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“Strange Fruit” Introduction
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“Strange Fruit” Summary
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“Strange Fruit” Themes
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The Horror and Inhumanity of American Racism
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-12
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Strange Fruit”
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Lines 1-2
Southern trees bear ...
... at the root, -
Lines 3-4
Black bodies swinging ...
... the poplar trees. -
Lines 5-8
Pastoral scene of ...
... of burning flesh. -
Lines 9-11
Here is fruit ...
... trees to drop, -
Line 12
Here is a ... and bitter crop.
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“Strange Fruit” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 1: “S,” “s”
- Line 2: “Bl,” “bl”
- Line 3: “B,” “l,” “b,” “s,” “s,” “b”
- Line 4: “S”
- Line 5: “s,” “s”
- Line 7: “S,” “s”
- Line 8: “Th,” “th,” “s,” “s”
- Line 9: “f,” “f”
- Line 10: “F,” “f,” “s”
- Line 11: “F,” “s,” “t,” “f,” “t”
- Line 12: “s”
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “ee”
- Line 2: “ea”
- Line 3: “ie,” “i,” “i,” “i,” “ee”
- Line 4: “a,” “a,” “ee”
- Line 5: “e”
- Line 7: “e,” “e”
- Line 8: “e,” “e,” “e,” “e”
- Line 9: “u”
- Line 10: “u”
- Line 11: “u,” “o,” “o”
- Line 12: “o”
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Caesura
Where caesura appears in the poem:- Line 7: “magnolias, sweet”
- Line 10: “gather, for”
- Line 11: “rot, for”
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Consonance
Where consonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “S,” “r,” “tr,” “s,” “r,” “s,” “t,” “r,” “t”
- Line 2: “Bl,” “d,” “l,” “d,” “bl,” “d,” “t,” “t”
- Line 3: “Bl,” “b,” “s,” “s,” “ng,” “ng,” “n,” “th,” “s,” “th,” “n,” “b,” “r,” “z”
- Line 4: “S,” “tr,” “r,” “t,” “r,” “tr”
- Line 5: “st,” “l,” “sc,” “th,” “ll,” “s,” “th”
- Line 6: “Th,” “s,” “th,” “t,” “st,” “m,” “th”
- Line 7: “Sc,” “nt,” “m,” “s,” “s,” “t”
- Line 8: “Th,” “th,” “s,” “n,” “s,” “m,” “n”
- Line 9: “r,” “f,” “r,” “f,” “r,” “c,” “r,” “ck”
- Line 10: “r,” “th,” “r,” “th,” “r,” “r,” “th,” “ck”
- Line 11: “r,” “t,” “r,” “t,” “t,” “r,” “s,” “t,” “r”
- Line 12: “r,” “s,” “tr,” “tt,” “r,” “r”
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Extended Metaphor
Where extended metaphor appears in the poem:- Lines 1-12
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Repetition
Where repetition appears in the poem:- Line 1
- Line 2
- Lines 3-4
- Lines 5-8
- Line 9
- Lines 9-11
- Line 12
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Juxtaposition
Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:
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“Strange Fruit” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Southern
- Poplar Trees
- Pastoral
- Gallant
- Magnolias
Southern-
(Location in poem: Line 1: “Southern”; Line 3: “southern”; Line 5: “south”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Strange Fruit”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Strange Fruit” Speaker
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“Strange Fruit” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Strange Fruit”
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More “Strange Fruit” Resources
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External Resources
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Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" — Listen to Holiday's famous sung version of the poem.
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The History of Holiday's Version — A fascinating article about Billie Holiday's relationship with Meeropol's poem.
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Lynching in America — A valuable resource that looks at the history of lynching and racial hatred in the United States.
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Meeropol's Inspiration — This is the (graphic and disturbing) photograph of the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in 1930 that inspired the composition of the poem.
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"The House I Live In" — Meeropol wrote the lyrics to the closing song from a short 1946 film of the same title, which focused on anti-Semitism in post-war America. The song is sung by Frank Sinatra in the film.
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