What is the meaning of the poem The New Colossus?

Emma Lazarus wrote her poem, "The New Colossus," in 1883 after being inspired by the Statue of Liberty, which had just arrived in America. The poem was written to help solicit funds for the building of the statue's pedestal. It refers to the millions of European immigrants who were coming to America in search of a new life and for whom the statue became a symbol of hope.

Structure

"The New Colossus" is written in the form of a sonnet, with 14 lines and a rhyme scheme of abbaabbacdcdcd. The first half of the poem is a paean to the Statue of Liberty, and the second half is spoken by the statue itself.

The Old Colossus

The poem opens with an allusion to the ancient Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue of the Greek god Helios that had a radiant crown similar to that on the Statue of Liberty. It was often depicted as standing astride the harbor and was seen by Lazarus as representing the brutal history of the Old World.

The Mother of Exiles

In contrast to the old colossus, Lazarus sets up a very female figure, welcoming all her lost, tired children to the "sunset gates" of the West. Her torch becomes like a lamp in the night, held up high beside the "golden door" to freedom.

The Lady's Plea

The second half of "The New Colossus" is an example of personification. Here the Statue of Liberty speaks directly to the "ancient lands," bidding them send all of their unwanted children, crowded onto "the teeming shore," to America. The immigrants will cross the ocean, so they are "tempest-tossed" by the waves of the Atlantic as well as the storms of history.

Timeless Words

Lines 10 and 11 of "The New Colossus" have become some of the most cherished words in America: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

The Poem's Fate

Emma Lazarus' poem was inscribed on a plaque and place in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in 1903. Sadly, she did not live to see it, having died in 1887 at the age of 38. Her work, however, lives on.

Source:

Representative Poetry Online

The Colossus at Rhodes, Greece

More Information:

Full Text of "The New Colossus"