Statue of Liberty
A visit to the Statue of Liberty followed by the nearby Ellis Island nowadays is very striking. It’s clear that, since Emma Lazarus wrote her poem “The New Colossus” in 1883 to help raise funds for construction of the Statue’s pedestal, and especially after Lazarus’ poem was affixed to the pedestal in 1903, Lady Liberty has stood as a welcoming beacon to immigrants, for many of whom the Statue was their first glimpse of America. Here are the lines of “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 standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries sheWith 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!”
