Mood Of The Poem Strange Fruit

Strange Fruit The poem “Strange Fruit” was written by Abel Meeropol. The poem was published on April 20, 1937. The authors motivation to write the poem “Strange Fruit” was that he was very disturbed with the racism of the time and when he saw the photo of the two black teenagers that had been lynched it “‘put him over the edge.”’(Elizabeth Blair). My overall response to the poem is that it makes me sick to picture what Billie Holiday painted a clear picture of, and to see the picture of the teens being lynched discussed me to think that some people would do such an act. In the poem Holiday describes that there are strange fruit hanging from trees that turn out to be black people being lynched and are swinging in the breeze and their mouths
In the poem there are many poetic elements involved, and the tone is the same, it reveals the dark and creepy meaning within the lines,”The bulgin' eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burnin' flesh”(Meeropol). This shows that the author is telling a dark and horrible image that can be pictured without a actual picture. The emotion that is shown and conveyed when the poem is read or sung is dark and sickening tone and you want to look away, but keep reading. This poem relates to history because black men and women were lynched in the 1900’s. The people that were lynched did look like the song/poem describes and many black people were lynched from trees and just hung there and were for display while people took pictures for souvenir,”Southern trees bear a strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees”(Meeropol). This shows that after they lynched people they would leave them there to rot and for example. The author of the poem was inspired by a photo that he saw of two lynched black men that were hanging by a