“Strange Fruit: Structure & Language Techniques”

Structure of “Strange Fruit”

The poem is made up of a single, unbroken stanza reflecting the directness and immediacy of its subject matter.
Despite its brevity, the poem is dense with imagery and implication. Each line is weighted with meaning, mirroring the theme of hidden histories.
The compact form and lack of a conventional rhyme scheme gives the poem a stark, unadorned quality in keeping with its harsh subject matter.
The enjambment across lines suggests the ceaseless flow of time and the inescapable continuation of history.

Heaney employs a vivid and visceral language to describe the exhumed body, using phrases such as “hard as flint” and “its broken tooth, the bitten mouth”. This strong language creates a sense of horror and revulsion, underlining the strength of Heaney’s feeling about the violent past.
The title, “Strange Fruit”, is a metaphor implying the unnatural and shocking nature of the murdered victim hidden in the ground. This concept is a recurring motif throughout the poem, providing a sense of cohesion.
The assonance in the phrases “Outstaring axe” and “came out on a platter” extends the lingering horror encapsulated in these lines.
Heaney uses symbolism to underline his themes. For instance, the “broken tooth” symbolizes the silenced voices of history and the damage inflicted on the individual and society by violence.
The use of juxtaposition like “fragile” with “hard as flint” emphasises the discrepancy between the concept of human fragility and the harsh realities of violence.
The contrast between past and present is a key theme in this poem. This conflict is encapsulated in the lines “Here is the girl’s head like an exhumed gourd” and “its broken tooth, the bitten mouth”, which speaks to the simultaneous presence of beauty and horror in history.