The Good and Evil

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“The Tyger” provides a harsh tone which can create tension as “The Lamb” has a simplistic tone that can evoke a mild meaning. Even though both tones are present in these two poems, “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” their themes are of greater importance then the vague language. The language used in each of these poems respectfully give distorted impressions of the poem's significance. The themes present are the evil in this world, the relationship between the Creator and His creation, and the initial innocence being destroyed by experience. In essence, “The Tyger” is a creation of God and can be viewed as evil which creates immense tension. However it is true that a good God can create evil.

The author, William Blake, wrote a series of poems that gave two very different perspectives of the human soul. He titled these, Songs of Innocence and Experience, in these he would write from a child's viewpoint or from an adult's (William Blake). “The Tyger” is written from an adult's, while “The Lamb” is written from a child's. Essentially, “The Tyger” is a companion of the innocent “The Lamb” (Furr). The innocence that is presented in “The Lamb” is that humans who have yet to experience pain, suffering and despair are trustful and have the spiritual resilience of a child (Furr). Primarily, the lamb in this poem is communicating the joy a child has. As this innocence turns to experience pain, darkness and confusion occur. Then, the reader is under the assumption that the tiger and lamb do not have the same creator. In An Overview of “The Tyger,” Derek Furr also writes, “We are all born innocents, but when we begin to recognize evil or wrong, and are inevitably tempted by it, we pass into a state of experience.” Additionally, wit...

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... Worth: Harcourt, 2001. Pp. 861-862. Print

Gleckner, Robert F. “'The Lamb' and 'The Tyger'--How Far with Blake?” The English Journal. JSTOR. Web. 30 June 2011.

Grant, John E. “The Art and Argument of 'The Tyger'.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language. JSTOR. Web. 19 June 2011.

Natoli, Joseph. "William Blake." Critical Survey of Poetry: British, Irish, & Commonwealth Poets. Salem Literature Web. 12 Jun. 2011.

New King James Version. Print.

Furr, Derek. "An overview of 'The Tyger'." Poetry for Students. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 25 June 2011.

Price, Martin. "The Vision of Innocence." Twentieth Century Interpretations of Songs of Innocence and of Experience: A Collection of Critical Essays. 2005. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 25 June 2011.

"William Blake (British poet)." 2001. Books & Authors. Gale. 5 Jul 2011.

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