 |
| F LoBuono |
"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!"
How easily we forget what Emma Lazarus meant when she wrote the epic sonnet that, since 1903, has graced the base of, perhaps, the greatest symbol of freedom in the world - The Statue of Liberty.
Even the title has deep significance: The NEW Colossus. Lazarus wanted first and foremost to establish a firm difference between this gigantic, fresh statue and the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. THIS was to be a NEW symbol for a NEW world - and a new way of thinking.
The Colossus of Rhodes was created in 305 BCE and bestrode the entrance to that City/State's Harbor. Legend has it that was built to commemorate a military victory by the city over the invading Macedonians. It is said that they smelted the weapons left behind by the fleeing army to cast the statue. It is also a MALE figure. Therefore, in a sense, it was warlike in nature.
Lazarus made an immediate distinction between the two by pointing out the Statue of Liberty is of A mighty woman with a torch. This gives the New Colossus a feminine energy, i.e. a matronly appeal. She is the mighty mother who welcomes all, protects all. Her flame is the imprisoned lightening, and her name Mother of Exiles. Again, it's a feminine energy.
Think about that for a moment: she is a MOTHER who does not JUDGE her children but, rather, welcomes them all with equanimity. She is the matriarch! Lady Liberty, as she is often known, has room under her skirt for all of her children. Also, she stand besides our shores, not striding over them. Again, this no accident. She does not look to subjugate the land as the Colossus of Rhodes did. Her aim is to welcome, not dominate.
Then, Lazarus imbues an inanimate object with the very breath of life by giving her these immortal words that she cries with "silent lips": Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to be free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest- tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
When I think of these words, and truly HEAR them, and, then listen to a speech by Donald Trump railing against immigrants and immigration, I just want to explode. How can a man, and his followers, who make such a big deal of making America Great Again, be so far from the truth that is held in the words of Emma Lazarus and represent what it really means to BE American? It's a contradiction in terms that I may never fully understand.
He keeps saying that immigration brings in the WORST people, not the best. Mexico sends us rapists and criminals. Syria sends us terrorist. He claims that these are the people to FEAR and LOATH. Well, given the chance, I would like to ask him (and his followers) this: What part of "Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to be free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest- tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door"! does he NOT UNDERSTAND? The poem does not say "give us your elite doctors, lawyers, and scientists". That's simply not the aim of the great experiment that is American democracy.
I believe that even Mr. Trump would acknowledge the power of the Statue and its poem to represent the ideal of American Freedom. Then, how could he miss the point so COMPLETELY. Scientists, doctors, and the well-off, in general, are NOT the people referred to in the poem. They don't come, because they don't NEED to! They, in general, are not "the huddled masses". Of course, refugees come in all shapes, sizes, and skill level. However, most come here because they are out of options in their own lands. And, with acknowledged fits and starts, we have welcomed them.
There will be those who will say SCREW THEM. They don't "belong here - go back to the shitholes you came from". But, THIS is NOT the American way. Do they NOT remember, we are ALL immigrants to this Country? It is simply not in our hearts or our SOULS . It is not our ethos - at least, if you are a REAL American, it shouldn't be!
Adhering to the doctrine of INCLUSION is What Makes America Great - it always has - and it always will. I know that. When will Mr. Trump?
No comments:
Post a Comment