Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Primary Source: Statue of Liberty

The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "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!"

My Analysis:

Above is a poem I found that describes the Statue of Liberty. The statue itself sends a message to people and nations. A message that states her "commanding" presence, her "mighty" stature, and her "welcoming" nature. All of these are meant to describe the U.S. as a country. The golden door is America. The Statue of Liberty represents the U.S. for the rest of the world.


http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/hits?docNum=CD2154000050&tab=4&locID=menlo_schlib&nav=1&origSearch=false&hdb=ALL&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=false&o=&sortOrder=RE&n=10&l=dE&sgPhrase=true&c=1&tabMap=119&bucket=psm&SU=%22statue+of+liberty%22

2 comments:

  1. The poem is very interesting and you bring up a great analysis. The statue of liberty does welcome, and that was the reason of being placed in new york a long time ago. it welcomes thousands of people a day and is a huge attraction to the US.

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  2. The interesting question is: where did the US get the statue of Liberty from? It was actually a gift from the French in the 1800's. It's a symbol of freedom and democracy. The friendship between France and the US was developed during the American Revolution

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