Only when I met her up close then i realized the meeting was real. I heard about her first when I was still a very young girl from my father. I could still remember how my father described her and since then it never skipped my mind. I read about her in books, magazines and wish one day i could see her.
I thought it was just a fixture in the middle of the sea waters in New York City. But no ! It was a different feeling seeing her amiable face as if she has life welcoming you, whispering some kind words talking to you that she'd been waiting for your coming. Then i thought how great people really made wonders.
The experience really was worth the trip despite the excruciating coldness that pinched our bodies in an open boat bringing us (of tourists of different nationalities to the Liberty Island.
Flashback came to me when I was there face to face with the Lady as my father told me when I was a kid that if in my lifetime i will travel to the US i should visit the same Lady that he did when he was still a fine young man in his early college at the Minnesota State College in the US.
My father was fond of reminiscing his experiences to us and his encounter with the Statue of Liberty really struck me and I still could recall what he told me to take also the same steps that he did until he reached the top because when up there you can see almost everything - the beauty of America, he said.
We did climb the steps but up to the pedestal only because of the September 11 incident there were already restrictions.
Nevertheless I was happy as if I was with my father when we shared the same ground and meeting the same Lady (only in different times).
My regret was that I could no longer share with him my experience (he's now in heaven kasi) but I believe that when I was there he was with me and with a smile on his face spoke to me and said "I told you the Lady is worth the visit she could enliven the spirit". It was really a different feeling maybe because that experience has something to do with my father's experience. But it was worth the visit really.
My greatest gain of that visit to Lady Liberty was the family bonding with my husband Joe and kids Joe3 and Kim - a priceless encounter with the Lady at the Liberty Island of New York City.
Statue of Liberty Poem
The Statue of Liberty poem as it is known, was written by Emma Lazarus and is named "The New Colossus". The Statue of Liberty poem is actually a sonnet by Lazarus written to raise money for the building of the base and is now engraved on a bronze plaque and contained inside of the Statue of Liberty.
At first, Lazarus had refused to write the Statue of Liberty poem, but her friend Constance Cary Harrison convinced her that immigrants would be inspired by seeing the statuesque Lady Liberty welcoming them ashore.
Emma eventually wrote the poem and it was donated for auction at the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund.
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus, 1883
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!"
The beginning of the Statue of Liberty poem refers to the Colossus of Rhodes, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Colossus of Rhodes is actually a statue of the Greek god Helios, which stood over 100 feet tall (the tallest of its time) before it was destroyed by earthquake in 226 BC.
So, the Statue of Liberty poem refers to this new giant statue likened to the old that represented the god of light. The Statue of Liberty poem also sets itself apart from Helios in that the Mother of Exiles is more welcoming than conquering. She welcomes all castaways, misfits and homeless types dreaming of freedom.
Statue of Liberty Facts
It was in the year 1886 when the country of France presented a colossal statue to the United States as a gift or token of camaraderie. Many of us are familiar with this being one of the most monumental and historical symbols that this world has ever seen. Also called Liberty Enlightening the World, we now popularly know her as the Statue of Liberty.
Moreover, the statue also holds a tablet made out of stone close to her chest and a torch that on her right hand lifted up high.
Right now, the Statue of Liberty is one of most famous and recognizable icons that can ever be associated to the United States of America. Strategically positioned at the mouth of the Hudson River found near the harbor of New York, it now appears as if it stands to welcome all visitors coming inside the United States.
Here are some additional Statue of Liberty facts for your enlightenment.
Statue of Liberty Facts 1: The Statue of Liberty, towering at 151-feet, 1-inch, is situated on Liberty Island in the state of New York.
Statue of Liberty Facts 2: The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on the October 18, 1886, and ten years after when the United States commemorated its centennial anniversary.
Statue of Liberty Facts 3: The statue's material is basically made out of copper and was delicately sculpted by the great sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a Frenchman.
Statue of Liberty Facts 4: Lady Liberty's color is now green because of a chemical reaction process called oxidation that happened between the metal's reactions to the seawater that surrounds it.
Statue of Liberty Facts 5: One obvious element that can be seen from the statue is the tiara that has seven spikes, which represents the seven continents and seas on our planet.
According to many historians, the statue has always played a significant role of welcoming millions of immigrants for decades (and even up to now) that are on a voyage to enter America and possibly seek some shelter and greater opportunities in the land. But, if we analyze the essence of statue much deeper, we will later find out that it can be represent many things or meanings, and one of that is the value of freedom or the idea of finally being free from the clutches of oppression.
The statue has already shown some great signs of decay and erosion due to acid rain over the years so the American government had launched some steps in the past in order to preserve this historical figure. In the 1983, a campaign was launched advocating the restoration of the Statue.
The campaign stated that for every purchase made by a consumer using his or her American Express Card, a penny of it would go to a fund to be used to restore the statue back to its healthy state. This campaign became successful for it generated $1.7 million, an amount that was enough to begin much awaited restoration process.
On the day of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Statue of Liberty was closed as it was also a possible terrorist target. The monument was once again reopened on August 3, 2004 and remains open today.
Thank you www.StatueLiberty.net
No comments:
Post a Comment