The Lamb and The Tyger

954 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What are the ideas contained in the poem the tyger

The Lamb and The Tyger

In the poems "The Lamb" and "The Tyger," William Blake uses symbolism, tone, and rhyme to advance the theme that God can create good and bad creatures. The poem "The Lamb" was in Blake's "Songs of Innocence," which was published in 1789. "The Tyger," in his "Songs of Experience," was published in 1794. In these contrasting poems he shows symbols of what he calls "the two contrary states of the human soul" (Shilstone 1).

In "The Lamb," Blake uses the symbol of the lamb to paint a picture of innocence. The lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ. The lamb is also a symbol of life. It provides humans with food, clothing, and other things humans need to survive. The line "For he calls himself a Lamb" is a line that Jesus himself has used (Blake 538). A lamb is a very meek and mild creature, which could be why Blake chose to use this animal to describe God's giving side. He even refers to God as being meek and mild in line fifteen: "He is meek, and he is mild." Blake wants to show his readers that God is vengeful but a forgiven and loving creator.

In "The Tyger," William Blake takes the opposite position he did in "The Lamb." In "The Tyger," Blake shows the God has created a sort of evil creature in the tiger. Blake compares God to a blacksmith when he made the tiger. He does this by using lines like "What the hammer," "What the chain," "In what furnace was thy brain," What the anvil"(Blake 539). By asking these questions Blake shows us that God must have been a blacksmith because of the use of words like anvil, hammer and furnace. These are all things that blacksmiths use. The tiger is a violent stalker of his prey and by definition a blacksmith is a violent profession. When Blake says "wh...

... middle of paper ...

... for the rhyme scheme is the same as it was for "The Lamb." They both are done to make you really think twice when you read the poem. At first reading you may miss the whole theme that the poems are about but then after a reading or two the profound message jumps out at you.

In conclusion, the symbols, persona, and rhyme of the poems each add to the theme it portrays. It is a poem about the existence of God and whether he creates both good and bad things. The persona is both of a young child in "The Lamb" and an older person in "The Tyger," which shows that when little God can be mild, but when older he is more unforgiving. Also, the symbols of the lamb and the tiger are to show the good and bad sides of God. And finally, the rhyme is simple to help make the impact greater. "The Lamb and The Tyger" are poems about the good and bad things that God has created.

Show More
Related

  • Symbolism In William Blake's 'The Tyger'

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ideas that are presented in poems are often the same ideas everyone is thinking but are too afraid to speak their mind for fear that they might be judged. Allen Ginsberg explained this predicament when he said “[p]oetry is the one place where people can speak their original human mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public what is known in private” (Ginsberg). This quote applies especially to “The Tyger” by William Blake. William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” at the surface is very simplistic; however, with further analysis the story’s theme of religion asks fundamental questions that pertain to one’s worldview with the use of symbolism.

    Read More

  • Anaysis of William Blake's The Lamb, The Tyger, and Proverbs of Hell

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    Blake makes sheep seem to have a joyful emotion and wants to share it with others. The sheep has a tender voice, which means it is not intimidating. Natoli, who is the author of the novel William Blake, says that, “The lamb is made by Christ and is an obvious symbol of the mild and gentle aspects of Creation, which are easy to associate with a God of love. However, what about the more fearsome, destructive aspects of Creation, symbolized by the tiger?... ...

    Read More

  • Compare and contrast the poems The Tyger and The Donkey and

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    The several references to good and evil reinforce this idea and meaning. "The Tyger" holds one great metaphorical element, which is, what created the tiger? Good or evil? It raises many theories for the tiger's existence but the main point is to show that there is good and evil in everyone and everything. Blake shows us how something so beautiful can really be both beautiful but still retain a certain ferocity and savagery.

    Read More

  • Romanticism And The Romantic Age

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Blake’s poem “The Tyger,” the creature is not only a symbol but a creature being immortalized by the author’s idea of him. Blake paints a literary image of the animal by describing his “tawny” coat against the darkness of the forest; “Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night.” He discusses the creation of the tiger through the questions “Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” At the time, Lamb was a parallel to Jesus Christ. The Romantic Age was about human creation and moving away from traditional beliefs; therefore Blake’s references to other kinds of craftsmanship such as the pounding “anvil”, the “furnace” and “hammer” are implying that the bright animal was molded by human creativity and art, not a God’s. The boldness of declining existence of an omniscient God during the late 18th century only goes to further display the theme of rebellion and breaking away from orthodox ways.

    Read More

  • Human Innocent in William Blake's Poems The Lamb, and The Tyger

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... Through symbolism and reference, Blake’s “The Tyger” effectively portrays civilized human existence. Although “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” appear to be fairly different in subject matter, both poems include a deep, indirect portrayal of Rousseau’s noble savage myth. Also, both poems include a variety of romantic ideals.

    Read More

  • The Lamb vs. The Tyger By William Blake

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion these two poems by William Blake are both deep and have hidden meanings, they both use imagery, repetition, alliteration and ryming couplets as well as biblical references to create a vivid pictures in the readers head. But these poems do differ in many ways such as the structure, theme and way it is written. The Tyger appeals to me most as it has more hidden meanings than the Lamb and the Lamb is boring and as if written by a child (for effect). In this essay I have analysed, contrasted and compared the two poems The Tyger and The Lamb to the best of my ability detailing the poetic devices used and the underlying meanings.

    Read More

  • Poetry Analysis: "The Tyger"

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Blake’s 1793 poem “The Tyger” has many interpretations, but its main purpose is to question God as a creator. Its poetic techniques generate a vivid picture that encourages the reader to see the Tyger as a horrifying and terrible being. The speaker addresses the question of whether or not the same God who made the lamb, a gentle creature, could have also formed the Tyger and all its darkness. This issue is addressed through many poetic devices including rhyme, repetition, allusion, and symbolism, all of which show up throughout the poem and are combined to create a strong image of the Tyger and a less than thorough interpretation of its maker.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Pains of Sleep

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is a rhythm throughout the poem with strong rhyme, this pattern is like heavy breathing you have when you try to go to sleep it could also represent the rhythmical counting of sheep.

    Read More

  • Contemplating God's Creation in William Blake's The Lamb and The Tyger

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “The Lamb,” the speaker asks the lamb about how it was made, the clothing of its wool and its “tender voice.” The speaker then answers its own question and bestows the blessing of the lamb. The Lamb can symbolize a child, innocence, meek, or vulnerability. Also, it can be perceived as Jesus. “The lamb is also a metaphor for the child speaker, who belongs to Christ's ‘flock.’ In Christianity, Jesus is compared both to a lamb going to the sacrifice and to a shepherd who protects his flock of lambs and sheep” (Shmoop). At the beginning of this poem, it starts out with the question of “Little Lamb, who made thee… I a child and thou a lamb” (Line 1, 17). It refers to the saying in the Bible, “…in the beginning when god created the heavens and the earth. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind” (Mazur). The narrator only calls himself a child because we are all “children of god” as many say. In line 18, “We are called by his name,” reinforces the idea that the lamb...

    Read More

  • Theme of the Creator in William Blake's The Lamb and The Tiger

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Blake’s poem “The Lamb” the speaker begins with the ultimate question, “Little Lamb, who made thee?/ Dost though know who made thee?/” (Blake lines 1-2). The speaker then continues to elaborate on the question in a playful, innocent, singsong manner describing the kindness and thoughtfulness that the creator put in to producing this ever so gentle lamb. The tone of this poem is soft and lulling, the tender, calm rhyme scheme puts the reader in a soothing, dreamlike state. “The words and images presented - stream, mead, delight, softest, tender and rejoice - are positive and pastoral. One can picture a lamb frolicking in the green grass…” (Smith).

    Read More

  • Imagery And Symbolism in William Blake’s The Tyger

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Blake’s The Tyger is reminiscent of when God questioned Job rhetorically about his creations, many of them being fearsome beasts such as the leviathan or the behemoth. Much like this speech from the old testament, The Tyger also uses a significant amount of imagery and symbolism which contributes to its spiritual aspects.

    Read More

  • Themes Of Innocence In William Blake's The Tyger

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    Creating an extended metaphor between the creator and a blacksmith, Blake poses the questions “What the hammer? What the chain, / In what furnace was thy brain? / What the anvil? What dread grasp,/...” (13-16). The industrial terminology asserts the belief that the tiger is a conscious product of the creator or God. The decision to make a parallel between a blacksmith and God suggests that it was not an effortless process, but rather a laborious and dangerous one, much like the forging of hot metal. It is a process that requires an abundance of energy, which suggests that evil, that is the tiger, was put into the world intentionally. Blake’s later question of, “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” is less so a question, but rather a declaration of the narrator’s realization that, yes, it is the same God that created the lamb and the tiger (20). The two opposite creatures were created to

    Read More

  • The Tyger Poem Review and Analysis

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    The repeated use of the word “dare” to replace the “could” of the first stanza introduces a dimension of aspiration and willfulness into the sheer might of the creative act. The Tyger is full of words that seem more advanced than the elementary vocabulary in The Lamb and that carry unpleasant connotations such as “distant deeps” or “dreadful terror”. “These words not only enforce the idea that not all of creation is good but also add a sense of fear to this side of it by voicing the speakers own fear of it and stirring up negative emotions within the audience. Blake creates this alarm to bring home his personal doubt about some of God’s creation.

    Read More

  • How has Blake depicted the tiger in this poem?

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    giving the tiger an even more awe-inspiring quality. The stanza finishes with "Did he who made the lamb make thee?" Which gives the idea of disbelief at the prospect of a creator making a harmless pleasant creature such as the lamb and a dangerous mighty and awful creature like the tiger. b) Explore the ways Blake uses imagery and repetition in this poem. The most obvious repetition in this poem is the "Tiger"!

    Read More

  • The Tyger Essay

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Blake, a romantic poet in the late 1700s, wrote a collection of biblical poems, called The Songs of Innocence and Experience. In this collection, Blake wrote a six-stanza poem consisting almost entirely of questions, titled “The Tyger”. Blake addresses this “Tyger” throughout the entire poem, beginning by asking who or what immortal creature made the Tyger. Blake then describes the Tyger as a fearsome and evil creature and tries to understand how the person who made the Tyger could have continued the process once it’s horrible “heart began to beat” (Blake 11). He compares the creator of the animal to a blacksmith, asking if the creator used an anvil and hammer to create the creature or other tools. Towards the end of the poem, Blake

    Read More

More about The Lamb and The Tyger

Open Document