The New Colossus

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!” 

This is the sonnet written by Emma Lazarus in which can be seen on the golden plaque which sits at the base of the Statue of Liberty. This sonnet shows the distinctions between the new and old worlds. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of new beginnings and was a welcome to the new land. The line, "A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning" is one in which explains the Statue of Liberty to a T and funny enough this sonnet was written before the Statue of Liberty was even built. It explains how the Statue of Liberty is a check in point for a new life and everyone is welcome into the new land. She sits upon the harbor of New York City, and when she was seen by immigrants they could breathe a sigh of relief because they knew that they have finally become free from their old lives and could not make a better life for them and their families. The sonnet is also implying that America can take care of others far better than any other country could which is why more individuals moved to America. America was seen as a place where the American dream could become a reality and the Statue of Liberty was the "golden door" to this new life.