The Analysis of William Blake's 'The Tyger and the lamb'.

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Abigail Goodman

The Analysis of William Blake’s

 ‘The Tyger and the lamb’

William Blake lived 1757 to 1827 and was born and lived in London. As a young boy and throughout his later life Blake experienced many strange and unusual vivid visions, claiming to have seen Angels and ghosts. This I feel has a great relevance in his decision to write poetry about God and mystical beings.

From the age of 10 Blake wanted to be an artist and after training continued mainly engraving. Throughout his life Blake was mainly renowned for his art but later became famous for his poetry .In 1782 he married a woman called Catherine Boucher who introduced him to famous literary figures where he learnt about philosophy and started writing his famous poetry. In 1789 he wrote his first book called the ‘Book of Thel’ an illuminated edition with pictures. He also wrote and published a poetry collection called ‘Songs of Innocence’ (which is where ‘The lamb’ was written.) Then in 1794 he wrote the ‘Songs of Experience’, which was written to be the second part to his poetry collection with the ‘Songs of Innocence’ in this ‘The Tyger’ was written. And, within both poems ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’ were coupled.

The Tyger’ by William Blake

1st stanza:

Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright.

The first line of the poem is very powerful, with the use of the first syllable emphasis (trochee) and the second word being repeated. On a literal level this is obviously talking about a Tyger and with the use of exclamation marks to give the impression of a statement or a warning, something to be feared and that is dangerous, it could also be someone addressing the Tyger itself, calling or maybe shouting for its attention. The next few words of the first line ‘Burning’ and ‘bright’ makes you thing on a literal level of perhaps the colour of the Tyger orange .On a slightly more philosophical level the word burning could be associated with a fire which, used in this context is relating the ambivalence between the Tyger and the fire, on one side fire when controlled is an essential asset and vital in life. But on the other, when uncontrolled can be wild, unpredictable, and dangerous and in some cases can destroy life. This is much the same as a Tyger, which is beautiful, yet can deadly.  

The use of the two ‘b’s’ ‘Burning’ and ‘Bright’ as alliteration is also used to emphasize that of the power and fear of the Tyger.

In the forests of the night,

In contrast to the first line the second line is filled with darkness and on a literal level can be associated with the night, being dark and tin the deep of a jungle or forest there wouldn’t be much light and it would seem very dark. Yet, Blake uses the darkness to represent more on a philosophical level. The night, the night is often associated with danger and mysterious and terrible things happening. For example, witches and ghosts only come out at night. But also, the forest as well as being physically very dark is also a very morally dark place. Where terrible immoral things take place. An example of this is the fairytale story Hansel and Gretel who go into the forest and are captured by a witch, in other words, child abduction.

What immoral hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

These next two lines are one of the most crucial in the whole poem, firstly on a literal level, a question directed to the tiger itself asking ‘who has made you?’ .On a slightly more philosophical level ‘what immortal’ or really ‘what God or Gods’ and the use of ‘hand’ and ‘eye’ words associated with making and creating something, meaning in this context ‘What God or Gods have created you’ But the real question comes in the next line. The use of the word ‘frame’ making you think of something controlled or contained and also connected with symmetry, with perfection. Something symmetrical is associated with something well made .So through this line Blake is trying put across the idea that because the tiger is so well made it must have been created by someone or something very important like a God or Gods.

2nd Stanza:

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

In the first line of the second stanza Blake uses the words ‘deeps’ and ‘skies’ this on a literal level makes you thing of the deeps as the ocean and Skies as, the sky. On a philosophical level this is a very elemental line with the uses of water and air (deeps being associated with oceans and skies) also the distant meaning that these are two extremes and comparisons.

The next line reintroduces the relevance of ‘fire’ by using the word ‘burning’ also adding another element to the stanza. On a literal level the words ‘burning’ and ‘eyes’ you could associated with cats eyes which do appear to glow. This line is also another question following the other unanswered question at the end of the first stanza.

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On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand dare seize the fire?

In the next two lines more questions but now worded differently now asking ‘who dare to make thee?’

The use of the word ‘wings’ on a philosophical level makes you think of high up in the sky and being close to God .Then  the word ‘aspire’ is used in an insinuating manner saying ,’who ever dare aspire to make something so perfect is trying to become some above themselves. In the last line of the second stanza with the use of the words ‘dare ...

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