1. What is the ‘strange fruit’ that the trees bear in the first stanza? 2. What two scents are compared in the second stanza? 3. What happens to the ‘fruit’ in the third stanza? 4. Select one image that stands out to you. Does the image appeal to any of the senses? 5. Find two poetic techniques that you found effective in the poem.
Explore
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1. Discuss the use of metaphor in the poem ‘Strange Fruit’. 2. What do you think the poet wanted to achieve by writing this poem?
3. Musician Nina Simone said that ‘Strange Fruit’ ‘is violent and tears at the guts of what white people have done’. Do you agree that this is a violent poem? Explain your answer in detail.
Investigate
‘Strange Fruit’ was made famous as a song by singer Billie Holiday, and there are many other versions of the song. Use your research skills to find a version of the song that you like. Share your favourite video by creating a Padlet page dedicated to the song.
Create
Write a blog post about the issue of racism or inequality that you see in the world today. Share your blog post using WordPress.
