Critical Appreciation Of The Tyger By William Blake

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During the Romantic Era, William Blake demonstrated a unique way of viewing the world, that was easily separated from the normal way of thinking. His poetry along with the ideas he expressed have influenced a countless number of individuals to see the world as it truly is: beautiful yet corrupted by oppression. William Blake lived his life in poverty, finding his only comfort within the confines of his work; therefore, there is no doubt that his poetry reflected his life and ideals. Through his childhood, obsession with art, and the the various writers he came in contact with influencing him, William Blake conveyed his questioning attitude within the many stanzas he wrote. To begin with, in Blake’s childhood, he demonstrated an immense amount …show more content…

Within line 7, Blake mentions “wings” which symbolize the greatness and powerfulness behind the act of creating (“The Tyger”). In stanza four, Blake utilizes the metaphor of a smithy by mentioning a hammer, chain, furnace and an anvil which represents creation in itself, because the tools mentioned are usually used by a smithy, who creates instruments out of hot metal (“The Tyger”). This comparison to a smithy indicates that the act of creating the tiger was intentional. A smithy makes tools, with the intention to use them or sell them later. By developing this metaphor throughout “The Tyger,” Blake indicates that the creation of the tiger accomplished the purpose of the Creator, but lead Blake to question why? Within “The Tyger,” William Blake conveys an attitude that is mixed with wonder and inquisition. From the beginning to the end, Blake asks a substantial amount of questions directed towards the tiger. Blake appears to be amazed at the very concept of creation, therefore he asks an animal if it knows anything. For this reason, the reader is sucked in, adopts the same feelings of wonder and inquisition, and stresses in order to discover the same secret Blake is striving to discover. Overall, the theme is shown through the particular questions asked by the author, Blake. “Did he smile at his work to see?/ Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (“The Tyger”). Using a method of asking an animal, that cannot respond, a series of questions contributes to the illusion that the poem is focused around William Blake’s thought-process. He is trying to discover the secret of the tiger and the origin behind its creation through the lines of poetry he devoted time and effort to. Since all of the questions refer to who forged the tiger, the theme centers around the concept of creation itself, where Blake took on a more unique way of viewing creation; he questioned it.

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