was a new performer on stage at Cafe Society, a new and popular cabaret club. The song was written in 1937 by a man named Abel Meeropol to criticize the racial discrimination in American South. Abel Meeropol, who was a Jewish-American school teacher from New York City, wrote Strange Fruit after seeing a shocking photograph of a lynching in a magazine. This song became very popular in 1939, the year where racial tension was at its…

ranging from fruit and sugar to ketchup and bread. Prison inmates typically make this beverage using any available food items that will ferment into alcohol or flavor the result. Its intoxicating potency can vary from 2%-14%, which corresponds to a weak beer or to a fortified wine. Its name dates back to 1936 and may come from the…