The New Colossus
A sonnet by Emma Lazarus, written in 1883, that recasts the Statue of Liberty as a welcoming figure for immigrants to the United States.
Emma Lazarus: An American poet and social activist whose writing addressed Jewish identity, immigration, and exile. Lazarus wrote the sonnet for a 1883 fundraising exhibition supporting the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.
Mother of Exiles: A name for the Statue of Liberty as a maternal refuge for displaced people, drawn from Lazarus’s sonnet. Lazarus gives the statue this identity, distinct from the classical freedom figure of the original monument.
Sonnet: A fourteen-line poetic form, traditionally organized by meter and rhyme into a structured argument or reflection. Lazarus uses the sonnet form to turn a public monument into a compact address.
1883: A year in the Gregorian calendar, preceding 1884 and following 1882. Lazarus composed the sonnet for the Statue of Liberty pedestal exhibition held that year.
Statue of Liberty: A monumental statue on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, dedicated in 1886 as a gift from France. The poem was written to raise funds for the statue’s pedestal and later became associated with it.
American immigration: The movement of people from other countries to settle in the United States. The poem became a lasting emblem of welcome to immigrants arriving in the United States.
Petrarchan sonnet: A sonnet form divided into an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet, often marked by a turn in thought. The poem adapts the octave-and-sestet structure to contrast old-world monuments with a new refuge.
1886: A year in the Gregorian calendar, preceding 1887 and following 1885. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886, but Lazarus’s poem was not yet installed on its pedestal.
American Committee for the Statue of Liberty: A fundraising organization formed to finance the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The committee’s 1883 art auction prompted Lazarus to contribute the sonnet.
Ellis Island: An island in New York Harbor that served as a major federal immigration station from 1892 to 1954. The poem’s welcome became closely associated with immigrants entering through nearby Ellis Island.