The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus--TPCASTT

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!”

TP-CASTT

T	Title	Before reading the poem, the title makes me think of a huge statue of some sort, most likely built recently, and which could replace an older version.
P	Paraphrase	In the poem we read about the Statue of Liberty (at least how I see it). The author compares “her” with ancient Greek statues, but states that the “Mother of Exiles” is not a war sign, but a welcome sign for immigrants arriving at NYC.
C	Connotation	The word-choice of the author is inspiring towards immigrants, as the words selected are encouraging and hopeful. Also the use of direct speech from the protagonist helps emphasize the message being transmitted.
A	Attitude	The speakers attitude is positive and encouraging towards immigrants. We can support this claim by looking at the words employed referring to arriving immigrants: Mother of Exiles, beacon-hand, world-wide welcome, mild eyes, etc.
S	Shifts	Though there isn’t a major shift in the author’s attitude, she begins the poem by describing an ancient war colossus, but then she describes the “Mother of Exiles”, opposite from war.
T	Title	After reading the poem I feel like the title doesn’t capture the whole essence of the poem, maybe a reference to exiles or immigrants would help with that purpose.
T	Theme	The subject being addressed by the author is the massive arrival of immigrants to New York City, most likely in the 20th Century. This immigrants were usually minorities in their home countries, were poor, suffered of discrimination, or just needed a fresh start.