1. By Emma Lazarus (Created 1883)
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus (Created 1883)

2. Form and Meter
This poem is written as a sonnet, specifically a Petrarchan Sonnet (Italian Sonnet). This sonnet type follows a specific rhyme scheme and meter, consisting of an octave or octet- 8 lines) with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet (last 6 lines) with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd. The octet is fixed, the sestet can vary.
Compare with a Shakespearean Sonnet that is a 15 line poem written in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefef gg

3. History: From an act of charity to long-term fame
Lazarus original wrote the poem as a donation to an auction dedicated to raising funds for the construction of a pedestal for the base of the Statue Of Liberty.

4. She was first hesitant…
Lazarus was convinced to include her poem in the pedestal until one of her friends told her that it would be of great inspiration to the immigrants sailing into harbor. So she acquiesced. It was read the night of the opening of an exhibit, then kinda forgotten. Until………

5. IN 1901 a Schuyler Sister brings the thunder….
Well, Georgina Schuyler. And no thunder, just commemoration…
Despite the publication of the poem in THE NEW YORK TIMES and PULLITZER’s NEW YORK WORLD it wasn’t until 1903 that the text of he poem was put on the ner wal of the pedestal of the SOL.

6. LET US PROCEEDE WITH THE ANALYSIS..
“The title of the poem is often a key to unlocking the mysteries of the poem… -Author Unknown. “Duh.” -Mrs. Crabtree

7. “The New Colossus” The title and the first two lines:
“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus ( )
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
This ALLUDES to one of the Wonders of the Ancient World- the Colossus of Rhodes- which is depicted or described as the original colossus, that stood over two thousand years ago at the entrance to another busy harbor on the Island of Rhodes. Like the Statue of Liberty, this colossus was also built as a celebration of freedom

8. The Original: Super Cool, Right?

9. I like this one the best….

10. “Sea Washed Sunset Gates” To what might this line refer?
If you said:
“I think that the line “…Sea Washed Sunset Gates” (3) probably refers to the opening of the mouth or opening of the Hudson and East Rivers because that is where the statue is placed, much like the Colossus of Rhodes was placed in front of the Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes; a symbol of freedom and protection” ( YOU ARE RIGHT SIR!! And you answered extremely well in the CER format that we like to use in ShoopTree.

11. What does “Imprisoned Lightning” mean?
Electricity was still a pretty new thing at this time

12. “The air-bridged harbor that twin sities frame”(line 8 ).
New York Harbor BETWEEEN New York City and Brooklyn(consolidated in about 15 years after the poem was written)

13. “HUDDLED MASSES”
This is arguably the greatest and most celebrated image from the poem. This line refers to the immigrants coming into America, through Ellis Island. Paul Auster writes: “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” (“NYC=USA)

14. Enduring Meaning
This poem has enduring meaning, and is often used by politicians- for example, JFK quoted it in his book A Nation of Immigrants (1958).
President Obama used it in 2010 in a political speech advocating immigration policy reform
In 2017 the poem was brought into a White House Briefing relating to it’s symbolism and the American Immigration Policy.

15. Enduring Question Though… Does the poem’s original intent still hold true today? Did it then?

16. Assignment:
Go to the ShoopTree 7th Grade Ren Website and select the tab “Questions for The Jungle and The New Colossus”
Answer the 3 questions fully- all parts, using CER response format: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning.
Submit for your assessment grade
Look at the project assignment. You will choose one today, to work on at home (or during study hall, and maybe a half hour tomorrow).

17. Where I Found Stuff: http://www.unmuseum.org/colrhode.htm
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statue