The New Colossus
The New Colossus [1883]
Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)
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-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Questions for Discussion
1. The main idea of the poem is that
A) the ancient lands of Europe should serve as a beacon to America
B) the Greek statue serves as a model for the American statue
C) the mighty are asked to come to these shores
D) American welcomes all persecuted freedom-lovers
E) the lamp guides those who come to the golden door
2. In the choices below, the incorrectly paired words are
A) brazen--of brass
B) sunset--east
C) beacon--guidling light
D) refuse--trash
E) pomp--splendor
3. The "mighty woman" and "Mother of Exiles" is the
A) United States of America
B) City of New York
C) Statue of Liberty
D) Plymouth Rock
E) Golden Gate
4. The tile of the poem, "The New Colossus," implies
A) similarity to the old
B) replacement of the old
C) difference from the old
D) inferiority to the old
E) acceptance of the old
5. The incorrectly matched phrase from the poem with the figure of speech or poetic device it demonstrates is
A) "Her mild eyes"--epithet
B) "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she--personification
C) "shall stand a mighty woman"--inversion
D) "world-wide welcome"--alliteration
E) "flame is the imprisioned lightening"--simile
6. The form of the poem is that of
A) a ballad
B) an octet
C) an ode
D) a sestet
E) a sonnet