"The New Colossus" is an Italian sonnet written by the Jewish American poet Emma Lazarus. Lazarus was a passionate immigration activist, becoming particularly involved in the plight of Russian Jewish refugees. She wrote the poem in 1883 to help raise funds for the construction of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal, but the poem was not actually mounted on the pedestal until 1903. The poem compares the Statue of Liberty to the ancient Greek Colossus of Rhodes, presenting this "new colossus" as a patroness of immigrants rather than a symbol of military might. The statue's role and the poem's hopeful, unironic tone offer an idealistic vision of America's role on the world stage as a welcomer and protector of immigrants .
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The Full Text of “The New Colossus”
1Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
2With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
3Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
4A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
5Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
6Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
7Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
8The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
9“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
10With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
11Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
12The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
13Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
14I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The Full Text of “The New Colossus”
1Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
2With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
3Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
4A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
5Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
6Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
7Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
8The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
9“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
10With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
11Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
12The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
13Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
14I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
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“The New Colossus” Summary
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“The New Colossus” Themes
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American Immigration
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The Promise of Freedom
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Patriarchal Values vs. Maternal Virtues
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The New Colossus”
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Lines 1-2
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land; -
Lines 3-6
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. -
Lines 6-8
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. -
Lines 9-10
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. -
Lines 10-12
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. -
Line 13
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
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Line 14
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
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“The New Colossus” Symbols
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The New Colossus
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The Torch
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“The New Colossus” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Allusion
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Anthropomorphism
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Apostrophe
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Assonance
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Consonance
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Diacope
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Enjambment
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Imagery
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Juxtaposition
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Metonymy
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Simile
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“The New Colossus” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Colossus
- Brazen
- Astride
- Sunset gates
- Imprisoned lightning
- Exiles
- Air-bridged
- Pomp
- Huddled masses
- Refuse
- Teeming
- Tempest-tost
- Golden door
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The New Colossus”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The New Colossus” Speaker
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“The New Colossus” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The New Colossus”
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More “The New Colossus” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poetry Foundation’s Guide to “The New Colossus” — The Poetry Foundation offers an essay that serves as a poem guide to “The New Colossus.” It covers historical background, offers an analysis of the poem itself, and describes the poem’s influence on American culture.
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Interactive Poem through Nextbook Press — This interactive poem has been annotated by Princeton professor of English Esther Schor, who published a biography of Emma Lazarus.
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The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation: “About the Statue of Liberty” — Learn more about the poem’s inspiration, the Statue of Liberty, on this foundation’s website.
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History.com: Background on 19th century American Immigration — In this survey of pre-1965 U.S. immigration, you can learn about the waves of immigration occurring during the 19th century and read an introduction to federal immigration regulations.
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Library of Congress: “The New Colossus” Read Aloud — Hear the acclaimed, Brooklyn-born contemporary poet Alicia Ostriker read “The New Colossus” aloud and offer commentary on it.
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