The Tyger - William Blake

By DaRabbit, Student

A report on the poem, The Tyger, by William Blake

An essay hosted at LiteratureClassics.com

The Tyger

The Author:
History remembers Blake first and sometimes exclusively as the author of ñThe Tygerî. It has been said that he believed that a person had to pass though an innocent state of being, like that of the lamb, and also absorb the contrasting conditions of experience, like those of the tiger, in order to reach a higher level of consciousness. This belief helps us to obtain layers of meaning in the text.

The Context:
The poem reflects primarily the speakerÍs response to the tiger, rather than the tigerÍs response to the world. It is important to remember that Blake lived in a time that had never heard of popular psychology as we understand it. He lived in a world that was in the opening stages of the Industrial Revolution, and in the midst of political revolutions all over Europe and in America. As we look at his work we must in some way forget many of the ideas about creativity, artists, and human nature that we take for granted today, and reimagine them for the first time as, perhaps, Blake did himself. It is in this way that BlakeÍs poetry has the power to astound us with his insight Ü that he would know the deepest feelings of someone reacting to a tiger is a marvel in a time without psychoanalysis. Also, tigers in post-revolutionary Europe were so misunderstood as merciless man-killing beasts, that in his selection chose an animal that truly could not be confronted, even in a poem, with composure.

The Title:
We cannot assume that the title was a simple play on words, or even a typo, as Blake has asserted elsewhere that ñevery word and every letter is studied and put into its fit placeî. The title announces that we are not dealing with an ordinary tiger, and this is not an ordinary poem Ü it motivates us to search for meaning even before we have begun to read the poem.

The Structure:
This Lyric contains lines of usually seven syllables; six four-line stanzas; and pairs of rhyming couplets in each. This creates a sense of Rhythm and continuity, that is notably broken in lines 3 and 4, and 23 and 24, where ñeyeî is half-rhymed with, ironically enough, ñsymmetryî. This breaking of the pattern hightens the significance of the lines to the ñstoryî of the poem.

Imagery:
The images are so compelling that for most purposes they explain themselves, and we have an immediate, overwhelming impression of an awful power lurking in the darkness of being and forcing on us questions which pierce to the heart of life. Some of these symbols include:
? The beast lives in the shadows and dark hours of our lives Ü the ñforests of the nightî.
? The ñfireî of the tigerÍs eyes is a representation of its conviction in itself; its ego.
? The 8th line is a reference to the daring god Prometheus Ü he gave the power of fire to humanity, a daring deed which ñseized the fireî. It is the challenge of all artists, including Blake Ü to be daring.
? The 10th lines asks who is powerful enough to ñtwist the sinews of thy heartî Ü that is, who could create such a powerful being.
? The imagery in lines 13 and 14 seems to be more a more infernal than heavenly workshop for the creator Ü these lines could also be a reference to the Industrial Revolution, and its encroachment on the pastoral world of Blake's childhood.
? The 17th and 18th lines refer to the defeated angels of Lucifer and his minions. Blake is playing with the idea that if God created Lucifer and his followers, and also created the Tyger, could the Tyger also fall?
? ñHe who made the Lambî is the same question asked in the poem ñThe Lambî, also by Blake.

figurative Language:
The poems insistent rhetorical and figural emphasis Ü beginning with the opening hurdle of a Metaphor, ñTyger, Tyger, burning brightî Ü announces a text which will test the language sensitivity the Songs explores.
When ñthy heart began to beatî the Tyger is no longer in the control of its maker; the narrator speaks directly to the tiger, with ñdreadî the main idea. Here there seems to be the unasked question, ñWhy?î
Sound Patterns:
The meter is trochaic tetrameter, even though the final trochee lacks the unstressed syllable. There are several exceptions to this rhythm, most notably lines 4, 20, and 24, which are eight syllable lines of iambic tetrameter. This addition of an unstressed syllable at the beginning of each of these lines gives theme extra emphasis.
The Pulse like meter and simple lyrics help to reinforce the words, and make us remember them.

The Speaker
There is a transformation in the speaker, who begins the poem with a Parody of the childish questions of ñThe Lambî. But the hardened cynicism of the opening stanzas modulates to incoherent confusion and then finally to incredulity by the final Stanza, so that the speaker in the end is effectively still close to the standpoint of Innocence. The poem speaker progresses from doubt to faith.
The switch from the word ñcouldî in the first stanza to the word ñdareî in the last implies an admiration of such a power that dazzles and fascinates the speaker Ü reinforcing the progression from doubt to faith.

Range of Meanings:
There are many meanings that can be derived from the text, including:
? It is a poem about a big, scary tiger.
? The poem is meant to be interpreted in comparison and contrast to ñThe Lambî, showing the two contrary states of the human soul with respect to creation.
? In combining tones of terror and awe at a being that could create the tiger as well as the lamb, Blake celebrates the divinity and beauty of creation.
? The Tyger is a spiritual expression of the creator himself, and the poem is a tremendous composition stating the nature of the God that does exist Ü the god that is mighty and terribly visible in his manifestations.
? It could be a doctrinal problem Ü how to reconcile the Forgiveness of Sins (the Lamb) and the Punishment of Sins (the Tyger)?
? The poem is a symbol for the fierce forces in the soul that which are needed to break the bonds of experience.
? The Tyger is the face of creation Ü the marvelous and fatal together within each of us.
? The poem is a moment of recognition of Blake's claim to divinity Ü Blake the artist does not fear to record his immortality; in fact, he stands in awe before his own fearlessness.
Apart from ranking first in the Top 500 Poems anthologized in English, ñThe Tygerî has also been one of the most frequently explained poems in English Literature. In fact, the width and depth of attention the poems receives testifies to its ability to contain a multitude of plausible, if widely divergent, interpretations. And so, as with so many of Blake's lyrics, the poemÍs strategy is to resist attempts to imprint meaning upon it. Our relationship with ñThe Tygerî (and its questions) consists of ñwe do not knowî on nearly every matter. ñThe Tygerî tempts us to make a meaning, but in the end exhausts our efforts. The extreme diversity of opinion among critics of Blake about the meaning of particular poems and passages of them is perhaps the most eloquent testimony we have to the success of his work.

Other:
Given the expense of copper, Blake etched both sides of the plates for the Songs. Exact measurements indicate that the question ñdid he who made the Lamb make thee?î can refer to the poem of that name only millimeters away on the flip side. Perhaps we are meant to compare the Tyger and the Lamb.
And what of the notoriously toy-like, even bemused feline whose illustration seems so incongruous with the celebrated words? Blake corrected the picture many times before he printed Ü it was intended to be smug. Maybe the Tyger knows that it has not one definitive meaningƒ
well might it smile over this ultimate fooling of readers.





ï ñTyger, Tyger, burning bright, etc, etc.îƒ Surely the receiver and disseminator of such trash is as bad as the thief who seems to have stolen it from the walls of Bedlam.Í
William Beckford.