Free To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Sample

I too sing America is a poem which was written by Langston Hughes. Hughes was raised by both his mother and grandmother after being left by his father. In his work, he was mostly influenced by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Sandburg who were both black and white. On the other hand, “Strange Fruit” was written by Abel Meeropol. He wrote the poem under the pen name Lewis Allan. The poem was later was presented by Billie Holiday who was a black singer. The poem was mainly in protest for the lynching that was taking place during the time.

These two poems are closely related to the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. The main theme of the poems is racism. The poem of the “strange fruit” addresses the issue of the lynching of the black people which was taking place at America. This was as a result of racism that prevailed during the time. The poem criticizes these forms of brutal killings of the blacks. He says that the sweet smell coming from the flowers are often contaminated by the stinking copses of the victims. This is very closely related with many incidences taking place in the text To Kill a Mockingbird. For instance, Scout had faced a lot of criticism when her father who was an American Lawyer received Tom Robinson as his client. The vice of racism had been installed even in young children at schools. It seemed odd for a white American to make any effort to help a black American. This issue is emphasized in the poem “Strange Fruit” which shows the lynching of the black Americans at the hand of racism.

The poem "I, too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes also concentrates on the issue of racism and prejudice. In the poem, the writer reveals how the black Americans are discriminated against. The writer says that they are sent to eat in the kitchen because they are the darker brothers. The writer wanted to inform how the black Americans are denied many privileges. Again this relates to themes of racism in the story of To Kill a Mockingbird.

There are several techniques that have been used to affect the reader’s feelings. Billie Holiday has used hyperbole to influence the feelings of the reader. He has described the scene of the murder vividly in a way that he is able to drag the feelings of the reader along with him. For instance, he says that Sothern trees bear strange fruits with blood on the leaves and blood in the roots.

The two poems are very relevant to the modern reader. For instance, the poem "I, too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes addressed the issue of racism and optimism about the future. The writer indicated that although the black Americans were sent to eat in the kitchen, there is hope that they will eat at the table when the time comes. This can be very relevant to the modern leader as the predictions of the poem have been fulfilled. Many black Americans have managed to enjoy many privileges that were previously difficult to access. This can be clearly demonstrated by the election of president Obama as the president of the U.S.A.

The two poems express several ideas and beliefs. First, the poems criticize the vice of racism. In his poem, “Strange Fruit”, Billie Holiday says that there were strange fruits hanging from the trees. These fruits are the bodies of the black Americans who had fallen victims of lynching. These strange fruits hanging from the poplar trees were the people murdered through lynching. The writer wants to show that the people who were being killed were part of the economy and the economy will be affected by their killings. He says ‘Strange fruits hanging from the poplar trees. 

 

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