Learn English with a Poem: “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
The New Colossus
The poem was written in 1883 by an American poet named Emma Lazarus, who passed away at
the age of 38 in 1887. Let's try to guess what it's about as we go through it. The New Colossus is
made of brass, a metal that represents strength and power. Unlike that statue, let's see what it's
really like.
Emma Lazarus was born in New York and mentioned “our seawashed sunset gates shall stand”
referring to New York harbour. This poem was written in the early 1880s when New York and
Brooklyn were separate but close together.
Note: in my copy, the word “harbour” has a red line because my word processing setting is for
UK English, not American spelling.
The idea is that many people come to New York and America in search of a better life. Traveling
by sea was the main mode of transportation before airplanes. The journey was often difficult,
hence the term "tost," which means "thrown about in a storm."
However, the arrival at the entrance to America, with Lady Liberty holding her torch beside the
golden door, made the journey worthwhile. Emma Lazarus, the author of the famous sonnet, was
born in New York to Jewish ancestors who had fled persecution in Portugal and settled in Brazil.
She herself was actively involved in aiding refugees in finding better living conditions and
training.
Although Lazarus' sonnet was controversial when it was written, she believed in welcoming
newcomers with open arms to achieve a higher standard of humanity.
Poem Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The poem has just four different rhymes, which adds to the sense of structure. The rhyme
scheme is ABBA ABBA and then ends with D. Sometimes the meaning of a line carries on to the
next line and punctuation at the end of lines indicate where to pause. This adds variety to the
poem when read aloud.
The New Colossus
The poem was written in 1883 by an American poet named Emma Lazarus, who passed away at
the age of 38 in 1887. Let's try to guess what it's about as we go through it. The New Colossus is
made of brass, a metal that represents strength and power. Unlike that statue, let's see what it's
really like.
Emma Lazarus was born in New York and mentioned “our seawashed sunset gates shall stand”
referring to New York harbour. This poem was written in the early 1880s when New York and
Brooklyn were separate but close together.
Note: in my copy, the word “harbour” has a red line because my word processing setting is for
UK English, not American spelling.
The idea is that many people come to New York and America in search of a better life. Traveling
by sea was the main mode of transportation before airplanes. The journey was often difficult,
hence the term "tost," which means "thrown about in a storm."
However, the arrival at the entrance to America, with Lady Liberty holding her torch beside the
golden door, made the journey worthwhile. Emma Lazarus, the author of the famous sonnet, was
born in New York to Jewish ancestors who had fled persecution in Portugal and settled in Brazil.
She herself was actively involved in aiding refugees in finding better living conditions and
training.
Although Lazarus' sonnet was controversial when it was written, she believed in welcoming
newcomers with open arms to achieve a higher standard of humanity.
Poem Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The poem has just four different rhymes, which adds to the sense of structure. The rhyme
scheme is ABBA ABBA and then ends with D. Sometimes the meaning of a line carries on to the
next line and punctuation at the end of lines indicate where to pause. This adds variety to the
poem when read aloud.
