Topics in cultural studies - Essay Example

It further has a broken chain lying down at her feet. The statue clearly represents the values by which the United States culture is guided i.e. freedom. Beside the statue representing an icon of freedom the torch holds a symbol of enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty represents freedom to the people world wife. Each feature of this statue was designed to give a specific symbolism. The torch of statue lights the way to the freedom showing the citizens of USA the path to Liberty. Even the statue's official name embarks a clear indication of its underlying values "Liberty Enlightening the World".

The Statue's replacement torch that was added in 1986 is made up of copper flame covered in about 24K gold. It is a reflective of the sun's rays in day time and lighted by almost 16 floodlights at night. The original torch had been removed in 1984 which is since then inside the lobby of the monument. The statue's crown along with its seven spikes has meaning different from other parts in the statue. According to National Park Service, the crown is evident of symbolizing a radiant halo. The seven spikes, or the rays, represent the seven seas along with the seven continents of the world.

(What Do the great Seven Spikes on the Liberty's Crown Represent? in eHow) The Americans had adopted the Statue of Liberty as their national symbol in many ways, this covers putting it on the World War I as Liberty Bond notes. In the starting, Emma Lazarus wrote it as the poem, "The New Colossus," where she called the Statue of Liberty as the "Mother of Exiles." (In fact the Bartholdi modeled this face of statue after his own mother.) This poem was there inscribed in bronze year1903 and can still be seen at the Statue Museum.

The origin of great Statue of Liberty project can generally be trace back to a comment made by French law professor and the politician Edouard Rene de Laboulaye in mid 1865. In the after dinner conversation at his place near Versailles, Laboulaye, one ardent supporter of Union in the American Civil War, said, "If a monument could rise in the United States, as one of the memorial to this independence, I think it could only be if it were built by the united efforts that is a common work of both the nations.

"(Harris 1995 p.7) The Statue of Liberty was actually designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American Declaration of Independence. This was first proposed as the gift from France to the United States by Mr. Edouard-Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye in year 1865. France had agreed building the statue, shipping it to New York and installing it. The United States on the other agreed to build and finance pedestal, which was designed by Mr. Richard Morris Hunt. (Meaning of the Statue of Liberty) The Statue of Liberty was finally constructed in France.

This was the time of war improved political stability along with recovering post war economy. Bartholdi was very enthusiastic and excited about the idea. However, the France government of Emperor Napoleon III (the Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew) was manifestly hostile to the democratic along with republican ideals celebrated by this Statue of Liberty. The times were such that if Bartholdi had not kept his profile low he could have been jail. Though, there was much enthusiasm but funds rising were not so easy, this was also