Where the Sleeping Tyger Lies: An Analysis of the Sound Devices Used in The Tyger by William Blake
The Tyger, written in 1974, is one of both simplicity and mystery. Within this poem written by old English William Blake, there are 13 full questions within this short 24 line work. Though many literary analysts have attempted to forge a meaning from this work, not one theme has a more correct stance than any of the others. One clear symbol within the piece is the Tyger, who represents some form of evil entity, quite possibly Satan himself. One possibility for the theme is that the poet is questioning why God would create such an evil being. This can be exemplified in the first stanza and last stanzas, where the word “could” is changed to
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Alliteration is used quite frequently in Blake’s work, and is apparent in nearly all of the stanzas. Some clear examples of this sound device are "burning bright" (1) or "distant deeps" (5). These alliterations only further add to the hint at a prayer–like state of the poem, but also go on to help the poem have a smoother rhythm and flow. They are evident throughout the entire piece, and do tend to get quite a bit repetitive at times, but are always used effectively and to put strong emphasis on whatever is being alliterated. These alliterations point more directly towards the specific ideas mentioned earlier, and are Blake’s stabs at again creating a larger focus on the words selected. This is can be easily compared to “highlighting” words read aloud, as the audience and reader will take mental notes of them as they are spoken, and refer back to them when questioning the idea and theme of the poem. Though both assonance and consonance are not completely un-evident in the piece, they are never used to convey any form of meaning or to add any depth to the piece, but rather they both blend to help the writing have smoother flow and not seem as “choppy” as it would without these sound devices. Because of this, these don’t particularly focus on anything to help convey any specific
Alliteration takes place in this poem due to the repetition of the initial consonant sound in words. Statement that it is based off alliteration partially whereas the consonant sound would be a desire. This is the reason for all the assertive statements said in the reading. Also, in the line 4 it says, “Thou web of will, whose end is never wrought” That is alliteration it used the same initial sound in that line.
The authors use of alliteration helps to provide specific tones to the words Oliver chooses to use. These tones then go on to provide more accurate connotations that prove their significance in the poem. For example, when Oliver wrote "the dark burred faintly belching bogs" the repetition of the "B" sounds give an accurate description of what an actual swamp may sound like. Words like "belching" and "bogs" are not words commonly associated with things like beauty and ease. This the helps to signify the readers of the difficulties the speaker is experiencing. Another
Alliteration is a procedure which points out how word sounds in connection to one another. Alliteration was used to produce a tuneful action. For example, “The delicious singing of the mother, or the young wife at work, or the girl sewing or washing” Whitman Walt (1819-1892, p 750).The author meant that no matter the task at hand everyone went about it with happiness and satisfaction in fulfilling their daily task. It contributed to the tone of the poem by making it a joyous and happy moment despite the fact that each individual
Through a mysterious tone, William Blake’s “The Tyger” reveals religion by using syntax and imagery. Throughout the story Blake uses literary elements to create the tone of the story. Blake first uses syntax to create a mysterious tone in the sentence, “Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” What Blake means by this is who made the Tiger. The author’s curiosity is shown throughout the poem.
I found some examples of alliteration, assonance, and repetition. An example of alliteration that I found in the poem is in line 11, it states, “so nothing’s shocking there, and you even make some money!” The letter that is repeated is the “S” sound. Another example of alliteration that I found is in line 3 it says, “It’s not what I intended, but I do let it go to my head occasionally”. It demonstrates that the sound of I is being repeated.
Alliteration is defined as the repetition of initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. It is a literary device that authors use to bring attention to certain important ideas or concepts in stories. Alliterations allow the reader to bring their senses together to hear and feel what they are reading by bring in sounds of the world around us into literate. This helps the reader visualize the story, therefore helping the reader to remember it. It is used in many stories as a way to hide metaphors and other subliminal messages. For example, alliterations with the 's' being the prominent sound could be visualized as a snake slithering, making a character have a slyness about him. Specifically in Anglo-Saxon literature, alliteration is significant because it is how authors organized their poems or stories, includes repetition which aids memorization, and emphasizes important parts of the text that the author wants the audience to know. Alliteration in important in both “The Wanderer” and “The Wife’s Lament” because it helps evoke certain emotions and feelings by using the different functions of alliterative language.
“The Lamb” in Songs of Innocence, and “The Tyger” in Songs of Experience were written with biblical influence, and Blake demonstrates his biblical upbringing through out these poems. “The Lamb” is represented through a pastoral story line, allowing a connection with agriculture and nature, much like many stories in the Bible. “The Tyger’s” storyline, however introduces the question of theodicy, or why there is evil in the world. How can God make a lamb so innocent and pure, and in turn create something so evil and cruel? Throughout “The Tyger”, Blake asks hypothetical questions,
Another technique this poem takes use of is alliteration. The alliteration used helps to express the themes importance through repletion of sound devices. A specific example of alliteration
Rhyming, alliteration and repetition are all used to create an atmosphere for the poem so that it is evocative for the reader.
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.
He uses regular rhyme scheme (aa,bb,cc,….) , but the last stanza has no perfectly rhymed end words or scheme which provides a hard sound to create emphasis on Tom’s conditions that the author does not want us to forget. Blake uses sound devices like Alliteration in “cry” (3) and “chimneys” (4) to show the miserable conditions of the chimney sweepers and he uses another Alliteration in “sweep” (4) and “soot” (4) to show the suffering of the boy who sweeps chimneys and sleeps in soot. There is Alliteration in “sleeping” and “sight” (10) which conveys Tom’s strange dream or sight. The poet connects the two words “bare” (7) and “hair” (8) as assonance to show that having a shaved head means Tom's hair won't get messed up by all that black soot. That means something black and dark would mess up and corrupt something white and innocent. There is Another Assonance in “dark” (21) and “harm” (24) to describe how he (Tom) awoke and the two of them grabbed their chimney-sweeping equipment and went off to work really early in the morning. The poet connects the two words “sweep” (4) and “sleep” (4) as consonance to reflect children abuse and the suffering of the labour child who sweeps chimneys and sleeps in soot. There is also a consonance in “night” (9) and “sight” (10) to show how Tom is soothed by the speaker and goes to sleep then he sees his strange dream or
Allusion is also an important part of this poem because of the way the author uses it to connect to the outside works that may also encourage the reader to think in a certain way that goes along with the themes of the poem. The first allusion, found in lines 7 and 8, are to the Greek gods Icarus and Prometheus. This allusion requires the readers to think about gods and religion, which is a major part of the theme of this poem. Another allusion I see is in line 20, which refers to another one of Blake’s poems, “The Lamb.” This allusion is significant because the speaker asks, “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (20) And he wonders whether or not the same creator who made something so gentle and pure could also make such an evil animal. The allusion itself brings the reader to think about the other poems and to contrast the two completely
is a representation of the relationship between creator and creature. This poem may be one of his more popular poems from The Songs of Experience. In the poem, Blake writes about how the Tyger was created by the same immortal being who created the sheep. In this case, Blake is referring to God creating both good and evil in the world. Blake depicts this by this excerpt from the poem, ?the contrast between fire and night ? [which] corresponds to the contrast of yellow and black stripes ringing the Tyger itself [sic].?8 John E. Grant comments that William Blake?s poem is ? ? horrifying, as well as awesome, to think of an animate thing being hammered into shape in the smith.?9 Through this statement, Grant is referring to the creation of Tyger and the rest of humanity by God. The hammer merely being an instrument of creation.10 It is strange how much Blake speaks of God and creation as a whole, as he was not religious or a believer in one God, creator of the
'The Tyger' asks who could have made the tyger. More exactly, it is asking who could have made such an evil being as the tyger. It begins with the question the poem is based on What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?, and throughout the poem, the question is asked in different forms . And what shoulder, and what art, could twist the sinews of thy heart?.
Rhyme is found all throughout the poem and has a huge effect on the reader. Blake used rhyme and detail to create some more wicked thoughts of the Tyger in the readers mind. Each stanza is made up of two couplets. Because these couplets keep a steady going rhyme, we