The Tyger

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Recommended: Analysis of the poem tyger

“The Tyger”- Magnificence of a Tiger

Many of the creatures of the world have exquisite and beautiful characteristics in their appearance which puts us in a state of awe and wonder. According to the speaker in “The Tyger”, the tiger is a creature with an admirable appearance and leaves the speaker in awe and amazement. “The Tyger” consists of a series of rhetorical questions that attempt to reconstruct the process of the formidable animal’s creation ("Explanation of: 'The Tyger' by William Blake"), a trochaic tetrameter rhythm with a catalexis, vivid imagery, an apostrophe, an allusion, and a compelling use of metaphors. The employment of all of these literary devices helps the speaker conduct a powerful meditation of whom, how, where, and how the tiger was created. And the sum of it all comes to one question, “What immortal hand or eye, [D]are frame thy fearful symmetry?” This very last line brings about the central theme of the poem being a question, who dares create humanity even though all humans have their faults, some being nefarious and some being benevolent?

As presented by the speaker, there are a series of questions that are asked from the speaker to the tiger in each of the stanzas in order to find out under which conditions the tiger was created. For instance, “The Tyger” is a theological examination into who exactly it was that created such a fiery and powerful creature such as the Tyger: “What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry? (Dickie). This makes the reader ponder upon the idea about if the tiger was a magnificent and fearful creature, then the creator must be more magnificent and fearful than the creature. In the second stanza the speaker asks the tiger “In what deeps or sk...

... middle of paper ...

...ion. Even though there are many questions asked in this poem the central on is “Who dares create humans while some are innocent and others abusers of the innocent?”

Works Cited

""Explanation of: 'The Tyger' by William Blake." ." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, LitFinder. Web. 26 February 2012., 2010. Web. 26 Feb 2012. .

Curits, Jerry. "Poetry analysis: The Tyger, by William Blake ." Poets and Poertry. Helium, 2002. Web. 27 Feb 2012. .

Dickie , Jordan. " "William Blake's "The Tyger": Analysis ." A BESTWORD Analysis. BESTWORD, 2010. Web. 27 Feb 2012.

Cummings, Michael J. " The Tiger, by William Blake: Study Guide." Poetry Study Guide. Williamsport: 2012. Web. 27 Feb 2012.

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