Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
The first line introduces the image of trees and fruit which naturally echoes the source of life or sustenance. However, the second line emphasizes the ‘strangeness’ of the fruit by introducing the image of blood on the trees. Therefore, the poem symbolizes the trees as a symbol of violence and death rather than a source of life. The poem highlights the lynching of black people on trees demonstrating the racist violence in the South.
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!
The second stanza juxtaposes the supposed Southern values and beauty with the horror of violence and death. The speaker contends the notion that the South is defined by its beauty and its culture of proper ideals. Though the scene might portray an idyllic image, the hate and racism have bred inhumane and violent acts against black people. Henceforth, the poem expresses that the South cannot claim to be a civil society when racism still prevails.
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
The poem establishes that the strange fruit is the bodies of black people fallen victim to lynching and racism. The last stanza highlights that the acts of hatred and death develop into a cycle since the pain persists. The ‘strange fruits’ go back into the earth, taking with them the hate alluding to the construct of American racism.
