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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0For decades, the Statue of Liberty has welcomed immigrants and visitors into America as a symbol of hope, taking form in a torch-holding woman and the inspiring plaque beneath her. Here, Emma Lazarus\u2019 \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d is printed, rife with themes of freedom, liberty, and acceptance- causes Lazarus herself struggled with as both a Jew and a woman\u00a0<\/span><\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span>. While \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d is Lazarus\u2019 most famous work <\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span>,<\/span> and so widely appreciated one might assume the existence of gender equality in the 20th-century, the poetess was condescended in the literary sphere for both her gender and religious identity <\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.<\/span> As Lazarus comes to ascendancy, however, her works begin to feature a more pessimistic view toward her gender role, which can be seen through the evolution of the woman\u2019s poetry. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Born into a high-brow Sephardic Jewish family in 1849, Lazarus began her life in New York <\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>, an urban upbringing which influenced her work. Saturated with the idea of the American dream, Lazarus\u2019s poem, \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d, invites any man or woman into the Land of Opportunity. Most famously, Lazarus writes <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Give me your tired, your poor,” <\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0a message which reflects the ideas of her \u201cmelting-pot\u201d home-city. While her earlier works are less popular, the poet began writing decades before, as the woman used her classical education to write poetry in proliferation <\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.<\/span> Lazarus\u2019 father began publishing her poems when she was only seventeen, and literary success followed the poetess not long after <\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/span> Following the publication of her second anthology and a full novel in the 1870\u2019s, Lazarus began to move in elite literary circles and write for popular magazines like <\/span>The Century<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/i> Despite the poet\u2019s obvious privilege, Lazarus, like Jewish women from all woks of life, felt discriminated against for both her religious and gender-related identities.<\/span> The poet\u2019s struggle can be seen more conspicuously in her varying works, as her growing Jewish pride eventually influences her poetic content <\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0From the beginning of Lazarus\u2019 literary career, her connection to Judaism is made apparent. As early as 1867, Lazarus contemplates the immortality of Jewish tradition in her poem, <\/span>I<\/span><\/i>n the Jewish Synagogue at Newport <\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span>. Standing in the oldest US synagogue, Lazarus marvels at the \u201c<\/span>relic of the days of old,” <\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0an image <\/span>which encompasses Lazarus\u2019 early works, as she is preabsorbed by the rich Jewish<\/span> past <\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>However, after Russian pogroms worsen in the 1880\u2019s, Lazarus begins to focus her lens on the Jewish <\/span>present, <\/span><\/i>rallying against the current disaster<\/span>. In <\/span>Epistle to the Hebrews<\/span><\/i>, Lazarus encourages worldwide Jewish solidarity amidst Russian pogroms, explaining that \u201cUntil we are all free, we are none of us free.\u201d <\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0The woman travelled to Europe many times in order to advocate for the Jewish population and ultimately, for a Jewish homeland\u00a0<\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0While Lazarus\u2019 involvement in Jewish causes greatly influenced her work, the woman\u2019s gender identity exhibited similar effects on her poetry. Earlier in her career, in 1883, Lazarus\u2019 \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d portrays a strong female ideal, explaining that unlike the macho Colossus of the Greeks, America is represented by \u201ca mighty woman with a torch\u201d <\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.<\/span> This \u201cmother of exiles\u201d reflects Lazarus\u2019 female pride, as the Statue of Liberty is described as a kind yet awe-inspiring figure. Although, as Lazarus\u2019 career continues, she is constantly minimized by the men around her <\/span>16<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.<\/span> For example, in Dr. Gottheil’s Eulogy at Temple Emanu-El in 1887, Gottheil states Lazarus \u201cspoke like a man, but felt like a true woman” <\/span>17<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Evidently, even Lazarus\u2019 contributions to the Jewish community were \u201cgendered\u201d by those within it, as she was condescended for her \u201cwomanly\u201d feelings even amidst her written contributions. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0This condescension ultimately affects Lazarus\u2019 gender identity as a few years later, the poet portrays womanhood through a more pessimistic lens. In her 1889 poem \u201cEchoes\u201d, Lazarus\u2019 discards the Statue\u2019s optimism in the first line, declaring \u201cLate-born and woman-souled I dare not hope\u201d <\/span>18<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.<\/span> More notably, the \u201cmight\u201d of \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d fades away, as Lazarus doubts that \u201cthe might, Of manly, modern passion shall alight\u201d in her female self.<\/span> After a few short years, Lazarus reserves the word \u201cmight\u201d<\/span> for men alone, explaining that she is \u201cveiled and screened by womanhood\u201d.<\/span> Clearly, Lazarus struggles with the gender bias around her and feels <\/span>concealed<\/span><\/i> by her womanhood, not liberated <\/span>19<\/sup><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As the complexities of Lazarus\u2019 identity are considered, the variance of her work can be looked at through several lenses: that of the poet\u2019s urban upbringing, gender, and Jewish connection. Lazarus\u2019 New York background enriches \u201cThe New Colossus\u201d, as the poem is truly a \u201cwelcome mat\u201d into the poet\u2019s own home; her long-standing connection to her people further clarifies her advocacy for Jews worldwide. Most notably, Lazarus\u2019 gendered lens greatly influences her work, as she becomes more cynical about her \u201cveiled\u201d gender role and expresses this negativity in poems like \u2018Sympathy\u2019 and \u2018Echoes\u2019. As the poet is forgotten amongst lionized male authors, one must wonder what becomes of her most famous words: has American welcomed the \u201cthe mighty woman\u201d Lazarus described long ago?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Works Cited <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jewish Women’s Archive. “Emma Lazarus.” N.D,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0https:\/\/jwa.org\/womenofvalor\/lazarus<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Lazarus, Emma. \u201cEchoes\u201d, <\/span>Academy of American Poets, N.D,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.poets.org\/poetsorg\/poem\/echoes-0<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Lazarus, Emma. \u201cEpistle to the Hebrews\u201d, <\/span>Jewish Women’s Archive<\/span><\/i>, N.D,\u00a0<\/span>2017, <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0https:\/\/jwa.org\/media\/quote-from-epistle-to-hebrews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Lazarus, Emma. \u201cIn the Jewish Synagogue at Newport.\u201d <\/span>The Poetry Foundation<\/span><\/i>, <\/span><\/p>\n N.D.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0https:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poems\/45637\/in-the-jewish-synagogue-at-newport<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Lazarus, Emma. \u201cThe New Colossus.\u201d, <\/span>Emma Lazarus: Selected Poems and Other <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Writings, <\/span><\/i>Broadview Press, 2002. <\/span><\/p>\n Rabbi G. Gottheil, “Dr. Gottheil’s Eulogy at Temple Emanu-El,” <\/span>American Hebrew<\/span><\/i> 33 <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0(Dec. 9, 1887): 78.<\/span><\/p>\n Spacey, Andrew. \u201cSummary and Analysis of the Poem \u2018The New Colossus\u2019 by Emma <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Lazarus.\u201d <\/span>Letterpile<\/span><\/i>, 7 Dec. 2016, <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0https:\/\/letterpile.com\/poetry\/Summary-and-Analysis-of-Poem-The-New- \u00a0 \u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Colossus-by-Emma-Lazarus<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Other interesting sources:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Below is a link to the reading of the New Colossus:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n