This study focuses on the inter-animating properties of the Statue of Liberty and Emma Lazarus’ corresponding sonnet, “The New Colossus.” The research explores how these two forms of communication, one visual and one verbal, invite public perceptions that permit them both to retain their individuality as distinctive “artifacts,” each with their own history and rhetorical goals, and yet are able to synthesize when needed. After examining the history and applying Close Textual Analysis to both artifacts, the study concludes that the meanings embodied in the Statue of Liberty’s structure have remained stable over time. The sonnet modifies the rhetorical intent of the statue and adds layers of meaning to the entire monument, including the concept of welcoming refugees to our shores. The monument is a unique icon on the American landscape for several reasons, including its mutability, its synthetic ability to offer multiple meanings for public memorializing, its gendered structure and voice, and the role of the sonnet in generating a “turn” in how Americans understand the statue.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study focuses on the inter-animating properties of the Statue of Liberty and Emma Lazarus’ corresponding sonnet, “The New Colossus.” The research explores how these two forms of communication, one visual and one verbal, invite public perceptions that permit them both to retain their individuality as distinctive “artifacts,” each with their own history and rhetorical goals, and yet are able to synthesize when needed. After examining the history and applying Close Textual Analysis to both artifacts, the study concludes that the meanings embodied in the Statue of Liberty’s structure have remained stable over time. The sonnet modifies the rhetorical intent of the statue and adds layers of meaning to the entire monument, including the concept of welcoming refugees to our shores. The monument is a unique icon on the American landscape for several reasons, including its mutability, its synthetic ability to offer multiple meanings for public memorializing, its gendered structure and voice, and the role of the sonnet in generating a “turn” in how Americans understand the statue.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Johnson, Robin E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS) in Communications","degree_level":"Thesis: EWU Only","degree_discipline":"Communication Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:13:29Z","subjects":["Communication Sciences and Disorders"],"languages":[],"rights":["Access perpetually restricted to EWU users with an active EWU NetID"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/464","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Johnson, Robin E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis: EWU Only"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS) in Communications"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Communication Sciences and Disorders"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Access perpetually restricted to EWU users with an active EWU NetID"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/464"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study focuses on the inter-animating properties of the Statue of Liberty and Emma Lazarus’ corresponding sonnet, “The New Colossus.” The research explores how these two forms of communication, one visual and one verbal, invite public perceptions that permit them both to retain their individuality as distinctive “artifacts,” each with their own history and rhetorical goals, and yet are able to synthesize when needed. After examining the history and applying Close Textual Analysis to both artifacts, the study concludes that the meanings embodied in the Statue of Liberty’s structure have remained stable over time. The sonnet modifies the rhetorical intent of the statue and adds layers of meaning to the entire monument, including the concept of welcoming refugees to our shores. The monument is a unique icon on the American landscape for several reasons, including its mutability, its synthetic ability to offer multiple meanings for public memorializing, its gendered structure and voice, and the role of the sonnet in generating a “turn” in how Americans understand the statue.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The monumental turn: metonymic synergy between the Statue of Liberty and 'The New Colussus\""]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Johnson, Robin E."],"dc:description.abstract":["This study focuses on the inter-animating properties of the Statue of Liberty and Emma Lazarus’ corresponding sonnet, “The New Colossus.” The research explores how these two forms of communication, one visual and one verbal, invite public perceptions that permit them both to retain their individuality as distinctive “artifacts,” each with their own history and rhetorical goals, and yet are able to synthesize when needed. After examining the history and applying Close Textual Analysis to both artifacts, the study concludes that the meanings embodied in the Statue of Liberty’s structure have remained stable over time. The sonnet modifies the rhetorical intent of the statue and adds layers of meaning to the entire monument, including the concept of welcoming refugees to our shores. The monument is a unique icon on the American landscape for several reasons, including its mutability, its synthetic ability to offer multiple meanings for public memorializing, its gendered structure and voice, and the role of the sonnet in generating a “turn” in how Americans understand the statue.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/464"],"dc:rights":["Access perpetually restricted to EWU users with an active EWU NetID"],"dc:subject":["Communication Sciences and Disorders"],"dc:title":["The monumental turn: metonymic synergy between the Statue of Liberty and 'The New Colussus\""],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis: EWU Only"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS) in Communications"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:13:29Z"}