Commonalities in Literature and Music
What is most important for a persons resilience?Strange Fruit by
Billie HolidayStudents on Strike by John StorkStudents on Strike by
John Stokes
Stokes and his classmates rallied together to end segregation at
Robert Russa Moton High School; this strike led to Stokes being a
plaintiff in the civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education.As
stated on Book Wizard (Scholastic 2013), this book gives readers an
insiders view of a momentous time in American history, as well as a
look at how a few determined young people can impact a nation.
Richmond News Leader, 1951.Because of his mental toughness, Stokes
and others like him were able to end the inequality and injustice
of Jim Crow laws.
Warren Leffler, 1957, US New and World Report.Strange Fruit
perf. Billie Holiday
Literary Devices in Strange FruitRHYME: Southern trees bear a
strange fruit/Blood on the leaves and blood at the root METAPHOR:
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.IMAGERY: Pastoral scene
of the gallant south/ The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
ALLITERATION & IMAGERY: Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning fleshPERSONIFICATION: For the rain
to gather, for the wind to suckANAPHORA: For the sun to rot, for
the trees to dropEXTENDED METAPHOR: Lynched bodies are compared to
fruit on a treeHoliday had to be mentally tough to sing Strange
Fruit.Strange Fruit was not by any means the first protest song,
but it was the first to shoulder an explicit political message into
the arena of entertainmentIt did not stir the blood, it chilled it.
That is about the ugliest songin the sense that it is violent and
tears at the guts of what white people have done to my people in
this country. Strange Fruit proved [protest songs] could [also] be
art (Lynskey 2011).
William Gotlieb, Bilie Holiday, 2011.
Works CitedGottlieb, William. Billie Holiday, 2011. www.last.fm.
PNG. 17 Nov 2013.Holiday, Billie (perf). Strange Fruit. Ken Burns
Jazz: Billie Holiday. 1939. iTunes.Leffler, Warren. An Integrated
Classroom in Anacostia High School Washington, D.C.U.S. News and
World Report, 1957. Web. 17 Nov 2013. Lynskey, Dorian. Strange
Fruit; the First Great Protest Song. The Guardian, 2011. Web. 17
Nov 2013.Meeropol, Abel. The Lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abe
Smith. 1930. Associated Press. Web. 17 Nov 2013.Richmond News
Leader. Protest Sign at Robert Moton High School. 1951. The
Richmond Times-Dispatch. Web. 17 Nov 2013.Stokes, John. Students on
Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and Me. 1st. Des Moines, IA:
National Geographic , 2007. Print.Students on Strike: Jim Crow,
Civil Rights, Brown, and Me. Book Wizard. Scholastic, 2013. Web. 17
Nov 2013.Rubric_____/5 Title page includes the essential question,
novel title, song title, and group members names. _____/20 Includes
a summary of the novel and how the novel relates to the essential
question. _____/20 Includes at least 5 literary devices used in the
lyrics and how the song relates to the essential question. The song
is imbedded into the presentation._____/15 At least two different
types of in text citations are used (paraphrase, quote, block
quote) and are cited correctly._____/10 At least two graphics are
used to support the ideas within the novel and/or song and include
a cited caption._____/10 A Works Cited page is included. There are
at least 5 sources and all are cited correctly. _____/10 Each
member presents at least one slide. Presenters speak clearly, using
Standard English, and do not merely read from the slide. _____/5
Font and colors are both easy to read and aesthetically pleasing.
Type is formatted so that all words fit on the slide. _____/5 A
printout of the slide presentation is included with two slides per
page, as well as the rubric. TOTAL: _____/100
Strange Fruit (1939 Single Version)Billie HolidayBillie
HolidayKen Burns Jazz: Billie
Holiday2000-11-07T08:00:[email protected] 2000 The Verve
Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.2013-11-17
15:44:49Universal:isrc:USMC13924403
