The New Colossus Analysis

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.

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." -- Emma Lazarus (from the poem "The New Colossus)

“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 the story “The New Colossus” it talks about the Europeans wanting to come to America and pursue the American dream. They had the belief that the Statue of Liberty, in this story she is called The Mother Of Exiles, is asking the countries to “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States, she was the golden door to America, offering refugee to those who were seeking freedom.

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

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 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.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” a cry to the world to send the people most in need of liberty, the wretched, and the homeless to America. This quote comes from the 1883 sonnet, New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus and is engraved on a plaque affixed to America’s most famous symbol and landmark, the Statue of Liberty. While American Literature predates Lazarus by a few centuries, her sonnet along with Thomas Jefferson’s contribution in 1776 in the Declaration of Independence help define what makes certain literature American. Clearly expressing the beliefs of the colonist, Thomas Jefferson, an immigrant, penned to the world the purpose of what America stood for, the preservation of individual God-given

"Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor..." from the Emma Lazarus poem "The New Colossus" lists as one of the most famous verses in American history. It is ironic that Lazarus wrote it in1882 in celebration of the erection of the Statue of Liberty which has become the iconic symbol of America as a welcoming beacon for a "nation of immigrants." The Statue of Liberty was dedicated only four years later.

Written in the first half of the 20th century, “Let America Be America” is a poem that documents and responds to the oppressed state of the United States, in both the past and present. The poem is a plea for a return to the original principles of freedom that our country has seemingly forgotten. Additionally, the speaker sees America as the broken home to oppressed people who have lost sight of the ultimate goal of freedom and happiness. Although America is often perceived as the “land of the free,” Langston Hughes’s poem contradicts this ideology by not only painting a vivid picture of oppression in America but also by providing a desperate hope for the future.

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,