Essay on The Tyger

Submitted By ddvickers1
Words: 547
Pages: 3

Dana Vickers
June3/2013
Elemental Confliction
When looking at the poem, The Tyger, written by British poet, William Blake he chooses Tyger versus Lamb to develop a sense of strength versus frailty. How these two animals, who are the complete opposite of each other, could possibly have been made by the same creator. William Blake does this by using imagery, symbolism and repetition in this poem. By looking deeper into this poem, I will emphasize these points and provide evidence to support these ideas.

By seeing the Tyger as big and ferocious and the Lamb as small and innocent the perception of opposition is created. Blake refers to the Tyger as a fearsome beast by writing “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright in the forests night,” as well as “In what distant deeps or skies burnt the fire of thine eyes?” The color contrast of the Tyger and its eyes that shine in the night reflect the image of fiery and strong. Further in the poem the lamb makes an appearance when Blake writes, “Did he who made the lamb make thee?” asking the reader to consider that the same creator made both creatures. “When the stars threw down their spears and watered heaven with their tears,” reveals that the lamb was made of another element, water. The speaker then refers to fire once again when additionally in the poem, Blake describes how the Tyger is created. Using the image of a Blacksmith to portray the creator by using such words as “hammer”, “chain”, and “anvil” to give readers this illusion.
Another form William Blake uses is symbolism. The symbol of the Tyger is one of inspiration, and power whereas the Lamb symbolizes tenderness and a sense of serenity. The fire associated with the Tyger, which contributes to the Tyger’s ferocity and the fact it is big, and powerful. Fire is a source of energy, and since the Tyger seems to be filled with fire, then he too must be filled with energy. An example of this would be, the fire of the Blacksmith’s furnace is the fire of creation, by which the Tyger was formed. Fire is a consumer of life that gives the feeling of rage, and