"The Tyger" by William Blake
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
First reactions
Blake is again posing the question "who made thee?"; there is a difference, however, in both form and content. In "the Lamb," Blake uses the question more as the opening for the lecture. Here, he presents the query without explicitly answering it, though the point of the question remains rhetorical, to point out the ferocious qualities of the "tyger." The comparison between the two is natural, as Blake himself alludes to even in the poem itself.
Paraphrase
Tiger, what sort of being could make you so frightful? Where does the fire in your eyes come from? What gives your creator his abilities? What kind of strength and imagination gave you life? What tools and actions did he use to create your mind? What hands could hold such terrors? Under the light of the stars and the rain, does he take pride in his creation? Could he who made the Lamb, innocent and pure, have created you? Tiger, what sort of being could make you so frightful?
Paraphrase
Tiger, what sort of being could make you so frightful? Where does the fire in your eyes come from? What gives your creator his abilities? What kind of strength and imagination gave you life? What tools and actions did he use to create your mind? What hands could hold such terrors? Under the light of the stars and the rain, does he take pride in his creation? Could he who made the Lamb, innocent and pure, have created you? Tiger, what sort of being could make you so frightful?
SWIFTT
SW –Blake uses a simple aa-bb rhyme scheme for each stanza. The archaic spelling of "Tyger" suggests we view the subject of the poem in a more ancient or exotic sense. The poem is written as a series of rhetorical questions, with a repetition of sentence structures to further pull the poem together.
I – The imagery evoked here is of the tyger's primal, dangerous nature. A secondary element of imagery are the mentions of a furnace and other tools, suggesting that the tyger is crafted and somehow unnatural or artificial, placed in contrast to the lamb.
F – Some examples of figurative language here lie in the dual meaning of the actions Blake describe, such as when he asks who it is that "twists the sinews of thy [the tyger's] heart." This refers to both the actual act as well as more generally the act of the creation of life, described in artisan terms. Then there is the question "Did he who make the Lamb make thee?", which could be taken as another rhetorical question that serves to confirm that it is, but could also be interpreted as introducing doubt onto the actual identity of the tyger's creator.
T – The tone of the poem can be thought of as rhetorical, using questions to reveal truths, or accusatory, challenging whoever made the Tyger.
T –The theme of "The Tyger" can be thought of in multiple ways. One interpretation is the dual nature of God, as the creator of both the Lamb and the Tyger, embodying innocence for one and ferocity for the other. Then, it can be thought of as impugning evil which created the Tyger, separate and alien where the Lamb is part of and represents us.
Conclusions
Alongside my initial reaction, closer reading reveals a second interpretation of the poem as a challenge against the Tyger, rather than showing the dual nature of a God who creates both good and evil. The comparison between Blake's poems, "The Lamb" and "The Tyger," can be made only in the sense they are complete opposites. The Tyger, representing ferocity and dread terror, is antithetical to the innocent and harmless Lamb.
