Strange Fruit poem

And

Billie Holiday

By Tessa and Melissa

Strange Fruit Poem

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South,The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,And the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Strange fruit poem was written by a white Jewish school teacher and union activist from New York named Abel Meeropol, who was outraged after seeing a photograph of a horrific lynching in a civil-rights magazine. The photo was a shot of 2 black men hanging from a tree after they had been lynched in Marion, Indiana on August 7, 1930. The 2 men are the "Strange Fruit."

What is it about.?

How does it relate to Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.?

Strange fruit poem relates to the novel Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry because the poem talks about the lynching of black people [the strange fruit] and Tj almost gets hung. We think that the Bertys’

Billie HolidayLady Day

Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 7th 1915. She was an American jazz singer and songwriter.She had a tough childhood, her mother being a teenager and her dad neglecting her. She was recruited by a brothel, worked as a prostitute in 1930, and

was eventually imprisoned for a short time for solicitationOn May 16th 1947, Billie was arrested for possession of narcotics and drugs. She was called to trial, pleaded guilty and sent to prison. She claimed that she never sang a note, even though people wanted her to. She was released early march 1948, due to good behaviour.Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Above all, she was admired for her deeply personal and intimate approach to singing.

Continued...

The 1950s !•Holiday started using hard drugs in the 1940s•She had and affair with her trumpeter who was also her drug dealer. •She divorced her husband and broke up with her trumpeter boyfriend•Her drug usage, drinking and relations to abusive men led to a deteriorating health,•Her voice coarsened and did not have the same projection and richness it had. However she kept, if not strengthened the emotional impact of her delivery. •She married again, and like most men in her life, her husband was abusive but tried to get her off drugs.

Billie’s Death

On May 31st 1959, Holiday was taken to hospital suffering from liver and heart disease. Police officers were stationed at the door to her room. She was arrested for drug possession as she lay dying and her hospital room was raided by authorities.

Holiday remained under police guard at the hospital until she died from cirrhosis of the liver on July 17, 1959. In the final years of her life She died with $0.70 in the bank and $750 (a tabloid fee) on her person.

How does Billie Holiday relate to the novel?

• Billie Holiday relates to poem because she sings The Strange Fruit Poem as an encore when she sings her songs