Setting

The setting of the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus is the United States of America. 

The poem begins with a contrast between the Colossus of Rhodes and the New Colossus, which is, in fact, a contrast between Greece and America. In the poem, Greece is associated with “fame” (l. 1) and with military power and conquest (l. 2). Later on, when the New Colossus speaks, she rejects the “ancient lands” (l. 9) and their “storied pomp” (l. 9), which is an indirect jab at Greece and its former military glory. Therefore, the New Colossus implies that America is not characterized by pretentiousness and military glory, but by modesty. 

In the last six verses, the poem focuses on Europe and the countries which immigrants leave behind when they turn to...