Zitkala-Ša
While Zitkala-Ša attended boarding school in the late 1800s, the boarding schools operated until approximately when?
1969
Lazarus's poem "The New Colossus" is most famously associated with what location?
The Statue of Liberty
Zitkala-Ša originally writes of the boarding school as "the land of red apples." What is the significance of representing the schools with this symbol?
The use of a nature symbol, especially one with a strong color, shows her to like the idea of seeing new places. It also makes clear that she did not understand what boarding school would be like.
The original Colossus was located in Rhodes, Greece, and depicted the Greek sun god Helios. Why might Lazarus want to invoke the sun in this poem?
It is a beacon - as portrayed in this poem, of hope & welcome.
The author writes of wanting to attend the boarding school, and begs her mother to go. What literary device is being used, and what is its significance?
Dramatic irony - both the readers and her mother know the schools' true nature. However it is important in showing the narrator's agency.
What poetic form is "The New Colossus" written in?
Sonnet
This story was published serially in a periodical. What does this mean, and what might be the advantages of this format?
Small installments ask less of the reader - they did not have to seek out the story specifically to read it - maintains engagement over time
Lazarus writes of America as the "Mother of Exiles." What is the significance of this name? Bonus: What then-current historical context might make this title ring false?
It represents America as welcoming of immigrants.
Bonus: anti-immigration laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act were in full force.
When Zitkala-Ša writes, "there were two prizes given that night, and one of them was mine!" of her time at the oratory competition, what is the significance of this line? Why note that two prizes had been given?
This implies that she is just as good at oratory as the best of the white girls - she is not allowed to be better (she does not win first prize), but she is allowed a place at the metaphorical table.
America speaks in Lazarus's poem. What is the significance of using this personification? How does it represent the country?
It casts America as one entire entity - contrasting to Whitman's view of America as "these United States."