The Statue of Liberty is an iconic element of the United States. People from all over the world travel to New York City and go directly to the historic statue. Green woman costumes are made, people dress up like the statue and hope tourists will take photos with them in exchange for money. Keychains, tours, just about anything you can think of can be attached to the statue. However, the Statue of Liberty is much more than just a tourist attraction and a symbol to put on t-shirts. The statue's torch lights the way to freedom showing America the way to freedom. At the bottom of the significant statue, it reads: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the miserable refuse of your teeming shore. Send me these homeless, storm-tossed, I will raise my lamp beside the golden door!” (1). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Emma Lazarus was the creator of these words that will forever remain with America. Lazarus, born July 22, 1849, was a New York poet. She was born into a wealthy family who descended from Sephardic American Jews. His family was large; his parents Moses and Esther Lazarus had seven children. His father Moses gained wealth through the sugar refining business. Emma was then “educated by private tutors with whom she studied mythology, music, American poetry, European, German, French and Italian literature” (2). Thanks to her impeccable education she was able to write poetry with ease. His family also managed to rise in society and was able to afford a mansion in Rhode Island. Lazarus' parents supported his interest in poetry immensely. His father even published a book of his poems titled "Poems and Translations Written Between the Ages of Fourteen and Seventeen." Two years later, Lazarus sent a copy of his first book to Ralph Waldo Emerson. He then became his mentor and a persistent reader of his works. Emerson helped her a lot during her writing career, despite a small accident. Lazarus had hoped and thought that his poems would appear in Emerson's anthology "Parnassus". However, he was angered when he discovered that his work was not in the anthology. Despite their struggle, Lazarus continued to regard Emerson as a mentor and even praised him in some of his works. Although Lazarus' father was very supportive of his works, he was incredibly strict towards him. He had obsessive control over his daughter and that's why she never married. Although she never married, Emerson captivated her romantically. Despite her love for her mentor, she remained single until her death at the young age of 38 from Hodgkin's lymphoma. Lazarus was well known during her lifetime because she “published more than 50 poems in popular magazines, including Lippincott's and The Century. He also published a book of poems, entitled Admetus and Other Poems, in 1871, and a novel, entitled Alide: An Episode in Goethe's Life, in 1874” (3). Included in her abundance of works is “The New Colossus,” which is what she is best known for today, and the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. Despite being an impeccable poet, Lazarus is known for much more than that. She was an advocate of anti-Semitism and worked with immigrants. He believed it was time for actions rather than words. During his life he traveled to Europe twice and spoke out against anti-Semitism. When he returned to New York, he worked with Jewish refugees. Thanks to all his efforts, he has.