The New Colossus
Quick Summary
"The New Colossus" is a sonnet by Emma Lazarus written in 1883. It is famously inscribed on a bronze plaque inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.123
The poem was written to help raise funds for the statue's pedestal. It contrasts the Statue of Liberty with the "brazen giant of Greek fame," presenting her as the "Mother of Exiles". The sonnet's powerful lines, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," have made it a symbol of welcome and refuge for immigrants arriving in the United States. Lazarus, a poet and essayist, was also an advocate for Jewish people and immigrants.123
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