“Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;”
This represents Blake’s visionary quality as a poet, he uses the metaphor ‘burning bright’ to symbolise the distinctive fiery orange colouring of the ‘Tyger’ but also it contrasts with the setting. Choosing to make the forest of the night plural effectively conjures the image of a mysterious and hostile place, establishing tension and intrigue from the beginning, or perhaps it is a metaphor for the depths of our imaginations. The image of a wild animal existing in the shadows of ‘the night’ proposes that it is the beastly alter-egos, or parts of our personality that we would preferably keep hidden in our dreams rather than appear in the light of day. With experience humans recognise the floors in their personality whether it be jealousy, arrogance etc. Children are at the beginning process of learning, and are naïve of their attributes as they are stil on the path of discovery. The Lamb symbolically represents the endearing curiosity that is commonly associated with that of a child’s. A child is inquisitive in spirit, often asking questions and expecting answers like the poem ‘The Lamb’. This poem implies that children possess an untainted conception of creation and an adoration for all things celestial:
“Gave thee clothing of delight,
/Softest clothing wooly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,”
Questioning in ‘The Tyger’ differs from ‘The Lamb’, it consists of rhetorical questions directed at the ‘Tyger,’ though they are much directed at the reader. The poem questions the identity of the creator and discusses how the ‘Tyger’ could have been created. The fact that there are no answers in ‘The Tyger’ adheres to the complexity of adult life differentiating from ‘The Lamb’ where answers are provided.
The Tyger is a creature both cruel and awe-inspiring to humans, it is this duplicity that makes the poem ambiguous: ‘What immortal hand or eye,/ Could frame thy fearful symmetry?’ It is unclear whether the phrase is stating the fact that no other creator could have produced such an awesome creation such as the Tyger. Also it raises the issue surrounding the identity of our creator as God’s creations are supposed to be made in his image, thus questioning whether it is God responsible for creating an animal of such potential wrath. Blake daringly questions God’s nature as all-powerful and kind which was the common view held in the Romantic period. Clearly Blake found it a personal struggle to comprehend why the majority thought God to be the stereotypical, perfect sole creator of the Earth.
In combining the two words ‘fearful’ and ‘symmetry’ proves controversial, symmetry suggests the precision of the ‘Tyger’s’ structure, enabling the animal to be an effective predator. Complete perfection can be interpreted as threatening which is why ‘symmetry’ is considered ‘fearful.’ Blake again uses the metaphor of fire to describe the way the ‘Tyger’ sees and is seen: ‘In what distant deeps or skies,/Burnt the fire of thine eyes?’ This conflicts with the humble vision of the Lamb and its idyllic setting: ‘By the stream & o’er the mead’.
The dramatic comparison between the ‘Lamb’ and the ‘Tyger’ serves the purpose of Blake’s decision to examine different, almost opposite or contradictory ideas about the earth’s creatures and their creator: ’Did he who make the Lamb make thee?’ The poem investigates whether or not God creates both gentle and fearful creatures and explores the possibility that there is more than one creator. The ‘Lamb’ is gentle and innocent and the ‘Tyger’ is captivating but volatile, it is uncertain whether God is pleased with his creation of the ‘Tyger‘: “Did he smile his work to see? This is an example of the many rhetorical questions within the poem. Moreover, the personification of the stars weeping; ’When the stars threw down their spears/ And water’d heaven with their tear:’ suggests two outcomes. The stars weeping could be a result of overwhelming admiration for God’s creation, or the tears may be a dramatic response of rage, repulsion and even regret for the ‘Tyger’s’ existence on earth. Revealing that God has the ability to produce tenderness and anxiety although neither one is more enjoyable. This encourages the reader to draw a conclusion as to whether or not the ‘Tyger’ should be admired for its energy, strength and beauty or should be feared for its predatory and unpredictable nature.
Blake uses alliteration and cacophony to give his words a harsh, severe sound; ‘distant deep’, ‘dare the deadly’ to emphasise the tigers savage temperament and to questions the nature of the creator. In conjunction euphony is present in ‘The Lamb’: ‘delight’, ‘ bright’, ‘mild’ and ‘child’ are soft sounding, mellow words, depicting the gentle nature of God. Blake’s decision to use poetic devices such as these further develops his question about the nature of God.
Images of ‘fire,’ ‘hammer,’ ‘furnaces,’ ‘chain,’ ‘anvil,’ and ‘spears’ portray a scene more infernal than heavenly which introduces the reader to Blake’s theme of condemnation towards the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was not as positive and idealistic as was expected during Blake’s childhood. Perhaps this reflects the creation of the ‘Tyger,’ however Blake never suggests that the Tiger should not have been created. This is significant because Blake implies that although both creatures are polar opposites in nature, one is innocent and vulnerable and the other ferocious and volatile they both exist in the human spirit. Both animals are creations of God and ultimately both natures exist in God. Blake’s belief that Good and Evil are both parts of God, which is essential for balance in the world, allowing there to be free will for people to make decisions.
Thus, neither the seemingly innocent ‘Lamb’ is all Good, nor is the ‘Tyger ‘all Bad. Different circumstances call people to use their attributes in different ways. For instance it would be better to have the strength, and predatory quality presented in the ‘Tyger’ to survive when faced with confrontation rather than the naïve vulnerability of a docile lamb.
