It was reported by the Times-Union online recently that Senator Young made an appearance at the GOP Lincoln Day Dinner on Thursday as part of his campaign travels of late. In doing so, he appears to have made some serious blunders.
He referenced “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, which is inscribed at the feet of the Statue of Liberty. It was embarrassing to read how he freely admits to not understanding the art of poetry, but immediately proceeds to expound on what he thinks it should mean anyway.
The writer of this op-ed is a student of poetry and has been recognized with various awards for her own compositions. To understand the word imagery written by Ms. Lazarus, “imprisoned lightning,” it is imperative to recognize the era in which she wrote those words 138 years ago. It was a time when electricity was a novelty and American lore of Benjamin Franklin capturing lightning – imprisoning it on a key in a jar – was still fresh on the minds of people trying to grasp how we had harnessed the power of the electron. It’s right there in the fullness of her couplets describing a great woman holding a new form of lightning, no longer fleeting, but preserved as a lasting signal for the world to see.
“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;”
There’s great danger in not recognizing context. And people today are refusing to see a lot of context in the how our government is operating at present, especially in terms of history and science. So, it’s ironic that Young chose not only a poem so deeply entrenched in American history, but one written by a woman whom today he would likely call a member of “the radical left.”
Respectfully, Senator Young, you are wrong. More often than not, the imagery of poetry is exactly as it is written, with no deeper meaning awaiting your explanation. Here, a light is simply a light – a welcoming ray of hope.
The only meaning within “The New Colossus” that matters is also clearly stated in the last five lines:
“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, the tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.'”
And this is the critical part that Todd Young wants us to forget, that his choice of poem calls for us to greet with warmth – Hoosier hospitality, if you will – those immigrants most desperate for the welcome embrace of our new nation. His rhetoric within the same speech, “how he’s fed up with open borders,” clearly indicates that he would rather spurn those self-same huddled masses who arrive at our doorstep seeking asylum from starvation, homelessness, political turmoil, and often, certain death in their homelands. It was in those very conditions that many of my ancestors arrived at these shores, and I'm sure yours did too. (Additional context: with current immigration laws in place, our borders are not at all “open.” Young used that particular buzz word in order to incite your anger and frustration.)
Further in his speech, Young opined on President Biden’s inaugural address and that he hasn’t delivered on his call for unity. We ask you, Senator Young, how does the president unite with half of a legislative body whose leader has stated “One hundred percent of my focus is on stopping this new administration” as their singular goal? Where is your attempt to build bridges and meet Biden, your colleagues, and the balance of your constituency halfway?
In another example of missing context, we would like to point out that there is none in the story of Representative Walorski, Speaker Pelosi, and the elevator. It happens frequently that we ride in elevators with colleagues, never utter a word, and exit onto different floors for any variety of reasons. Perhaps, if there was friction (and we’re not saying there was), it speaks more to Walorski’s unease that she must mention a nonevent than it does about Madam Speaker. But given the lack of context, it’s really hard to know what actually happened.
Remember this, friends: Context is everything, and we encourage you to carefully read all 14 lines of the entire poem by Emma Lazarus, as well as the history of her brief but active life and progressive ideals.
Tammari Ingalls
2nd District Democratic Party Deputy Chair, Communications
