topic Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus in Community Chat

A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

suzyQ3 — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 17:47:50 GMT

The poem on our great Statue of Liberty, written by Emma Lazarus.

The origins, from the US. Department of State:

Between 1820 and 1920, approximately 34 million persons immigrated to the United States, three-fourths of them staying permanently. For many of these newcomers, their first glimpse of America was the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.

The statue, sculpted by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, had been conceived of as a gift of friendship from the people of France marking the two nations' commitment to liberty. France provided $400,000 for the 151 ft 1 in. (46.05 m) statue, and a fundraising drive in the United States netted $270,000 for the 89-foot pedestal.

The Jewish American poet Emma Lazarus saw the statue as a beacon to the world. A poem she wrote to help raise money for the pedestal, and which is carved on that pedestal, captured what the statue came to mean to the millions who migrated to the United States seeking freedom, and who have continued to come unto this day.

"The New Colossus" by Emily 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!”

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

RainCityWoman — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 17:56:14 GMT

@suzyQ3 wrote:
The poem on our great Statue of Liberty, written by Emma Lazarus.

The origins, from the US. Department of State:

Between 1820 and 1920, approximately 34 million persons immigrated to the United States, three-fourths of them staying permanently. For many of these newcomers, their first glimpse of America was the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.

The statue, sculpted by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, had been conceived of as a gift of friendship from the people of France marking the two nations' commitment to liberty. France provided $400,000 for the 151 ft 1 in. (46.05 m) statue, and a fundraising drive in the United States netted $270,000 for the 89-foot pedestal.

The Jewish American poet Emma Lazarus saw the statue as a beacon to the world. A poem she wrote to help raise money for the pedestal, and which is carved on that pedestal, captured what the statue came to mean to the millions who migrated to the United States seeking freedom, and who have continued to come unto this day.

"The New Colossus" by Emily 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!”

Thanks. I only posted the last bit yesterday on the thread that has now been closed. I love this piece of writing.

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

esmerelda — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:16:49 GMT

@suzyQ3I don't understand. How did her poem" help raise money" for the pedestal?

She wrote a poem and then there was money for the pedestal (according to the post). I don't get the connection.

Can you help?

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

jackthebear — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:22:36 GMT

I believe Joseph Pulitzer was the driving force to raise money to keep the Liberty in New York

the poem was added later

----------------------

going to check wiki on this

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

suzyQ3 — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:24:05 GMT

@esmerelda wrote:
@suzyQ3I don't understand. How did her poem" help raise money" for the pedestal?

She wrote a poem and then there was money for the pedestal (according to the post). I don't get the connection.

Can you help?

@esmerelda, I copied that directly from the U.S. State Department. I cannot personally verify it for you.

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

suzyQ3 — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:24:58 GMT

I meant to say that that part of my post is attributed to the U.S. State Department.

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

Mj12 — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:27:59 GMT

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

esmerelda — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:49:41 GMT

Information on the author and how the sonnet came to be on the pedestal:

In 1883, William Maxwell Evarts and author Constance Cary Harrison asked Lazarus to compose a sonnet for the "Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty" - an art and literary auction to raise funds for the Statue's pedestal run by the American Committee for the Statue of Liberty. In turn, Lazarus, inspired by her own Sephardic Jewish heritage, her experiences working with refugees on Ward's Island, and the plight of the immigrant, wrote "The New Colossus" on November 2, 1883. After the auction, the sonnet appeared in Joseph Pulitzer's New York World as well as The New York Times. She died in New York City on November 19, 1887, most likely from Hodgkin's lymphoma and was buried in Brooklyn.

Lazarus' famous sonnet depicts the Statue as the "Mother of Exiles:" a symbol of immigration and opportunity - symbols associated with the Statue of Liberty today. After its initial popularity however, the sonnet slowly faded from public memory. It was not until 1901, 17 years after Lazarus's death, that Georgina Schuyler, a friend of hers, found a book containing the sonnet in a bookshop and organized a civic effort to resurrect the lost work. Her efforts paid off and in 1903, words from the sonnet were inscribed on a plaque and placed on the inner wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Today, the plaque is on display in the Statue of Liberty Exhibit in the Statue's pedestal.

Source and you can read more about her here:

https://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/emma-lazarus.htm

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 06:31:33 GMT

This post has been removed by QVC because it is political

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

151949 — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 12:51:43 GMT

"I lift my lamp beside the golden door" Sadly, working at the food bank I feel there is no longer a golden door.The prospects are rather limited to nonexistant for many these days. We walk or drive past the homeless - sick & disabled without a second glance. Many of our working poor live in their cars, exist only because of the generosity of food banks and other charities. Mental illnesses are rampant in this country and not being properly treated, especially among our veterans. I think the golden door is closed to a great deal of people. Many more would be homeless on the streets if they didn't have family who take them in.

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

151949 — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 19:17:31 GMT

I used to be very naive about the USA. Everything here was wonderful and the best in the world.Then I lived all over the world with my first husband for his job.After living elsewhere I found out that America isn't as great as we'd like to believe it is. We have more crime than any country. We don't care for our mentally ill, our handicapped or our elderly anywhere near as well as other countries do - unless , of course, they are wealthy. We do very well in this country at separating people from their money when they become needy. Geez - we no longer even take decent care of our veterans. Well, I guess I better leave this now and not go any further or it will become political.

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

Sooner — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 19:33:45 GMT

@151949 wrote:
I used to be very naive about the USA. Everything here was wonderful and the best in the world.Then I lived all over the world with my first husband for his job.After living elsewhere I found out that America isn't as great as we'd like to believe it is. We have more crime than any country. We don't care for our mentally ill, our handicapped or our elderly anywhere near as well as other countries do - unless , of course, they are wealthy. We do very well in this country at separating people from their money when they become needy. Geez - we no longer even take decent care of our veterans. Well, I guess I better leave this now and not go any further or it will become political.

Sorry but you've already made it political, but it's ok if it's you!

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

esmerelda — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 01:47:52 GMT

@151949 wrote:
I used to be very naive about the USA. Everything here was wonderful and the best in the world.Then I lived all over the world with my first husband for his job.After living elsewhere I found out that America isn't as great as we'd like to believe it is. We have more crime than any country. We don't care for our mentally ill, our handicapped or our elderly anywhere near as well as other countries do - unless , of course, they are wealthy. We do very well in this country at separating people from their money when they become needy. Geez - we no longer even take decent care of our veterans. Well, I guess I better leave this now and not go any further or it will become political.

@151949 wrote:
I used to be very naive about the USA. Everything here was wonderful and the best in the world.Then I lived all over the world with my first husband for his job.After living elsewhere I found out that America isn't as great as we'd like to believe it is. We have more crime than any country. We don't care for our mentally ill, our handicapped or our elderly anywhere near as well as other countries do - unless , of course, they are wealthy. We do very well in this country at separating people from their money when they become needy. Geez - we no longer even take decent care of our veterans. Well, I guess I better leave this now and not go any further or it will become political.

@151949Sorry? Needy people have money from which "we" separate them?

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

suzyQ3 — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 01:52:43 GMT

To the mods: I wouldn't mind a bit if political posts here were removed. This was simply a celebratory thread for the poet's work that is enshrined on our Statue of Liberty.

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

151949 — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 03:01:56 GMT

@esmerelda wrote:
@151949 wrote:
I used to be very naive about the USA. Everything here was wonderful and the best in the world.Then I lived all over the world with my first husband for his job.After living elsewhere I found out that America isn't as great as we'd like to believe it is. We have more crime than any country. We don't care for our mentally ill, our handicapped or our elderly anywhere near as well as other countries do - unless , of course, they are wealthy. We do very well in this country at separating people from their money when they become needy. Geez - we no longer even take decent care of our veterans. Well, I guess I better leave this now and not go any further or it will become political.
@151949 wrote:
I used to be very naive about the USA. Everything here was wonderful and the best in the world.Then I lived all over the world with my first husband for his job.After living elsewhere I found out that America isn't as great as we'd like to believe it is. We have more crime than any country. We don't care for our mentally ill, our handicapped or our elderly anywhere near as well as other countries do - unless , of course, they are wealthy. We do very well in this country at separating people from their money when they become needy. Geez - we no longer even take decent care of our veterans. Well, I guess I better leave this now and not go any further or it will become political.
@151949Sorry? Needy people have money from which "we" separate them?

Is everyone who becomes ill or infirm poor? NO. Even very rich people get illnesses, accidents , live to be very old & weak etc.

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

esmerelda — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 03:19:48 GMT

@151949 Your definition of needy is "ill and infirm"?

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 11:41:49 GMT

This post has been removed by QVC because it could be considered political

Re: A day late but not a dollar short -- Emma Lazarus

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 16:11:18 GMT

This thread has been locked for posting because of political comments