The Statue of Liberty

[Jimmy Gathu]

The Statue of Liberty​

The Statue of Liberty stands in New York City on liberty island. It is a gift to the people of the United States from the people of France. It is a symbol of friendship between the two nations and a mark of a new dawn and self-rule of the people of the United States. The Statue of Liberty is owned by the federal government of the United States and was designed in 1886 by Frédéric Auguste and Gustave Eiffel . The statue resembles a woman holding a torch pointing towards the sky with her right and wearing a crown. On the left hand, she holds what resembles a book with a roman inscription of the date of American independence, July 4 1776. At her feet is a broken chain and shackle, indicating the abolition of slavery. Sitting at a vast 5 hectares land, the open space gives a sense of breath and tranquility.

The surrounding water body allows winds to blow in a cool breeze giving a sigh of hope and a future. It has welcomed millions of immigrants into the US who come by sea, and it is a symbol of hope and fundamental freedoms . The location and the stature in which it is erected give it the feeling of the national gatekeeper. Additionally, women are associated with being caregivers. The statue fits perfectly in its context as it stands on an island at the entrance to New York Harbor. It is a masterpiece of the human spirit and signifies outstanding values of liberty. It is incredibly authentic in terms of the materials used, its form and its intrinsic spirit. The site is accessed using a ferry and receives numerous visitors. Until 1986, no materials were changed on the statue, but later steel was replaced with stainless steel to prevent corrosion. This maintenance of the originality of the sculpture indicates a deep-seated spirit of liberation. It boasts an information centre and 24-hour security. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Statue of Liberty was designed in France, shipped across the Atlantic, and reassembled in the US in 1865. It was a gift of the Frenchmen in appreciation of the democratic space in the US. By then, France was ruled by a dictator-like emperor. They felt the statue would increase the voice of demand for democracy in their own country. The Frenchmen funded the sculpture, but the pedestal was funded through charity by the people of the United States. Besides the 93m tall sculpture is an inscription of a poem written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus that was aimed at beseeching people to donate funds to complete the pedestal. The poem is known as The new colossus. It is part of the monument and carries the spirit of the statue. It reads;

"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 poem carries the visual spirit of the sculpture. It reiterates what the statue is communicating. The words in the poem, such as "The mighty woman with a torch, " indicate the gigantic belief in the statue's power in spirit and feeling. You read the poem, feel the vested power in the monument, and feel like you are at the site of the monument in real time.
The statue is a symbol of might. It carries a feeling of inability to be threatened or intimated. The lifted right foot in a kind of motion suggests marching forward in freedom and walking away from the bondage of slavery. The crown has seven rays which have been argued to represent freedom in the seven continents or seven liberties. The seven liberties are Civil liberty, Moral liberty, National liberty, Natural liberty, Personal liberty, Political liberty, and Religious liberty. The torch on her right hand symbolizes enlightenment. It shows illumination into the future.
This monument is one of a kind. It asks the viewer to commemorate and reflect on a new beginning. It inspires hope, especially for immigrants who come to seek asylum in the US. Looking at the statue, it harbors great feelings of peace, liberty, human rights, and democracy. The statue is a reminder of these values' importance at national and global levels. It shows a perfect blend of engineering and art to produce something that feels alive, with feelings and emotions. Everyone who visits the stature will forever carry its memories with them.

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