America's entrance sign is the Statute of Liberty (left). Located in New York Harbor for over a century, it is a beacon to immigrants and (other than Tiger Woods) America's most recognizable symbol. It is a 
symbol, the New Colossus of the Western Hemisphere, with Emma Lazarus' poem of that same name
symbol, the New Colossus of the Western Hemisphere, with Emma Lazarus' poem of that same nameillustrating the many metaphors much better than I: "Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame ...Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
... From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome ... cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses ... I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
... From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome ... cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses ... I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Of course, being America, it has been appropriated as a sign and symbol for commercial purposes (right) by the New York New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where tired and weary gamblers and sinners are also welcomed by Lady Liberty (1/3 scale).
image source of Statue of Liberty: http://www.cr.nps.gov/worldheritage/images/Statue_05a.jpg
image source for NYNY Hotel in Las Vegas: Flickr Creative Commons http://flickr.com/photos/martinrp/334489122/ photo by .Martin
1 comment:
A great selection of a culturally laden sign. If you were to arrive here from Mars, this would just be a statue of a weirdly colored lady. But throughout the world, it has become a symbol of the USA - to be used in celebration or effigy.
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