Compare And Contrast Brutus And The New Colossus

In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Cassius and Brutus worry that Caesar’s growing power will lead him to become king, and Cassius is determined to convince Brutus to join his conspiracy to kill Caesar. After getting Brutus alone, Cassius begins his first speech of persuasion, playing on Brutus’ resentment towards Caesar and inherent Roman pride.

Man has always been interested in analyzing issues in the history of the world. People tend to appreciate it when grand historical events are described in works of literature. Consequently, writers and poets, try to capture every single step of societal and personal experiences in their works. One of such writers is Langston Hughes whose poem “Let America be America Again” speaks to certain events in the history of America. Several historical events provide context: the flowering of the arts during the Harlem Renaissance; the Great Depression; Americas’ migration story and Hughes’ activities with the Communist Party.

It’s strange that almost no one knows the name of the poet who wrote such an important poem, and all they know of the poem itself is four or five particularly powerful words. Emma Lazarus wrote several books in her career, yet is known best for the poem “The New Colossus,” which is carved into the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Lazarus meant for the poem to have a deeper, more important meaning for immigrants and Jewish people. Emma Lazarus used her wealth, her good education, and her sympathy for Jewish people to write “The New Colossus” to depict America as a home for new immigrants.

In the Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, we read about a bunch of conspirators who kill a man who they believe to have too much power. One of these conspirators is a man named Brutus. After the killing, they flee their home city of Rome to escape being murdered by the people. While they are away though, Brutus starts to realize that he is the only one who did it for the good of Rome, and the others just did it out of greed. This starts to make Brutus look like the tragic hero, or the person who does something for the greater good, but is looked down upon for it. Brutus reflects this quality a lot in the ending.

By entering the turn of the century, we now see many new additions to literature; Women making a name of their own as well as incorporating a new touch to the literary world. In 1883 “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus was written about the Statue of Liberty and welcoming immigrants from all over the world. Because it is a Petrarchan sonnet, it has two parts to it: an opening eight line section, which describes the statue, followed by the six line section, which is the monologue in which the statue is imagined to speak. This poem uses literary tone, imagery, and a third person narrative voice to describe the meaning of this monument as well as the emotion it holds behind it.

The character of Cassius is well established by the end of Act I. He reveals himself to be angry, bitter, and jealous of Caesar's power in Rome. Cassius speaks of Caesar with contempt and sarcasm. In the stories he tells Brutus, he shows Caesar to be weak and unworthy of the position he now holds over them. (According to Cassius, he himself is physically stronger than Caesar.) He complains bitterly to Brutus that they are now like "petty men" in comparison to the great Caesar. Cassius also reveals himself to be secretive and manipulative. In disparaging Caesar, Cassius is acting to draw Brutus into the conspiracy to murder him. To further influence Brutus to move against Caesar, Cassius writes false letters, supposedly from the Roman people,

In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, after Caesar’s death, both Brutus and Antony presented two different speeches for the people of Rome. Brutus tries to persuade the people of Rome to believe that Caesar’s death was a positive event by saying, “Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves”(3.2.24). Brutus explains how Caesar was ambitious and that if Caesar got too powerful, then he would have enslaved all the people of Rome. However, Anthony contradicts Brutus with a heart-filled speech by reminding the people of Rome about how Caesar was a noble man by saying, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse”(3.2.105-106). Antony reels in the hearts of the Romans, and he ends his speech with Caesar’s will(3.2.255-266).

Travel back to June 17, 1885. It is a summer New York day, and the statue of liberty has just arrived on American grounds. The lady herself was a gift from the French to the United States as a sign of friendship. However, on the bottom of the statue, there is a plaque with a poem. This poem is known as “The New Colossus,” By Emma Lazarus. “The New Colossus” set a foundation for what the United States morals were built on. One might argue if Americans should still abide to this poem. Though it has been roughly 130 years since the statue landed on the New York shores, Americans should still follow the poem’s example today. We should continue to follow the words stated at the base of the Statue of Liberty because it is an example of American

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

Let America be America Again is a clear expression of Langston Hughes’s dissatisfaction towards what America has become. Written in 1936, it is a cry for help, imploring people to regain the dream they once had, so that America can return to that land where dreamers went full of hope seeking freedom. We can observe themes such as the idealization of America vs the reality of America, oppressed voices, the inequality experienced by many rightfull Americans and the corruption of the American dream. The speaker puts his focal point on how the common American dream of achieving freedom, realizing their dreams, and attaining equality have been reduced to nothing almost making them impossible. Hughes gives examples of the darker days of America and makes a plea so others hear and feel how and why America has changed so much. With this poem Hughes intended to be a voice who

Originally published in the year 1883, Emma Lazarus’ poem The New Colossus portrayed the United States as a beacon of hope and safety for individuals who found themselves at a disadvantage throughout the world. Lazarus wrote this poem in an effort to raise money for the construction of a pedestal at the base of the Statue of Liberty, which eventually came to symbolize the welcoming of immigrants to the United States in an idealistic fashion. Coincidentally, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, did not act as a symbol for immigrants until after The New Colossus was inscribed on the base of the statue in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, Emma Lazarus’ poem did not represent the version of the United States that existed between the 1890s and the 1920s. During these years, the United State was a safe haven for few, if any, non-native and/or non-white groups. Practically any societal faction that did not fall into the collective category of white, upper-class, American-born men faced varying degrees of prejudice and discrimination. Perhaps the most targeted and attacked non-native groups of this time included both Chinese and Western European immigrants. While the suffering of individuals cannot be quantized or compared, the cumulative experiences of European and Chinese societal sects demonstrated the various ways in which The New Colossus inaccurately represented the United States during the 1890s to the 1920s.

Shakespeare created two tragic heroes in his play Julius Caesar, Caesar and Brutus. Caesar was wrong by ignoring the Soothsayer’s warning and Calpurnia’s suggestion and insisted on going to the Senate in the ides of March. Brutus was wrong in three parts: killed Caesar, who had not be a monarch yet. Believed in Cassius’s bewitches and insisted Antony was only cared about the Roman republic and have no political ambition.

In the New York Harbor, there stands a famous statue, the Statue of Liberty. In her one hand, Lady Liberty is holding a tablet bearing the date July 4, 1776, the day of America’s founding. In her other hand, she is holding aloft a torch, symbolizing liberty enlightening the world. In the harbor, the Statue of Liberty stands right next to Ellis Island, our nation’s largest immigration station for many years. Millions of immigrants made the long sea voyage from Europe in those days and came through Ellis Island, passing the Statue of Liberty as they arrived. They came seeking freedom. They came seeking opportunity. A poem is inscribed on the statue which says,

In this critical analysis on the character of Brutus from the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare I would like to draw emphasis on the kind of character Brutus was. Brutus was or seemed to be the closest comrade of Julius Caesar who later backstabbed Caesar. The character of Brutus emerges to be the most complex of them all that is why I would like to present my analysis on this particular character of Brutus. This character analysis of Brutus particularly pays emphasis on the question if Brutus was double-faced because from his outer and social appearance he didn’t seem like a person who could or would betray someone or if in the worst case assassinate or murder someone. If he wasn’t double-faced? Was it for the greater

In the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus and a gang of conspirators create a plan to kill Caesar. After the conspirators commit the murder, Brutus and Mark Antony give their speeches about Caesar. Each speech had its own better parts and each contributed to an uproar through the crowd. Brutus first gave a speech which was quite shorter than Antony’s, however it in itself was a great speech. Antony’s speech was significantly longer and was persuasive through the crowd. And through each speech, each person used great examples of ethos, pathos, and logos. Brutus used Logos more in his speech to show how it was reasonable for them to have killed Caesar. For example when Brutus said “ Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, and live all free men.”, he tries to appeal to the crowd by convincing them logically that they would probably prefer a dead Caesar, than be a slave of Rome and Caesar. And Antony used ethos very well in convincing the crowd, by using their greed. Like when he said “But here’s a parchment with the seal of Caesar; I found it in his closet, ‘tis his will”, he said this to get the people on Caesar’s side in that his death was wrong.