INTRODUCTION
On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland was on an island in New York City’s Harbor ready to dedicate the Statue of Liberty. Now the Statue of Liberty is a treasured national monument, but it was not originally so popular. Conceived by sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and financed by donations from the French people, Americans were supposed to build the pedestal to hold the statue. Fund-raising went slowly. Many of the wealthiest Americans thought a statue in honor of liberty would cause unrest among the working classes. Others were suspicious of the French people’s motives; why did they want to give such a huge gift? Finally, newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, started a grass-roots campaign to raise funds. As part of this campaign, Emma Lazarus was asked to right a poem that spoke about America’s place as a land of liberty for refugees from around the world. The Statue stands now as a symbol of our dedication to liberty.
POEM
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus
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 might woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Have a discussion on the political view of the poem. The Statue of Liberty was controversial back in 1886. Lazarus describes a vision of America as a place that welcomes all immigrants. Is her vision widely accepted or is it controversial? Why?
If you disagree with her vision, what does the Statue of Liberty symbolize to you?
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!”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kennedy, Caroline, ed. 2003. A PATRIOT’S HANDBOOK: SONGS, POEMS, STORIES, AND SPEECHES CELEBRATING THE LAND WE LOVE. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6918-6
EXTENSION
Have a discussion on the political view of the poem. The Statue of Liberty was controversial back in 1886. Lazarus describes a vision of America as a place that welcomes all immigrants. Is her vision widely accepted or is it controversial? Why?
If you disagree with her vision, what does the Statue of Liberty symbolize to you?
Photo courtesy of http://search.yahoo.com/
On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland was on an island in New York City’s Harbor ready to dedicate the Statue of Liberty. Now the Statue of Liberty is a treasured national monument, but it was not originally so popular. Conceived by sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and financed by donations from the French people, Americans were supposed to build the pedestal to hold the statue. Fund-raising went slowly. Many of the wealthiest Americans thought a statue in honor of liberty would cause unrest among the working classes. Others were suspicious of the French people’s motives; why did they want to give such a huge gift? Finally, newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, started a grass-roots campaign to raise funds. As part of this campaign, Emma Lazarus was asked to right a poem that spoke about America’s place as a land of liberty for refugees from around the world. The Statue stands now as a symbol of our dedication to liberty.
POEM
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus
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 might woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Have a discussion on the political view of the poem. The Statue of Liberty was controversial back in 1886. Lazarus describes a vision of America as a place that welcomes all immigrants. Is her vision widely accepted or is it controversial? Why?
If you disagree with her vision, what does the Statue of Liberty symbolize to you?
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!”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kennedy, Caroline, ed. 2003. A PATRIOT’S HANDBOOK: SONGS, POEMS, STORIES, AND SPEECHES CELEBRATING THE LAND WE LOVE. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6918-6
EXTENSION
Have a discussion on the political view of the poem. The Statue of Liberty was controversial back in 1886. Lazarus describes a vision of America as a place that welcomes all immigrants. Is her vision widely accepted or is it controversial? Why?
If you disagree with her vision, what does the Statue of Liberty symbolize to you?
Photo courtesy of http://search.yahoo.com/
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