The Tyger Summary & Analysis by William Blake

About the Poet

A Poet, printmaker, and painter William Blake was from England. The 28th of November 1757 saw this man's birth in London, England. While he was alive, his contributions to the arts were not acknowledged. Still, as time passed, he became recognized as a key factor in developing Romantic-era English poetry and painting. In his day, he was a renowned visionary poet. In addition to being an English poet, Blake was a visionary poet of all times. His paintings reflect the Romantic era in which he lived.

He fought for equal rights through his poems and spoke out against racial discrimination. In his poems, he also addressed the problem of child labor and several other important subjects, such as the false portrayal of Christianity. Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience are the two primary collections of his Works.

Introduction to the Poem

William Blake's poem "The Tyger" was originally titled "The Tiger." The poem was included in Blake's "Songs of Experience" collection in 1794. The lyrical poem explores the character of God and his works. The Tiger is one of William Blake's well-known poems.

The poem "The Tiger" is closely related to the poem "The Lamb," which was first published in William Blake's book "Songs of Innocence" in 1789. "The Lamb" is the sister poem of "The Tiger," and both are closely related. The poem "The Tiger" compares aesthetic beauty and instinctive aggression, while "The Lamb" focuses on innocence. By comparing these two poems, Blake highlights the opposing parts of existence and argues that "The Lamb" and "The Tiger" were made by the same hand.

Summary of the Poem

"Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

He describes the Tiger in the opening verse as being in a jungle at night. In the middle of a pitch-black forest, he portrays its vibrant shades. He inquires about it (the Tiger), asking how such a beautiful characteristic of its physique, "fearful symmetry," was developed. He adds that the creator must have everlasting hands and eyes to possess such power.

"In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?"

The poet continues his conversation with the Tiger in this verse. He claims that when the Tiger's eyes shine, the fire appears to be burning deep within them. He wonders aloud whether a fire like that could have been started in the sky or the sea. The poet then appears to have made up his mind that the sky?rather than the sea?is where the fire in the Tiger's eyes originated, and he ponders what type of wings the Tiger's creator may have needed to get to the high altitude where the fire was created. He also inquires about the strength of the Tiger's creator's hands to handle 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?"

In this verse, the poet imagines the Tiger's creator adjusting the body's ligaments with his hands. Then he inquires how much pressure his shoulders would need to support him to do it. He also inquires what precise method would be required for this work. The poet also considers when the Tiger finally comes to life and wonders how strong the creator's hands and feet must be to avoid being frightened by the animal.

"What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terror's clasp!"

In these lines, the poet thinks that a blacksmith may have been responsible for the Tiger's creation. He imagines that tools like a hammer and a chain were used to create the Tiger's metal body. Additionally, he thinks that a furnace's high heat must have been used to create the Tiger's brain. The fist that could hold the Tiger in its grip must have been extremely strong since it must have been a horrifying sight to behold the Tiger being produced.

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

The poet imagines that the stars in heaven, engaged in battle, laid down their swords once God had brought the Tiger to life. They began to cry because the sight of the Tiger so moved them. The poet questions whether God smiled as a result of creating the Tiger. He also questions whether the same God created the Tiger and the Lamb.

Tiger Tiger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

The words in this stanza are very similar to those in the first stanza. The only change is in the last line. Who would have dared to construct the terrifying Tiger is the question the poet asks instead of asking who could have done it. God makes the Tiger not only because he can but also because he dares to do so. Humans have never really understood why God would create such a frightening animal.

Analysis of the Poem

The poem "The Tyger" was written by English author and visual artist William Blake. The poem is part of Blake's Songs of Experience, a collection of poems. It is Blake's most popular as well as frequently printed poem. The poem's rhyme pattern is repetitive and primarily written in catalectic trochaic tetrameter, with a few lines in iambic tetrameter. The narrator of the poem approaches an imaginary tiger directly. He asks the Tiger some questions, but the animal never answers. The Christian God is a mighty being whose dominion includes all creation, including heaven, just like the Tiger is a powerful animal and the jungle is his territory. Blake's poetry and art are filled with religious references and symbolism.

The poem often uses words like "bright," "fire," and "furnace" to express lighting. The Tiger's splendor is contrasted with the nighttime forest's gloomy surroundings. In this situation, the Tiger throws light on the dark surroundings. Therefore, the Tiger might represent a revolutionary, creative, or important concept that sheds light on the darkest parts of the mind. The Tiger may also be a metaphor for nature's simultaneous beauty and fury. It is consistent with the meaning of the Tiger as a symbol of God's creation. Blake's theory holds that both nature and God are uncontrollable forces. The Tiger transforms into a spiritual being in everyone's hearts and brains.

Every lyric poem has a speaker, and in Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Blake mostly uses the bardic prophet's voice. The speaker's voice is evident in this poem. Awe- and spirit-inspiring, the Tyger is the subject of the speaker's apostrophe-detailed conversation. It is also implied that a heavenly architect created the terrifying Tiger specifically for interaction with people.

Along with this metaphysical author, the poem appears to be connected to aspects of the industrial revolution, which completely changed the rural, agricultural existence Blake depicted in his earlier poem "The Lamb." Readers familiar with Blake's poetry could deduce from the poem that works of creation like The Tiger had to have been made in a familiar divine. The fire and metal that filled this divine production created a threat. The work in these industrial environments hurts workers and production, again compared to lambs in the companion poem.

After considering God capable of making Lamb and Tyger, Blake suggests a certain accusation of the creation plan. At least one can see the paradox of creation, which is based on two forces, innocence and experience or violence, created from the outset and designed to oppose each other in such uneven situations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tyger demonstrates how some feel when it comes to the supernatural ability of God. God is perfect, but he has the power to create bad things, just like human beings. He sees human beings the same as a tiger, and in his eyes, we are good because he uniquely created us; however, we are defective creatures, making us imperfect. Blake's use of images and symbols helps us to relate to God's beauty. He saw everything he created as good, even if evil could be implied as good.