Lady Liberty: A Biography

Bibliography

Rappaport, Doreen. Lady Liberty: A Biography. Illus. by Matt Tavares. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2008. 978-0763625306

Review

Lady Liberty is a collection of poems that exhibit concrete meaning of how the Statue of Liberty came to be in America. The pattern in some poems such as “Joseph Pulitzer” (Rappaport, pg. 21) are steady and have the same number of beats in between distinct pauses. There are surprises however in the meter of the poem, such as the sudden “I know” in the third stanza that stops the poem and brings attention to the fact that Joseph Pulitzer understands being an immigrant.

Sounds of alliteration are heard by readers in poems such as “scows and steamers and ships of war” (Rappaport, p. 26). This poem, “Jose Marti”, also provides repetition of words or groups of words such as “left, right, left, right” and “regiment after regiment” (pg. 26) which are the perfect compliment to a poem about military and soldiers.

Figurative language stirs up a more accurate and in depth picture of the creation of the Statue of Liberty. Similes such as “wears a flowing robe like the ancient goddess Libertas” (Rappaport, pg. 33) or “as grand as any one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” (Rappaport, pg. 9) depicts the beauty and magnificence of Lady Liberty.

Sound is an important part of many of these poems. One in particular, “Auguste Bartholdi” uses sounds such as “tugboat whistles and trumpet fanfares clash…cannons fire deafening salutes…shrieking tugboats” (Rappaport, pg. 31) to create the incredibly proud, boisterous, and patriotic atmosphere that took place at the unveiling of the monument.

Poetry and Connection

Auguste Bartholdi

I have sketched Liberty many times

And made clay models.

Laboulaye helped me at every stage.

She will be massive but elegant,,

As grand as any one of the

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

(Rappaport, pg. 9)

Read the poem aloud while students close their eyes. Give students the choice of molding clay or sketching a picture of the Statue of Liberty as you reread the poem. Students can put their models and sketches on display with “Lady Liberty: A Biography”.