Poetry and the Statue of Liberty

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the Statue of Liberty, originally intended to represent the idea of liberty and self-rule for all people in all countries, over the years has represented political liberty, individual freedom, and an example of an immigration policy gone wrong. It looks at how three different poets have expressed all three views of the Statue of Liberty in poems, all using the statue as an icon or symbol of the meaning of "liberty" the statue held for them. The poems reviewed are Emma Lazarus's "The New Colossus", "The Bartholdi Statue" by John Greenleaf Whittier, and "Unguarded Gates" by Thomas Bailey Aldrich.

From the Paper:

"In 1892, the United States built a receiving facility for new immigrants on an island next to the one holding the Statue of Liberty (NPS). Ellis Island was the entrance point for nearly all new immigrants to the United States. With the Statue of Liberty overlooking the facility, the statue became a cultural icon representing immigration to the United States. Many immigrant Americans developed great affection for the statue. In fact, however, Lazarus's poem honoring the Statue of Liberty didn't get much attention until her death. A group of people organized to raise money to put the statue on a pedestal. One person on that committee, Georgina Schuyler (U of V), came across Lazarus' poem."

More papers on Poetry and the Statue of Liberty:

• Essay # 56868 : "The Statue of Liberty"
• Narrative Essay # 98594 : "A Visit to the Statue of Liberty"
• Book Review # 85801 : "Miss Lonelyhearts" and "The Day of the Locust" "

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: