Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”
conveys the lynching of blacks in the South.
We can infer historically that this horrible practice occurred when
whites tried to intimidate blacks and keep them in their place. King explains why this happens in “Letter
from Birmingham Jail” when he states that people in power don’t easily give up
power. The segregated South maintained
status quo, despite racism and violence.
Holiday
demonizes lynching by using analogies while expanding on them through her use
of graphic imagery. Holiday provides examples of “bulgin’ eyes,”
“twisted mouths,” and “the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh.” To burn someone is to reduce them to
something that’s not human. Dehumanizing
anyone is morally wrong.
Holiday uses her music to raise
consciousness just as images of police brutality on TV raised consciousness of
the unjust treatment of blacks. Both examples
put political pressure on the federal government to address racial violence in
the South.
-Tylar
Show me proof that white people didnt turn around solely due to tv footage and pictures! Show me that they were listening to controversial black music! show me what newspapers MLKs letters were printed in!
ReplyDeleteGid, I'm sure there were many whites who weren't moved by Strange Fruit's message, especially before the Civil Rights movement gained momentum and the glory it has today. MLK's letter too was just ideas before it gained notoriety. What these two pieces have in common is the fact that they vocalized the concerns of the black community. The Civil Rights movement was founded on the strength and courage to demand more, despite push back from members of the white majority.
DeleteI agree - I think there will always be a group that doesn't acknowledge something that proves to be revolutionary (or at the very least extremely important) until it gains popularity. Even then, I think there is a group that won't acknowledge things that make them uncomfortable. The Civil Rights movement refused to stop just because it made the white majority uncomfortable, and I think the group does a good job pointing that out.
DeleteHayley A
All, I suggest a quick web search of these reception histories. Quite enlightening. Even the wikipedia (grain of salt duly taken) page has some very interesting things to say. And check out this Guardian article too!
Deletehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/sep/18/strange-fruit-song-today
Seems the song was well-received in an integrated NY nightclub even in 1937, and sold many copies at that time.
I think the tone of the entire song eerily conveys Holiday's message. As a listener, you feel a certain sense of foreboding and unease even as soon as after the first line of the song. I like your focus on the imagery present in the lyrics of the song. The "sudden smell of burnin' flesh" was the line that shocked me the most, as not only does the alliteration point to the ssssss sound almost of a crackling fire, but also to hear the words "burnin' flesh" creates such a strong reaction of repulsion in the listener. Great post!
ReplyDelete- Lina Bauer
"To burn someone is to reduce them to something that’s not human. Dehumanizing anyone is morally wrong." This is the one quote that just sticks out to me. Although its true I think that this idea goes on a much deeper lever. It stems from oppression and ideas of inferiority. And dehumanizing is obviously morally wrong. Besides that point, I found that this post was very straight forward. It got to the point thoroughly and effectively.
ReplyDelete-Ashley McNeill
I tend to agree with Lina's view that pointing out the imagery in the song has a strong effect. I do have a question though: why do you think the trees are described as "popular"? Is it because it was popular for racism to occur?
ReplyDeleteIt definitely had an effect on racism in the south. It seems like back during the time when the song was written the things that got the most attention were the things that had the most shock value and deal with the most gruesome events. I think that's a big reason why this song had an impact. It was too shocking to just ignore.
ReplyDelete