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Emma Lazarus

The New Colossus

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1883

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Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

Sic Semper Liberatoribus” by Emma Lazarus (1881)

“Sic Semper Liberatoribus” offers a scene from one of the pogroms that swept the Russian Empire in 1881 in the wake of the assassination of Alexander II. It is useful to read alongside “The New Colossus,” as it demonstrates the sort of people Lazarus thinks to be the exiles that would be welcomed by the Statue of Liberty.

1492” by Emma Lazarus (1889)

While 1492 is known by most people as the year of the voyage of exploration by Christopher Columbus, this poem reminds us it is also the year Spain expelled its Jewish population from its borders. The poem ends with the hope of the New World as a place where exiled Jews could find a home. Like “The New Colossus,” it is also a Petrarchan sonnet with a variant rhyme scheme in the sestet.

In Exile” by Emma Lazarus (1889)

“In Exile” depicts a group of Jews, having come to the United States, living comfortably and practicing their religion and culture without persecution. It puts the better life envisioned for those exiles welcomed by the statue in “The New Colossus” in more definite terms.

Further Literary Resources

"Emma Lazarus" by Project Gutenberg (2009)

Reprinted here are both volumes of The Poems of Emma Lazarus (1888), originally published in The Century Magazine and later collected for these two books. The volumes begin with an extensive discussion of both Lazarus and her work.

Max Cavitch offers a detailed and thorough discussion of the complex historical context of “The New Colossus” and the author’s life. He includes many details about the poem and immigration in the 1880s not addressed in other sources.

This short article provides a brief history of “The New Colossus” and its reception over the years. It also discusses its relationship with The Statue of Liberty and the issue of immigration.

Listen to Poem

Celebrated poet Alicia Ostriker reads “The New Colossus” and then offers insightful and personal commentary. Text of her comments is included on the web page.

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