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New critical analysis of the elements of the new Colossus poem
New critical analysis of the elements of the new Colossus poem
New critical analysis of the elements of the new Colossus poem
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Emma Lazarus, author of “The New Colossus,” and Percy Shelley, author of “Ozymandias,” both wrote poems in which statues were personified. These poems, sonnets about similar subjects, differ in tone. “The New Colossus” is an idealistic poem about the Statue of Liberty in New York City. “Ozymandias” is a pessimistic poem about a collapsed and decaying statue that once was very distinguished. Lazarus’ reference to a brazen giant of Greek fame demonstrates that stark contrast between the two statues and what they represent. She wants to depict the United States’s hospitality by comparing the Statue of Liberty to the statue of Ozymandias.
The speaker of the poem compares the Statue of Liberty to the Colossus. She says that unlike the giant statute
the Greeks made, America’s statue will be of “A mighty woman with a torch,/ whose flame is the imprisoned lightning.” Shelley, on the other hand, described the Egyptian statue as “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone . . . Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies.” Lazarus’s description of the Statue of Liberty portrays a strong women whose flame represents a beacon of enlightenment and sovereignty. Shelley’s description of the statue of Ozymandias reflects that the subject has lost everything he has and is left with no stomach and a shattered face. The next part of of Lazarus’s poem, “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,” shows that the statue’s welcoming nature is also contained within it’s epithet, ‘Mother of Exiles’: this new colossus will be a nurturing, caring figure; a beacon of support for those who have been exiled from their own countries. It represents the idea that the United States is far from the “sneer command” of the Greek Colossus. Lastly, “Ozymandias” ends with a description of this king and portrays him as an arrogant, egotistical man that proclaims that he is king of all kings and that his work can’t be matched. The last few lines put emphasis on the emptiness surrounding the statue proving that Ozymandias’s attitudes lead to his downfall. The opposite of the Statue of Liberty, that is accepting to all yearning for a better life. Even though, this is Lazarus’s view of the Statue of Liberty, many feel that the United States has not been as inviting as they proclaim, as mentioned in “The Newer Colossus” by Karen Finneyfrock. Trump’s ideals that immigrants are ruining this country, and idea that garners a lot of support, is similar to the ideals of Ozymandias who viewed others as inferior and isolated from his kingdom. From the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the Immigration Act of 1924, and the recent Travel Ban put into practice by Trump, the U.S has been anything but hospitable. The institutionalized racism in this country is quite contradictory to what the Statue of Liberty represents. The combination of these poems brings to light the necessity to be welcoming and leaves readers with the thought that perhaps the fate of the U.S will be equivalent to that of Ozymandias’s kingdom.
This essay is anchored on the goal of looking closer and scrutinizing the said poem. It is divided into subheadings for the discussion of the analysis of each of the poem’s stanzas.
The poem Ozymandias tells of a king who was very powerful, people feared him. He created statues of himself for people to admire. Now all that remains of his power are remains. What remains of him are memories that are now long forgotten and that the wind carries away. Sand that stretches for miles and miles until it
‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Shelley and ‘My Last Duchess’ have many links and similar themes such as power, time and art. ‘Ozymandias’ shows the insignificance of human life after passing time whilst ‘My Last Duchess’ speaks of his deceased wife in a form of a speech.
We can gather from his warning that Ozymandias, as a man, was controlled by his Id. His cockiness is evident. The statue reads "Look upon my works and despair." Despair at the fact that you cannot be as great as him. "I am king of kings." He proclaims a bold statement. A statement that defies God himself.
The first major message from the poem, “Ozymandias” is that all great things come to end. Whether it is about a person, a country, or an idea, these...
Emma Lazarus poem is shaped in a poetic format the time was written a month after France have the Statue of Liberty to the United States. Lazarus organizes her message on the meaning of lady liberty toward the final given the meaning on why the torch will be lighted up for any immigrants to come to the United States. The picture of the Statue of Liberty of very formal it shows how it looks like and the location.
When one owns a valuable statue fashioned by a great artist, one becomes responsible for its security. So life-like it is that it may "run away and escape," jokes Plato, the point being that because fine statues are attractive to other people, their owners must take precautions against their loss by tying then down.
broken statue in the reader’s mind. It is important that Shelley uses diction in this way because
Despite the beauty described in the first few stanzas of the poem, it was the feeling of doubt and pondering that approached at the end of the poem that truly was the most thought provoking. Instead of just writing of beauty, Poets must realize that they may be leading people to false ideals, and in doing so that they may actually be causing individuals to believe in something that is nothing more than a dream. This realization makes the image of the questioning poet by far the most important in the piece.
Upon reviewing different photos of Horatio Greenough’s marble statue of George Washington, I immediately thought of The Iliad and The Aeneid. The large sculpture of Washington with a god like body, dressed in a Roman toga and sitting upon a Grecian style seat embellished with mythical symbols, related to the Greek gods and Hercules, initially invoked these thoughts. His statue is also holding a sword, which brings to mind an overall image of a warrior and hero. Initially, Greenough was commissioned to create the piece as a commemoration of the centennial of Washington’s birth , but to me this is a way to truly immortalize the great George Washington. Upon further evaluation, I see a relationship between the great founding father and hero of
"On the banks of the stream of time, not a monument that has been raised to a hero or nation, but tells a tale, and renews the hope of improvement."14
This poem describes a story told you by a passing traveler of a ruined statue of a king, Ozymandias, seemingly in a desolate desert. On the statue in is inscribed, “‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’/Nothing beside remain” (“Ozymandias” 10-12). Upon examination of the surrounding land, we realize that the once vast kingdom around the statue has been taken back by the desert, leaving the ironic message on the statue. This poem shows Shelley’s ideas of how all is temporary, especially mankind and our achievements. Showing romantic values, Shelley believed nature is much greater than man and no matter how big your kingdom, mather nature will always take back what was always
It is nature that destroys humankind when the sun disappears and the volcano erupts in “Darkness” and in “Ozymandias,” it is the sand and wind that causes the statue to fall. In Byron’s poem, humans lose the fight for their lives, and in Shelley’s poem, Ozymandias’s statue is powerless because it is lifeless, emphasizing the importance of the themes of life and death to the shared topic of destruction. Although they explore destruction using different language, they share the use of ideas about the destruction of civilization, and the fall of humankind because of nature, life and
The legs of the statue are described as "vast" (2), while the ruins are a "colossal Wreck" (13); both descriptions refer to the concept of the sublime as awe-inspiring and terrifying. The "vast and trunkless legs of stone" (2), along with the pedestal. are the only parts of the statue left standing; "near them, on the sand/half." sunk, a shattered gaze lies" (3 - 4). The "shattered complexion" might be seen as.
Many works of literature provide responses to much debated topics. Opinions are brought forth by means of rhetorical devices and supported by some type of accepted truth. In two such pieces, The Republic by Plato and “A Defense of Poetry” by Shelley, Plato expresses a belief about poetry that Shelley disagrees with and responds to. Through rhetorical devices such as metaphors and symbolism and the use of deductive logic and Socratic writing, Plato provides a strong, very supported argument while Shelley’s long sentence structure, analogies and metaphors are weak in comparison.