Symbolism In The Tyger

The Tyger” takes a unique look into the human soul in comparison to a tiger. This poem was written for Blake’s 1794 collection entitled Songs of Experience which contained

The poem, The Tyger, contrasts innocence and experience, and good and evil. The description of the tiger in the poem is as a destructive, horrid creature. The original drawing on the poem shows a smiling, cuddly tiger which is quite the contrast to the tiger described in the poem. This picture might suggest a misunderstanding of the tiger and perhaps the fears that arouse from the poem are unjustified. This poem contrasts the tiger with a lamb which often symbolizes innocence, Jesus, and good. The tiger is perceived as evil or demonic. Blake suggest that the lamb and the tiger have the same creator and in a way states that the tiger might also have the ability to have the benign characteristics of the lamb. The tiger initially appears as a beautiful image but as the poem progresses, it explores a perfectively beautiful yet destructive symbol that represents the presence of evil in the world. In the poem, Blake writes: " What immortal hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful symmetry (4-5)." It is hard to determine if the tiger is solely evil or good.

During the process of writing literature, and for works of fiction especially, authors will often utilize a literary device known as symbolism, in order to further engage readers and add a deeper layer of meaning to their story. Any object, person, or situation, can be used as a symbol provided it represents an additional concept or abstract idea apart from its literal meaning. In several fictitious stories, the element of symbolism plays a crucial role in helping writers extend the meaning behind their works beyond the prosaic. Two notable pieces of literature that skilfully demonstrate how symbolic imagery can enhance the narrative include, Frankenstein and “Goblin Market”—written by Mary Shelley and Christina Rossetti, respectively. Within both of these literary works, symbolic imagery is effectively employed, by setting the tone of the story, adding depth to the characters, and expressing the significance of several complex themes.

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.

The creature is created from as it is implied, from scratch and is as a new human that is still innocent, able to choose its own path and be either good or evil depending on how it is taught and what it sees. The creature’s first impression of human nature is its own creator abandoning it. This, among other disappointing acts of humans such as when he is prejudiced and hated for only by the appearance of his face, ruins the monster’s

In the book, The Other Side, there is a girl, Clover, who lives in a yellow house. On the other side of the fence, there is another girl, Annie Paul, that comes and sits on the fence. The only difference between the two is, Clover is black; Annie Paul is white. In, The Other Side, the tone is everybody is created equal. The symbolism is the fence; the audience is children.

His aspiration to become a part of society prevails even while he remains outside of society in his natural state. This interaction is the most prominent indicator of the Creature’s initial and inherent temper. Though the Creature is endowed with innate goodness, this trait is volatile and the Creature turns from goodness when shot as “the reward of [his] benevolence,” and “…the feelings of kindness and gentleness, which [he] had entertained but a few moments before, gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth” (Shelley 101). The Creature indeed lives an inherently good and benevolent life, yet when spurned by members of society he retaliates with similar feelings of anger and mistrust. In his pursuit of esteem, the Creature learned from his societal rejection to turn from friendliness to reciprocated furor. His disposition adapts to the concept he believes is expected of those faced with rejection. Yet even filled with loathing and misery, this wretched creature yearns for a social identity. Society rejected the monster Victor created; the Creature cries out in desperation to his creator, “...am I not alone, miserably

The poet John Keats talked about being half in love with an easeful death; called him soft names in many a mused rhyme to take into the air his quiet breath. Keats said, 'now more than ever seems it rich to die, to cease upon the midnight with no pain while thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad in such an ecstasy!'

In "The Lamb" he said, "Little Lamb, who made thee?/dost thou know who made thee?" (p. 120, 1-2). Where as, in "The Tyger" he says, "What immortal hand or eye/could form thy fearful symmetry?"(p. 129, 1-2). He innocently asks the lamb if it knows it's creator, yet fearfully asks the tyger who made it. It seems he almost demands who made the tyger, as if the tyger never should have been created because it is terrifying. The tyger is a fierce creature and it hunts and kills for its food, but the lamb does not because it eats grass. This is probably the reason why Blake speaks of the tyger is such an ill manner.

William Blake’s poetry is considered through the Romantics era and they access through the sublime. The Romantics poetry through the sublime is beyond comprehension and spiritual fullness. A major common theme is a nature (agnostic religion). In William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” he describes the tiger as a creature that was created by a higher power some time before. In Blake’s poem he questions, “What immortal hand or eye/ Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?” (Blake 22-23). He describes the tiger as a form of symmetry that can be seen as evil, yet have intriguing features such as those that make the tiger a beautiful creation. Blake also questions if that the higher being who created the tiger also created all else around the world such as a human being. Blake shifts his first stanzas from the tiger to the creator. Not only is he questioning who created the tiger, but he is also describing the beauty and evil of the world. The beauty that the Romantics believe in is nature and one evil seen through the world is materialism that distract humans from the beauty of nature 's gifts. He believes that people lose touch with spirituality when haven’t given to nature. Blake also illustrated his own works through

William Blake’s The Tyger and The Lamb are both very short poems in which the author poses rhetorical questions to what, at a first glance, would appear to be a lamba lamb and a tiger. In both poems he uses vivid imagery to create specific connotations and both poems contain obvious religious allegory. The contrast between the two poems is much easier to immediately realize . “The lamb” was published in a Blake anthology entitled “The songs of experience” which depicted life in a much more realistic and painful light. Both poems share a common AABB rhyme scheme and they are both in regular meter. In “The Tyger” Blake paints a picture of a powerful creature with eyes of fire and dread hands and feet. He asks rhetorical questions with a respectful awe that is almost fearful and makes the setting more foreign to the reader by including imagery like “the forest of the night” By contrast. Blake’s portrait of the lamb is one of innocence and child like wonderment “The Tyger is almost an examination of the horrors in the world while “The lamb examines only that which is “bright,”tender, “mild”. The use of words like “night,” “burning’ and “terrors in the tyger”create quite a contrary image for the reader than that of “The lamb.”

William Blake used animals as basic building blocks for poems such as “The Lamb” and “The Tyger.” By using these carefully selected animals to depict good and evil, the reader truly understands Blake’s words. All readers can relate to animals such as an innocent lamb and a

William Blake’s The Tyger, in my opinion, is an intriguing poem that looks at the idea of how God is a mystery and how humanity is at a loss to fully understand his creations by contemplating the forging of a beautiful yet ferocious tiger. Blake begins the poem by beginning a conversation with the tiger and almost immediately begins his questions of who could make such a fierce creature. He wonders if God could really create such a creature or maybe it is a creature produced from a darker source. Blake also refers to the tiger as a form of art, almost as if the creator made the tiger perfectly. The image of a blacksmith is also given through the poem as Blake refers to a blacksmith’s common tools and

In “The Tyger” it states, “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (Blake line 20). William Blake’s curiosity makes the reader feel uncertain. He only highlights the importance of the tyger through asking questions. Blake’s questions were challenging the principles of Christianity. He was underling why God created the beautiful lamb and the ferocious tyger. He wanted people to know that the world is filled with tranquility and disturbance. God himself wants people to adhere to the opposites of life. The way we humans deal with beauty with horror and love with pain. God is the creator of both creatures, but also the creator of such emotions presented within them.

Blake starts the first quatrain with the use of alliteration in the first line, “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright” (1.1). The beauty and power of this majestic beast amazes the narrator. Burning bright is describing the gorgeous fire color fur of the tiger. It continues with the use of imagery, “In the forests of the night” (1.2). This is referencing the kingdom of the intimidating beast, while the mention of night gives nod to the fact that cats are nocturnal. The narrator questions who could make such a creature, “What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” (1.3-4). Blake uses alliteration in this line while remarking on the beauty and fear this animal elicits.