The New Colossus Analysis

In the poem “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus describes America as a beacon of freedom to those disenfranchised in other nations. Lazarus uses metaphors, imagery, and allusions to effectively address her message to the audience. Specifically in the quotation, “A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame / Is the imprisoned lightning”, a metaphor is used to show how powerful the woman’s torch is compared to lightning. In addition to the metaphor used, imagery is vividly seen in the poem like seen in the quotation, “Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore”. The descriptive language used by Lazarus aids the audience to envision many immigrants entering America as if it is the salvation to problems they