Transcript The Tyger” –William Blake

By: Zackary Yang and Patrick Love
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Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
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?
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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?
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What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
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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?
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Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
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This poem was originally an engraving and at the age ten Blake began his
artistic training in one of the best drawing schools.
Often when his work was noticed, readers and viewers concluded that it
was weird, confused, or insane.
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One theme central to Blake's "The Tyger" is the identity of God or the Creator.
The speaker asks what kind of creator would create a tiger? What kind of creator
would form such a powerful evil to the world when there are innocents such as
lambs?
The Tyger also questions the existence of evil in this world. Blake questions if God
is loving why would he create evil.
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Repetition: The first stanza and last stanza are exactly the same and are included to show and then
reaffirm the strength and beauty in the image of the tyger.
Allusion: Stanza five is and allusion to the battle in heaven between God and the fallen angels lost and
how the angels lost and let out their rage on the humans below.
Alliteration: The phrase “Tyger, tyger, burning bright.” is an example of alliteration, reaffirming the
tyger’s beauty and strength.
Metaphor: The comparison of the tyger’s eyes to fire shows the intensity and ferociousness of the tyger.
Personification: “When the stars threw down their spears.” Stars are supposed to be a goal t0 reach in a
human’s life because of how little are known about them and he portrays them as bad and evil although
at a glance they look preaceful and calm.
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The Poem relates to the time period by portraying the disillusionment in
the sense that the people of the Victorian time period began to question
many of their original beliefs and rules.
The song What If by Coldplay relates very
well to The Tyger. It is all about
questioning reality and making decisions
on your own. In the very first stanza it
relates to The Tyger by questioning first if
there was no light, or it can be related as
“good”, and what if there was no wrong
or right. This is compared to the Tyger in
the sense that the speaker questions
God’s actions of creating evil and not
allowing man to control evil and in
comparison that the song states that if
there was no light or “good” then what
could stop the differentiation between
right an wrong.