Poem Analysis of William Blake's 'The Tyger'

such a terrifying beast?” and “Who is God who dares to make such a terrifying

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.

In the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake, the use of rhyme, repetition, allusion, and symbolism all help the reader understand the theme and what was going through the authors thoughts while writing. William Blake was a mystic poet who channeled his thoughts and questions to write poems. He questioned the creator of both the Tyger and lamb, how could the same God create a destructive creature like the Tyger and on the other hand create a gentle animal, the lamb. This ties into the theme of the poem of how a God could and would create a monster like the Tyger.

William Blake’s illuminated manuscripts were published in multiple editions; all of the editions were etched differently than its predecessor. In these illustrations, one finds meaning and value; an inextricable link between these artistic expressions and the text that Blake wrote exists. These works should not be viewed separately, but rather viewed together, as one single entity. While the text, at times, proves itself to be unstable and potentially confusing for readers, the etchings serve as a way to view the intention of Blake’s words, as well as expressing the underlying feeling attached to the text in a visual way. Understanding both pieces of art is crucial to the apprehension of the implied meaning of the works. Without having to read the words, the viewer already grasps the tone and perhaps even the content or context of the piece. The etchings force reader interaction with the poems, relying on the non-passivity of the audience. Blake intended for the illustrations and the texts to be viewed in correlation with one another, as it allows for a deeper understanding of the intended meaning.

Blake conveys the theme of another's actions being the reason for sadistic tendencies through characterization as well. The poem “A Poison Tree” tells of a man whose anger festers until he

In "London", William Blake brings to light a city overrun by poverty and hardship. Blake discards the common, glorifying view of London and replaces it with his idea of truth. London is nothing more but a city strapped by harsh economic times where Royalty and other venues of power have allowed morality and goodness to deteriorate so that suffering and poverty are all that exist. It is with the use of three distinct metaphors; "mind-forg'd manacles", "blackning Church", and "Marriage hearse", that Blake conveys the idea of a city that suffers from physical and psychological imprisonment, social oppression, and an unraveling moral society.

Paralleling Rorschach’s immorality-filled actions in an attempt to fix broken society, William Blake's The Tyger serves to emphasize the interconnection of violence and innocence, while revealing the animal-like nature that possesses Rorschach turning him into society’s villain.

The poet feels that the hawk is strong and focused as is shown on the

show a large amount of similarity, as well as differences, both in the way he

William Blake was more than just a poet. He was an artist, a politician and a theologian. Blake was born in 1757 and died in 1827, He was known for his artistic talent and political involvement. Born in to a middle class family in London, Blake was one of 7 children born to his family, but only 5 of them survived past infancy. Blake did not receive any formal schooling and mostly spent his days wandering the streets of London (Poetry Fdn.). When he was ten he was enrolled in art school for multiple years and when he was 14 he became an apprentice engraver to James Basire (Poetry Fdn.). His work as an engraver allowed him to make money and continue to hone his artistic ability. Blakes artistry is clearly seen in most of his poems, whether its his early political works such as “America” or his classic lyric poems like “The Tyger”. (Poetry Fdn.). In “The Tyger” William Blake unconventionally questions the creation of the world through rhyme scheme, deep imagery, and conflicting ideas.

Blake was both a poet and an artist and he created many Illuminated works which combined the two. These forms, each powerful in their own right are even more so when used together as in "The Divine Image." In analyzing this piece I will be looking at the elements and principles of art, the corresponding ‘elements and principles' of poetry and how they support one another to convey William Blake's idea of Innocence.

William Blake is one of England’s most famous literary figures. He is remembered and admired for his skill as a painter, engraver, and poet. He was born on Nov. 28, 1757 to a poor Hosier’s family living in or around London. Being of a poor family, Blake received little in the way of comfort or education while growing up. Amazingly, he did not attend school for very long and dropped out shortly after learning to read and write so that he could work in his father’s shop. The life of a hosier however was not the right path for Blake as he exhibited early on a skill for reading and drawing. Blake’s skill for reading can be seen in his understanding for and use of works such as the Bible and Greek classic literature.

Earth is a confusing place. One doesn’t understand it, and yet wants to know it all. He has questions that don’t seem to have answers; questions about religion, science, nature and humanity. The poet Blake documented one such question in his poem “The Tyger.” He had a desire to know about the tiger. His fascination with the animal leads him to ask many questions about it, specifically about its creator. Wondering who made the tiger, what its origin was, he asks in what place was such a fierce creature designed. In what he has been taught about the physical world, he finds a scary contrast between the character of the creator and the creation. Looking at the questions Blake did, with what in mind the creator made the tiger, where it’s from,

Blake uses rhetorical questions asked by the narrator while Shelley has Victor expect immediate answers to his questions. Blake has the narrator utilize rhetorical questions to prove that the godlike figure does not require concrete answers, but prefers to live in awe and wonderment. On the contrary, Victor’s desire for knowledge and need for answers exemplifies that of a god, eventually leading him and his creation to lead a miserable life due to Victor attempting to assume a godlike position, and therefore, defying Romanticism. Throughout his poem, the narrator asks thirteen questions. The topic of the questions do not center around the narrator himself, but about the Tyger and the creator. With “Did he smile his work to see?” (Blake l. 19) and “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (Blake l. 20), the speaker shows genuine curiosity and respect for the creator. Similarly, the speaker also inquires about the Tyger by stating “What the hand, dare seize the fire?” (Blake l. 8), “Could twist the sinews of thy heart?” (Blake l. 6), and “What dread hand? & what dread feet?” (Blake l. 12). Consistent with this curiosity, questioning also appears in the last line at the beginning and ending stanza. Having the similar questions “Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” (Blake l. 4) and “Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?” (Blake l. 24) introduce and conclude the poem, the narrator is portrayed as invested in others than himself. Thus, the narrator is portrayed as a godlike figure due to

William Blake was a poet who was born in November 1757 and passed away August 1827. William was a very religious Christian who was born in London to James and Catherine Blake. At the young age of four, William was convinced that he was seeing visions of God along with other religious beings such as angels. According to a small biography on poets.org, these visions included God putting his head to William’s window and a tree full of angels in a meadow. Because of these “visions,” Blake’s parents decided it would be best to homeschool him, so he learned to read as well as write from his parents. This truly goes to show that you don’t possess an elegant education to be an immense writer. As he aged, William’s poetry grew to be about topics that were important to him such as politics, war, but more importantly, religion.