The New Colossus
BY EMMA Lazarus
not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
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. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
select your favorite sonnet that was assigned but that we didn’t get a chance to discuss on either day during class. Without consulting any external sources, closely read and take observational notes on your chosen poem, as we did with the first-day worksheet, addressing the “W” questions with the help of your detailed notes on how the poem is structured. Your answer to the final question—Why?-takes a stand on the poem’s meaning and forms a thesis statement for your essay. To turn these notes into an essay, you’ll need to develop a beginning/ending strategy (introductory paragraph, concluding paragraph) and build a structure of middle probably three paragraphs that may or may not fall neatly into those Who-What-When/Where categories. Organize each paragraph around a feature or element of the poem and set up the whole essay to gradually persuade readers of your thesis. Step 1: How has the poet written and structured the piece? Did the title raise an expectation? Did the poet divide the poem into stanzas? What features of language do you notice? Mostly long lines or short lines? Regular or ragged line lengths? Does punctuation insert a pause at the end of the line (end-stopped line), or do the poem’s ideas flow over into the next line (enjambment)? Does one word attract special notice, either because it’s not often used, carries a double meaning, or appears in an odd context? Did the poet shape full sentences or produce a set of grammatical fragments? Do punctuation marks create a tone of excitement, fatalism, wistfulness? Does punctuation drive the poem’s pace in a rapid, leisurely, or abrupt way? What patterns emerge from counting syllables and identifying the stresses in each line? Did the poet use rhyme and meter, and if so, how? Important: Refer to the evidence supplied by these textual details to support your answers to the questions below, which in turn will support your thesis. Step 2: The W’s. Who “speaks” this poem? Does the poem keep the same perspective throughout, or does it shift its viewpoint? Who else is in the poem-any human or other characters besides the speaker? Does the speaker directly address anyone? Does the tone of voice suggest an emotionally involved character or a detached narrator? Does the speaker gain a new attitude or understanding by the end? What occurs in the poem (basic plot, flow of events, or shift in focus)? Where does this poem take place, based on any hints about setting/landscape/ environment/location(s)? Urban, rural, suburban, wilderness? Indoors, outdoors, inside someone’s head? When does the poem happen? Any hints that reveal historical era, time of day, etc.? Does it flash on a brief moment, or narrate many years? Does it unfold in multiple timeframes-remembered, anticipated, imagined or just one? Do words related to time signal a shift between these frames? Why? Why would we describe this poem as having a distinctive meaning that arises from its language? Why should we bother to go to the trouble of exploring what this poem has to offer? Why read this poem? i will submit my own work
here my notes
Step 1:
– “The New Colossus” is a sonnet written by Emma Lazarus.
– The title raises an expectation of a new, monumental figure or concept.
– The poem is divided into two sections: an octave and a sestet.
– The language features sophisticated vocabulary and imagery.
– The poem mostly consists of longer lines.
– Line lengths are regular and structured.
– Both end-stopped lines and enjambment are used, creating a mix of pause and flow.
– The phrase “Mother of Exiles” is notable for its uniqueness and symbolic meaning.
– The poem uses full sentences.
– Punctuation marks like commas and periods are used to control pace and tone.
– The pace is moderate, neither too rapid nor too slow.
– The poem is written in iambic pentameter, and it follows a traditional sonnet form with a rhyming scheme of ABBAABBA CDCDCD.
Step 2:
– The speaker of the poem is the personified Statue of Liberty.
– The perspective remains consistent throughout the poem.
– There are no other human characters; the only “character” is the personified statue.
– The speaker directly addresses the “ancient lands.”
– The tone suggests a compassionate and strong character.
– The speaker’s attitude remains constant; she is a welcoming figure throughout.
– The poem communicates the Statue of Liberty’s welcoming message to immigrants.
– The setting is at the entrance to America, a “sea-washed, sunset gates.”
– The setting suggests an urban environment, specifically a harbor.
– The poem doesn’t specify a time but it represents a timeless message.
– The poem focuses on the present moment but its message spans across time.
– The poem’s distinctive meaning arises from its symbolic language and imagery.
– Reading this poem provides insight into America’s identity as a refuge for the displaced and disadvantaged.
