The Pathos of Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit

                                                         

Billie Holiday, nicknamed Lady Day, was a famous African American jazz singer from the 1930s. She was not only known for her vocal style but also for some her songs. One of her most famous is "Strange Fruit".

The song was written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish man from the Bronx. Since the racial relations were quite hostile in the 1930s due to the incidents of lynching, writing a song condemning lynching was definitely one of the riskiest things to do in the U.S. at that time. He wrote the song in the late 1930s because he was so disturbed by the racism especially after seeing a photo of a lynching.

The lyrics in general compared the lynched bodies to fruit when Holiday sings "Blood on the leaves and blood at the root/ Black bodies swinging' in the Southern breeze". The Southern breeze detail implies that most of these murders occurred in the Deep South which is an area that is known for its hostility towards African Americans. The lyrics add imagery to it in order to imply that the song is about lynching without actually saying it thus making "strange fruit" an euphemism for hanged bodies. It allows the listener to make his or her own conclusions. Holiday's particular voice is very soulful and it evokes sadness and makes the audience believe that lynching is a serious issue.

When I first heard this song in my freshman year of high school, I knew off the bat that it was about lynching. I had already known that lynching was a serious issue in the 1930s but the sadness in Billie Holiday's voice made me feel more implored to do something about it even though these murders occurred more than seven decades ago. Also, the style of the music also affected me because the slow beat and the blues feel to it made me think that this song was going to be dramatic but not necessarily happy or upbeat.

Although this song was produced in the 1930s, it also relates to the Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They are both protesting the unfair treatment of African Americans and they both also showcase ethos, kairos, pathos, and logos. Holiday and King also both used their professions to protest about the treatment of African Americans. Holiday used her talents as a singer to sing about the horrors of lynching and King used his leadership as an activist to convince the entire nation and world that racism was wrong. However, Strange Fruit uses more pathos due to the emotion heard in Holiday's voice while Dr. King's letter is a more of a logos based argument.

- My Keys

King's "Letter From Birmingham Jail" is full of Ethos- and much, much more

Martin Luther King Jr. penned his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while in jail for participation in a nonviolent anti-segregation demonstration. The letter was King's response to a statement by 8 Southern, white religious leaders. In the letter, which is quite verbose, King does not hesitate at all to establish his ethos as both a religious and Civil rights leader. He mentions having "the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference," an organization with affiliates including "the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights." Thus, while reading the article you are already aware of King's credentials. In a sense, knowing his leadership history also further emphasizes King's imprisonment as being racially motivated. Why else would an African American man be sitting in jail for participating in a peaceful protest motivated by a desire for social and racial equality? Are freedom of speech and assembly not our Constitutional rights? Had a white man taken King's place, would his actions have landed him in jail?

King continues to maintain this credibility throughout the letter. For example, when responding to the religious leaders' claims of the protest being "extreme," King mentions his disappointment at such a reaction from "fellow clergymen." King's inclusion of himself in this group of religious leaders again establishes ethos.

In a way, I found it almost difficult to distinguish exactly what was exclusively ethos in King's letter. Every sentence seems to be electrified with both knowledge and emotion, with credibility and experience, much like Billie Holiday's song, "Strange Fruit," which describes the horrors of lynching faced by Black Americans. However, perhaps it is just this- his descriptions of the racial injustices faced by Black Americans day to day, "plagued with inner fear and outer resentments," being recounted obviously from experience- that makes his "Letter" so powerful. King speaks as a leader, as a teacher, but he speaks as a human being too, and at that a human being who simply longs for his well-deserved rights.

-Natalia de Gravelles

Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit-" A Grave Wealth of Ethos

Upon analyzing the lyrics of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," it seems the scene being described- the lynched, lifeless bodies of Black Americans hanging from trees as some type of "strange fruit-" connotes actions that are undoubtedly anything but ethical. Yet, the song's ethos is immense, not in spite of Holiday's disturbing imagery, but rather as a result of it. Holiday, an African American herself, utilizes vivid imagery such as "black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze." These words paint an all-too clearly a picture of the Civil Rights Movement's sometimes fatal end results for it's victims. The language remains strong throughout the song, thus underlining Holiday's understanding of, and possibly personal experiences with, the injustices suffered by Black Americans both prior to and during the Civil Rights era. She does not shy away from the gruesome reality of lynching, and her lyrics are honest, even if through metaphor.

Her use of certain details too adds to the song's effectiveness. The trees, for example, she specifies as "poplar," and the breeze "Southern." These details, based off the fact that the majority of racial discrimination occurred in the southern US, thus offer a geographic specificity, a detail that again further heightens Holiday's ethos.

"Strange Fruit" is proof that, when expatiating upon issues of social injustice, a speaker's ethos can be established through a multitude of outlets. This song demonstrates that one does not have to list credentials to necessarily show credibility. This does not mean, of course, that listing credentials is a weak way to establish ethos. Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, does this in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and establishes outstanding credibility as a Civil Rights leader. With "Strange Fruit," you simply have to dig a bit deeper.

-Natalia de Gravelles

The Logos behind “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

      Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” appeals to logos in the sense that it enumerates exactly why “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  The text does this by explaining harmful trends that result from unjust laws.  Even though unjust laws violate the rights of many, there are those who still find need for them.  King is disillusioned with white moderates who refuse to stand against prejudice and passively accept unjust laws.  King states that white moderates support these laws in order to maintain status quo.  Even though the laws establish a sense of short-lived racial peace, King believes injustice is implemented through them.  The laws degrade the human person.  King believes that any unjust laws have the power to inhibit society from seeking equality and long-term peace.

      Through the use of historical parallels, King explains that civil disobedience is necessary to implement when “a higher moral law [is] involved” that supersedes unjust laws.  King reasons that some laws inhibit honorable behavior and that what is legal is not always moral.  As King suggests, Hitler’s behavior in Germany was completely legal, even though comforting and providing aid to Jews was illegal.

      From King’s speech, we can draw parallels between Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” in the sense that the song suggests there is something wrong with the way southern blacks were treated under laws that did not protect them.  “Strange Fruit,” like “Letter from Birmingham Jail” provides examples that support the fact that there is a need for just laws that defend life and human dignity.   For the reason that just laws are necessary to preserve human dignity, King suggests that he would rather be an extremist who fights for justice, rather than one who harbors “lukewarm acceptance” in the face of evil.

-Tylar