The New Colossus

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!"
—Emma Lazarus, 1883

This does seem like a very useful place for us to begin. The immigration through Ellis Island and the national narrative of the Golden Door is a compelling one. But, no national narrative should be accepted passively. Why has it been such a potent image? Who are the stakeholders in that image? How might we read these lines from a variety of different perspectives (indigenous, Chinese, Eastern European, or even earlier immigrants) each with different effect? As I said, a good place to start.