New Colossus
Referring to the Statue of Liberty
60 Matching Annotations
- May 2021
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Mother of Exiles.
The US from the beginning has always been a country that invites exiles, whether for religious freedom or economic opportunities.
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Colossus
A great Greek statue
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Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here establishes that the term Colossus is only used to invoke some sort of larger presence, not the actual mythic statue
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Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Lazarus had a deep faith in the US as a safe haven for Hebrews during times of progrom
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“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
A call for immigration, for Hebrews in dangerous land wanting to find a safe haven
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Koreans or Malaysians
Groups of people are being taken advantage of; cheap labor cost
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The label, the labor, the color, the shade. The shirt.
So despite the shirt being such a simple item, it has a harsh history
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George Herbert,
A well known Welsh born poet
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culled
picked or selected
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heraldry:
"the system by which coats of arms and other armorial bearings are devised, described, and regulated"
So it's a fabricated system with no real meaning.
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Ossian
"The narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson"
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One hundred and forty-six died in the flames On the ninth floor, no hydrants, no fire escapes—
To begin with, workers were treated like disposables, there was never even any safety measures
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tartans
"tartan is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours"
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Turned in a sweatshop by Koreans or Malaysians
This whole poem is putting down an item as simple as a shirt and boiling it down to how it was made.
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Disappearing
The process of disapearing is being described through burning
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down from the hills
There's lots of forest and nature analogies, it gives an isolated tone.
Emphasizes the You and I
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quicksilver.
"used in similes and metaphors to describe something that moves or changes very quickly, or that is difficult to hold or contain"
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She burns like foxfirein a thigh-shaped valley.A skirt of flamesdances around herat dusk.
Starts describing a body
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she
Who is "she"?
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Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?
"Maybe Black Americans will gleefully step back from the fight"
words like sweet have a positive connotation, but "syrupy" implies slowness of acceptance.
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Does it stink like rotten meat?
This line proposes that maybe there will no letting go the crimes of America, no one would forget, the "stench" would be pervasive and lasting.
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Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
This line ask if the movement would just be forgotten, dried out and devoid of presence.
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Or does it explode?
The whole poem is describing the potential consequences of denying Black Americans of 'the dream'.
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What happens to a dream deferred?
So the dream being referenced is Civil Rights
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Where fake negroes don't make it back
Being "real" implies having some kind of presence. He's saying that people who don't establish themselves as a presence won't make it far. You have to be out there. Take a stand.
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about cigars I teach yaInhale deep like the words of my breath
He's comparing his life and story to cigars, because it's an ill story and must be taken in deep to really feel it.
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It's only right that I was born to use mics
Nas knows Black Americans are entitled to voice themselves.
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And be prosperous, though we live dangerous, cops could justArrest me, blaming us, we're held like hostages
Police abusing power has always been around. They hold power to kill for no reason and get away for it.
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The city never sleeps, full of villains and creeps
The people are constantly in motion, there's always other folk working for their own money and motives.
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each block is like a mazeFull of black rats trapped, plus the Island is packed
So Nas recognizes the circular motion that not just he but also his peers and neighbors are in.
Though it's a cycle, it's rooted in a complex system meant to sabotaged Black Americans. It's hard to find a way out.
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bullets are straysYoung girls are grazed
People often get caught in the crossfire.
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I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
He can't be tested for his patience to nonsense.
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Be having dreams that I'm a gangsta; drinking Moets, holding TecsMaking sure the cash came correct, then I steppedInvestments in stocks, sewing up the blocks to sell drugs
So with dreams of thriving, Nas is motivated to continue participating in this circular motion of making cash and fighting anyone in his way
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I know this crackhead who said she's got to do drugs it's all she's got
Crime is a necessity as the profit you can rake becomes the sole motivator when money is needed.
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There was a snitch on the block getting negroes knocked
There was someone ratting to the police.
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In broad daylight, stickup kids: they run up on us4-5's and gauges,
Even the kids have started robbing.
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It's like the game ain't the sameGot younger negroes pulling the triggers, bringing fame to their name
To thrive, young black kids start picking up guns. Young men get names and a reputations.
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I ran like a cheetah with thoughts of an assassin
A poetic way of describing intent to kill
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Time to start the revolution, catch a body, head for HoustonOnce they caught us off-guard,
There's constant conflict.
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Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is definedI think of crime when I'm in a New York state of mind
New York is in a decrepit state where crime runs rampant.
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in the chalk and choke.
Could be referring to crime scenes and police brutality.
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Overwhat wants to crumble you down, to sickenyou. I call for youcultivation of strength to heal and enhancein the non-cheering dark,in the many many mornings-after;
Despite the constant conflict, and the resistance, and the harsh environment, Brookes want nothing more than for her people to heal and become better.
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long blows that you want to give and blows you are going to get.
She's drawing attention to the feeling of spite and wanting get back, and stating that the desire of progression should be more valued.
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I call for youcultivation of victory Over
She's calling for and encouraging growth.
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wolves and coyotes of particular silences.
The introduction of animals into the poem also drive the theme of survival and evolution forward.
Animals focus on nothing but survival.
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vertigo cold
A dizzying cold. Emphasizes the desperation for survival.
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Dark gardening
But the cultivation of strength is the result of a grim situation.
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cultivation of strength in the dark.
Struggle creates strength.
When we're pushed to want nothing but basic survival, we grow.
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To Prisoners
This poem could be referring to literal prisoners, colored victims of mass incarceration.
Or metaphorical prisoners of racist institutions.
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studio.edx.org studio.edx.org
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abroad
refers itself to a wide area
there's no outside expression. yet
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Itʹs full as Opera
Though she's had no instruction. people love and want to see her dance.
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I cannot dance opon my Toes ‑No Man instructed me ‑But oftentimes, among my mind,A Glee possesseth me,
She isn't compelled to dance by outside forces.
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Troupe
A group of dancers or actors.
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Pirouette
Act of spinning on one foot.
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One Claw opon the air ‑
Furthering the bird comparisons.
Birds typically represent a sense of freedom.
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Gauze
- a thin, translucent fabric.
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Eider
Eider is a type of light, soft footed bird.
She's comparing herself to these birds to drive her point
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Placard
Placard- a poster or sign for public display.
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This whole poem is slowly describing a fast paced game of basketball.
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