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 ColossusThe 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 ExilesIn contrast to the old colossus, Lazarus sets up a very fe
