The New Colossus By Emma Lazarus

In a country that is based around the idea that you can be anyone and do anything, one would think that most Americans all want the typical “American Dream.” Many would agree that when we think American Dream, we think fancy yachts, designer clothing, and big buildings, but is that really what the dream is all about? By definition, the American Dream is defined as, “the idea that every U.S. citizen should have equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination” (“American Dream”). It is the idea that someone that comes from the very bottom can make their way to the top through determination and persistence. But what is considered to be “the top” is hard to

The American Dream is indefinable. There is no one set of words or characteristics that the entire population assigns directly to its definition. With the American population consisting of people of various races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders, it seems trivial to even attempt to attribute a single definition to the concept of the American Dream. It is this inability however, to be confined within one single meaning, that allows for the American Dream to govern the desires and goals of the large and diverse American population. And, regardless of all of the heterogeneity within society, the American Dream is generally a goal of all American peoples. In examining this idea, I began to think about the specific meanings attributed to the American Dream for different types of individuals. I broadly outlined the American Dream for myself, to represent the belief in hard work as a pathway to success and raising oneself in society. Consequently, this higher position in society allows for the possession of increased amounts of power. My definition however, neglects to take into account the certain other societal constructs that could possibly have a decisive role in how to both define and achieve the American Dream for the wide variety of people who pursue it.

American Dream: Noun, the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. That is the definition of the American dream according to Dictionary.com, but the American Dream is more than a definition, but a way of life for many. Millions of immigrants come to our country in search of this “American Dream” including my grandparents but more and more are disappointed. So does the American Dream exist? Has it ever existed or has it all been an illusion?

Not like the Colussus of Rhodes, the statue of liberty is a welcome to America, rather than conquering limbs astride from land to land. Emma Lazarus The New Colossus 1883

Lonely and afraid. Looking towards the distance to be presented with nothing but despair. The government, the people, all against you in this fight to happiness. It is the American Dream. The dream was successfully followed by the financially struggling citizens for years, leading them to a “richer and fuller land” until recently. This dream has now become a nightmare. To the men and women living below the poverty line, the American Dream is rarely achievable, and as time progresses, the Dream is furthering away from the grasp of the poor. This difficulty in achieving -- “a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” -- is due to one of the growing challenges in America ; income inequality. This suppresses not only a full education, but the ability to climb up the social ladder in society.

Sharing feelings associated with a place or an idea is the basis of what poetry is. In the poem "The New Colossus" author Emma Lazarus elicits strong feelings of patriotism and freedom through an experience of what it feels like to set your eyes on the Statue of Liberty and what the amazing structure symbolizes for Americans. However, this poem does not stop with just Americans, as half of the entire poem is dedicated to the Statue of Liberty calling out to the world. The poem is split up into two parts of dialogue. In the first dialogue (or the first half of the poem) Emma Lazarus narrates from a reserved observational stance. The reader observes Lazarus’ description of the Statue of Liberty where she expands on the greatness and importance of the structure for Americans and Mankind alike. The second dialogue (or second half of the poem) is the Statue of Liberty herself speaking to out other countries around the world asking for their weary and poor. This dialogue is also where the famous phrase "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" makes its debut (Lazarus 514) . Lazarus created a poem that so many Americans and immigrants can cherish to this day, because of the meaning that is transposed from the words that she wrote. This poem, like many other patriotic poems, gives the reader a great feeling of pride for being an American. However, this feeling of pride is much stronger than other patriotic poems. Lazarus can produce these

The American dream is what makes people from all around the world to want to move to America. The American dream is what makes America wonderful. The American dream has been categorized as an equal opportunity to attain success through hard work. The end result of the American dream for the universal people is for that character and their loved ones to be living contentedly for the rest of their lives. However, this is not the same apparition that every individual has of the American dream. The American dream differs from many different social classes of people in America. Comparing the picture of the American dream between the upper-class, middle-class, and lower-class can result in different situations. All in all there are many different discernments of the American dream for discrepant social classes yet every American in their lifetime will want to achieve their version of the American dream.

In the acclaimed poem "The New Colossus" American artist Emma Lazarus composes, "Give us your poor, your tired, your clustered masses longing to inhale free ". Engraved inside of within a symbol of flexibility, the Statue of Liberty, this announcement has come to characterize the nation of the United States of America. Indeed, even before its presentation of autonomy in 1776, the United States was a safe house for those looking for a superior life. Running to this nation by the thousands, settlers over a significant time span have traveled to the place where there is the free trying to get a way of life based upon the United States' idea of "life, freedom, and the quest for bliss." With more individuals entering the nation, the United States

Emma Lazarus’s poem, “The New Colossus”, has become the fundamental expression of America’s self-image as a welcoming and hospitable nation of immigrants. Through her poem, Lazarus transformed the Statue of Liberty—built by the French to commemorate shared American ideals of democracy—into an inspiration of hope for foreigners seeking a better life in the

In the much-admired poem “The New Colossus” American writer Emma Lazarus writes, “Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Carved inside the inside of an icon of freedom, the Statue of Liberty, this speech has come to describe the country of the United States of America. Even before its declaration of independence in 1776, the United States was a dock for those looking for a better life. Gathering to this country by the thousands, immigrants past and present have travelled to the land of the free in an effort to find a lifestyle based upon the United States’ idea of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” With more and more people entering the country, the United States quickly changed into the

In The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus writes about the Statue of Liberty, painting it out as the beacon for hope, prosperity, and freedom to those wishing to start anew. If they are the “wretched refuse” or the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free”, she invites them to come to the United States, where from the “Mother of Exiles” “Glows [a] world-wide welcome”. Sadly, many people were anti-immigrant and anti-foreigner, believing that most immigrants will only bring harm to the economy, will only be a detriment to the improvement of the nation, and will only have a negative impact on the nation’s social/moral standings.

The American Dream has long been worshipped and held as an ideal in our nation for decades. One day settling down with a family of four and living in the suburbs was once held as the perfect end to an American fairytale dream, but as the housing crisis of 2008 tore through the market and threatened the dreams of countless families. Unfortunately millennials grew up watching the housing crash tear at the hearts of their parents and threaten to divide families from their homes. As a result, millennials see the American Dream differently than previous generations. Instead of dreaming to one day own a home, millenials see the American Dream as the opportunity for freedom to explore the world and decide where they shall land. The American Dream has changed from the destination to the journey.

America was always recognized as the country that accepted everyone from the formation of the country. For example, poet Emma Lazarus’ work titled “The New Colossus” described the Statue of Liberty, in a sense, opening her arms to the poor and tired people around the world to allow them into the nation, Although this idea of America was thought to be true for most people, America has in fact not lived up to its promise of welcoming immigrants. Numerous people, many immigrants themselves, have published works that prove that the United States has not lived up to its welcoming title.

\There is a substantial amount of Americans today who have attained the American Dream, such as Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Steve Jobs, but does any American still have a chance at the American Dream? The authentic American Dream is known as owning land and having riches, opportunity and promise Today, Americans do not have a chance at the American Dream due to the lack of effort in the majority of America’s people, where an Americans' home is affecting that person’s chance for opportunity, and the large gap between a prosperous community and a distressed community in America.

Lady Liberty represents, to many, the core of America’s values. On a plaque in the statue’s museum is written a poem named The New Colossus that states, "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). This quote represents one of America’s important values, and the Statue of Liberty stands as a permanent reminder to the people of this.