Analysis Of The Poem ' Liberty ' By Emma Lazarus

The United States has had tension with Asian immigrants since the first wave of migration in the 1840’s, and in 1882 the United States declared a Chinese Exclusion which was to keep all Chinese from migrating into the United States. For the Chinese already in the U.S this created worry and tension. With the Chinese people no longer being welcome the freedom for the Chinese inside which was already not much was even more condensed. The little equality that they had was taken away and they were excluded, and looked down upon everywhere they went. They had trouble living and socially because of the prejudice they were facing. An example of the Chinese struggle before the exclusion act would be the Chinese Lynching that took place in 1871. In Los Angeles a mob captured men and in this case a 12 year old boy and hung them all at a Spanish hacienda because of the citizens strong discrimination against

Immigration in the United States is a complex demographic activity that has been a major contribution to population growth and cultural change throughout much of the nation's history. The many aspects of immigration have controversy in economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants, settlement patterns, crime, and even voting behavior. Congress has passed many laws that have to do with immigrants especially in the 19th century such as the Naturalization Act of 1870, and the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, or even the Immigration Act of 1903 all to insure specific laws and boundaries set on immigrants. The life of immigrants has been drastically changed throughout the years of 1880-1925 through aspects such as immigrants taking non-immigrants

Ellis Island, the portal for immigrants to access a developed, prosperous land, the United States of America, and seek opportunity that would they would otherwise not discover in their home country. Opened in 1892, the island was the gateway for foreign people across the globe to enter salvation from their native country. With this new structure set in place, Americans had mixed feelings on immigration. The two conflicting ideas of immigration in this time period can be demonstrated through two poems: “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus and “Unguarded Gates” by Thomas Bailey Aldrich. While both literary works highlight the ideal “American dream” and personify the Statue of Liberty, they differ in the fact that they have different points of view on immigration.

“The New Colossus” is a poem written by Emma Lazarus that is inscribed on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty. This is the poem that we as Americans use as words of inspiration. From October 28, 1886, the date of when the Statue of Liberty was built and dedicated, to the year 2017, we have used the poem’s words to live by. While some people think that it is time for a change, others say that we should leave the poem to stay, for it is a historical remembrance of everything that we have stood up for. This poem also represents the welcoming of immigrants, the freedom that we fought for, and the freedom of religion.

In her poem Lazarus juxtaposes the symbol of the United States, the Statue of Liberty, with one of the most important symbols of the Greek and Roman era, the Colossus of Rhodes. As described in Lazarus’ poem the Statue of Liberty welcomed thousands upon thousand of immigrants, who were in search of a better life, to the United States. The Colossus

Since the founding of the United States of America, immigrants have always been welcome to pursue for a better life on the soil of the United States, which is known for freedom and also called the land of the free. The symbol of liberty on Ellis Island called The Statue of Liberty, which was gifted to the country from France, has an engraved sonnet by the famous American poet Emma Lazarus which writes, "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddle masses yearning to breathe free..." Which defines the country and opens the arms of the United States to immigrants. With the country opening its arms, the number of immigrants entering United States soil have increased immensely. With such a vast number of immigrants attempting to gain access into the

Economically, they filled a significant need for cheap labor in booming American industries. The large numbers of immigrants helped keep labor cost down for Big Business and different groups were often put against each other in competition for the cheapest workers. Politically, different immigrant groups became active members of various labor organizations and unions, pushing to change pro-business laws and establish regulations governing working conditions and wages. And socially, American culture as it is known now was formed by this influx of immigrants. People from all over the planet brought with them not only their labor but also their cultures, helping to contribute to the mosaic that is the American way of life. These immigrants, as shown by the prejudice and discrimination directed towards them, were not always welcome. In economic hard times, immigrants were blamed for job shortages and family hardships, used as scapegoats for larger problems. Nativist movements were directed against the Chinese, Japanese, Italians, and others, especially during the 1880s and 90s. As evidenced by the Chinese Exclusion Act and later legislation that limited immigration from Japan and other regions, this anti-immigrant sentiment went as high up as the nation's capital. This history was simply a repeat of the nativism and hatred directed against the Irish and Germans of the 1840s and 1850s and is similar to that experienced in America today by immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. In the area of immigration, history repeats

In the famous poem The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, America is deemed a land of “world wide welcome” for those who seek a new place to call home. The Statue of Liberty is established early on in the piece as a symbol of freedom and protection, a statue symbolic of the spirit of America. In the piece, Lazarus refers to immigrants as the “poor, huddled masses” to whom the United States offers a pair of open “golden doors.” However, many immigrants today feel far removed from the land of freedom referenced in The New Colossus. The promise of a blue sky with endless possibilities is far from reality for the Americans that the poem calls the huddled masses. It is clear that America’s promise of freedom and opportunity, characterized by the

Attention: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (Emma Lazarus). This sentence can be found in the poem “The New Colossus,” written by Emma Lazarus in 1883. It can also be found inscribed on the Statue of Liberty towering over the New York Harbor, a bright beacon symbolizing the freedom and democracy we hold so esteemed in America. Immigrants founded the United States and immigrants are arguably who made our nation so great. However, when immigrants do not follow the process to acquire legal citizenship into the United States is when the problems arise.

This poem shows that all immigrants move to the United States to look for the “American Dream”. They risk their lives to obtain a better life for themselves and their families. When the author says:

The Statue of Liberty is quite the monument, welcoming and astonishing immigrants since the year of 1876. Standing over 305 feet tall and weighing approximately 225 tons, this woman of independence has been the symbol of the United States for people all over the world. At the bottom of Lady Liberty, there is a poem by Emma Lazarus. It reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” These words are altogether eloquent, and they display the message that brings millions of people flocking to the U.S. every year. However, more and more people are beginning to question the words

The Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, a destination for many of the early American immigrants, reads an inscription, ?Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" (National Park Service, 2016). This excerpt from a poem by Emma Lazarus encompasses the American spirit that led to the American Revolution and separation from England. America was a country comprised of immigrants who came to the New World to make a home of peace, safety and, as the statue stands, liberty.

Immigration to the United States is still, and has been a significant idea in American history. During the 1600s, people from the eastern hemisphere migrated to the U.S, such as the British and other Europeans, as well as Africans who were brought as slaves. Up until the early nineteenth century, the U.S supported open immigration in order to fill up its vacant lands. Yet in the late 1800s and onwards, the attitudes toward the new immigrants became very mixed, some still encouraging newcomers while others, called nativists, expressed hostility toward them. It was in the mid-nineteenth century when the first immigration law, the Asian Exclusion Act (1875), was passed primarily to restrict the importation of Asian

Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These words are engraved on the Statue of Liberty that was assembled in 1886. The statue was meant to be a beacon of hope for all immigrants that enter the U.S. Do we still agree with what those words say?

Emma Lazarus’ poem, The New Colossus, depicts America as a welcoming harbor for all immigrants seeking freedom. She begins her writing by contrasting Greece and America. Different from the tyrant Greeks, she perceives the United States as gentle and hospitable. While the Greek conquer land to land, America sits as an open door, welcoming the migrants and foreigners. In the poem, Lazarus says: “A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.” In this example, Emma Lazarus is referring the Statue of Liberty to a Mother of Exiles. This means she is welcoming and sympathetic to all types of settlers and outsiders. By using this comparison, Lazarus is claiming that America is a country of immigrants, meaning all citizens originally migrated to the United States from somewhere else. The sirens of America sing about the Mother of Exiles to all newcomers, promising them a new beginning. They claim to welcome all outcasts and rejects, regardless of any flaw. Throughout the second stanza of Lazarus’ poem, she implies that exiles are in need of freedom. For this reason, Lazarus writes: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Here, she indicates America is the golden door to prosperity and freedom for all cultures and foreigners. The sirens of America sing this alluring motto to the incoming settlers. The “golden door” - Lazarus compares this to Alice Island - is where they lie, enticing and tempting migrants from all over the world. Throughout The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus suggests the American Dream is amiable and welcoming to settlers,