The New Colossus
"The New Colossus" is a sonnet by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), written in 1883 and, in 1903, engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the Statue of Liberty.
| The New Colossus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, Emma Lazarus, 1883 |
Contents |
History of the poem
The poem was written as a donation to an auction of art and literary works [1] conducted by the "Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty", the aim of which was to raise money for the pedestal's construction [2] The contribution was solicited by fundraiser William Maxwell Evarts. Initially Lazarus refused, but Constance Cary Harrison convinced her that the statue would be of great significance to immigrants sailing into the harbor [3].
"The New Colossus" was the only entry read at the exhibit's opening, but was forgotten and played no role at the opening of the statue in 1886. In 1901, Lazarus' friend, Georgina Schuyler, began an effort to memorialize Lazarus and her poem, which succeeded in 1903 when a plaque bearing the text of the poem was mounted on the inner wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty [2].
Missing comma
The line "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" has read "Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" on the plaque hanging inside the Statue of Liberty[4] since its unveiling in 1903.
Contents
The title of the poem and the first two lines refer to the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The poem talks about the millions of immigrants who came to the United States (many of them through Ellis Island at the port of New York).
Impact
Author John T. Cunningham wrote that "The Statue of Liberty was not conceived and sculpted as a symbol of immigration, but it quickly became so as immigrant ships passed under the statue. However, it was Lazarus' poem that permanently stamped on Miss Liberty the role of unofficial greeter of incoming immigrants" [5].
James Russell Lowell wrote that the poem gave the Statue of Liberty a "raison d'etre" [2] and Paul Auster wrote that "Bartholdi's gigantic effigy was originally intended as a monument to the principles of international republicanism, but 'The New Colossus' reinvented the statue's purpose, turning Liberty into a welcoming mother, a symbol of hope to the outcasts and downtrodden of the world" [6].
External links
- The sonnet in Emma Lazarus' own handwriting from A Century of Immigration, 1820-1924 (Library of Congress website)
References
- ^ Sutherland, Cara A. (2003). The Statue of Liberty: The Museum of the City of New York. Barnes and Noble Publishing. ISBN 0-7607-3890-4. p. 77: "auction of art and art and literary work"; Mark Twain also contributed
- ^ a b c Young, Bette Roth (1997). Emma Lazarus in Her World: Life and Letters. The Jewish Publication Society. ISBN 0-8276-0618-4. p. 3: Auction event named as ""Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty;" Lowell says poem gave the statue "a raison e'tre"; fell into obscurity; not mentioned at statue opening; Georgina Schuyler's campaign for the plaque
- ^ Felder, Deborah G.; Diana L Rosen (2003). Fifty Jewish Women Who Changed the World. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2443-X. p. 45: Solicited by "William Maxwell Evert"[sic; presumably a misspelling of "William Maxwell Evarts]; Lazarus refused initially; convinced by Constancy Cary Harrison
- ^ Shapiro, Gary (2006-12-08). "Misprint is spied in Lazarus poem at Liberty island", The New York Sun. Retrieved on 8 June 2007.
- ^ Cunningham, John T. (2003). Ellis Island: Immigration's Shining Center. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-2428-X. pp. 46-7
- ^ Auster, Paul (2005). Collected Prose : Autobiographical Writings, True Stories, Critical Essays, Prefaces, and Collaborations with Artists. Picador. ISBN 0-312-42468-X. p. 508, in an essay about New York City as a living embodiment of the idea of diversity
Why are we here?
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
This page is cache of Wikipedia. History