Essay Imagery And Symbolism in William Blake’s The Tyger

Imagery And Symbolism in William Blake’s The Tyger â€Å"Can you give to the horse mightyness? Can you clothe its neck with a rustling mane? Can you cause it to leap like a locust?†(Job 39:19-20) William Blake’s The Tyger is reminiscent of when God questioned Job rhetorically about his creations, many of them being fearsome beasts such as the leviathan or the behemoth. Much like this speech from the old testament, The Tyger also uses a significant amount of imagery and symbolism which contributes to its spiritual aspects. There is a wealth of imagery in the first two lines alone. The poem begins: â€Å"Tyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the night,† The reader conceives in their mind the image of a tiger with a coat blazing†¦show more content†¦The image of fire in connection with the tiger is conceived again, this time within the eyes. The fire in a tiger’s eyes can be seen as a symbol of ferocity, and it takes no stretch of the imagination to look upon Satan in the same way as well. In the fourth stanza, Blake asks:What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp? The hammer, chain, furnace, and anvil are undoubtedly symbols of creation, but how does the imagery contribute? Well, the tiger was crafted with the aid of a hammer and anvil. Its brain is said to be made of fire, as it came from a furnace. So one sees by the imagery connected to the connection of the tiger, that it is inhuman, and was manufactured in quite an unnatural manner. This contributes greatly to the negative impression of the tiger, and raises questions about the nature of evil, and the origins of the devil. The fifth stanza goes on to say: â€Å"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 â€Å"stars† are probably a symbol of God’s angels. This can be backed up by the scripture at Job 38:7 which says:â€Å"†¦When the morning stars joyfully cried out together, and all the sons of God began shouting in applause?† The imagery of the poem seems to support this, as it could only be spirit creatures who â€Å"water’d heaven with their tears†. If the tiger is aShow MoreRelatedThe Lamb And The Tyger By William Blake996 Words   |  4 Pagescreated, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible† (Colossians 1:16). William Blake wrote poems about this very subject. In his twin poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†, Blake uses different literary techniques such as sound, imagery and symbolism to echo the common theme of creation along with how it is viewed differently. William Blake’s use of sound in his poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†, enhance the central idea of creation and the question of how one God can create such differentRead MorePoetry Analysis: The Tyger Essay925 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Blake’s 1793 poem â€Å"The Tyger† has many interpretations, but its main purpose is to question God as a creator. Its poetic techniques generate a vivid picture that encourages the reader to see the Tyger as a horrifying and terrible being. The speaker addresses the question of whether or not the same God who made the lamb, a gentle creature, could have also formed the Tyger and all its darkness. This issue is addressed through many poetic devices including rhyme, repetition, allusion, and symbolismRead MoreWilliam Blake : The Common Symbolism Of The Lamb1677 Words   |  7 Pagesinference. â€Å"Little Lamb I’ll tell thee, Little Lamb I’ll tell thee! He is called by thy name† ( Blake 723). The previous quote described that Christ was a lamb, and every person was a young lamb admired by God at one time. â€Å"The Lamb† was part of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and the viewpoint was from a child’s perspective. The child recognized the lamb’s gentleness and generosity. As a result, the lamb was symbolic of Christ, the lamb of God. Blake was tying the childlike innocence in the poem asRead MoreThe Lamb by William Blake Analysis Essays983 Words   |  4 PagesLike a Child ENGL 102: Literature and Composition APA In â€Å"The Lamb† by William Blake, you will see that, if analyzed closely, the lamb is a personal symbol which signifies God himself. The innocence of a child is like that of a lamb, and serves as a model for humans to follow. In the first stanza, the speaker is the child who is also the teacher. The child asks the lamb who gave him life and all his needs, along with a voice so tender†. Then, the child declares that he will tell the lamb whoRead MoreContemplating Gods Creation in William Blakes The Lamb and The Tyger1205 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Blake was born and raised in London from 1757 to 1827. Throughout his early years, Blake experienced many strange and unusual visions, claiming to have seen â€Å"angels and ghostly monks† (Moore). For those reasons, William Blake decided to write about mystical beings and Gods. Two examples of the poet expressing his point of view are seen in â€Å"The Tyger† and â€Å"The Lamb.† Both poems demonstrat e how the world is and to sharpen one’s perception. People perceive the world in their own outlook, oftenRead More Coexistence of Contrary States in Blake’s The Tyger Essay1883 Words   |  8 PagesCoexistence of Contrary States in Blake’s The Tyger Since the two hundred years that William Blake has composed his seminal poem The Tyger, critics and readers alike have attempted to interpret its burning question - Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Perhaps best embodying the spirit of Blake’s Songs of Experience, the tiger is the poetic counterpart to the Lamb of Innocence from Blake’s previous work, Songs of Innocence. Manifest in The Tyger is the key to understanding its identityRead MoreEssay about Comparision of Wordsworth and Blakes Poems1523 Words   |  7 PagesAuthors, William Wordsworth and William Blake convey different messages and themes in their poems, â€Å"The World is Too Much with Us† and â€Å"The Tyger† consecutively by using the different mechanics one needs to create poetry. Both poems are closely related since they portray different aspects of society but the message remains different. Wordsworth’s poem describes a conflict between nature and humanity, while Blake’s poem issues God’s creations of completely different creatures. In â€Å"The World is TooRead MoreEssay on The Symmetry: A World with Both Lamb and Tiger1063 Words   |  5 Pages Why did God create both gentle and fearful creatures? Why did God create a world with bloodshed, pain and terror? The Tyger by William Blake, written in 1794 and included in his collection Songs of Innocence and Experience, takes readers on a journey of faith. Through a cycle of unanswered questions, William Blake motivates the readers to question God. Blake sees a necessity for balance in the world, and suggests to the readers that God created a world with a balance of good and evil soRead MoreEssay on The Message Behind A Poison Tree1077 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Blake was a first generation Romantic poet. He lived a long life in which he wrote a copious amount of poetry (Eaves). Blake was also a painter. This aided Blake’s advancing symbolism; he could paint a lovely picture with his words (Eaves). The poem that I have analyzed is A Poison Tree. Blake strategically placed imagery and personification to hide his underlying truth; do not store up anger because horrible situations will arise. At first glance the poem seems hate filled and that he justRead MoreEssay How Romantic Was William Blake?1517 Words   |  7 Pagesthe moniker of Romantic. Now we will focus on one writer and his techniques, William Blake, and carefully compare and contrast his poetry with the others of the age. We will break down his imagery and decipher it to deduce what he was alluding to. In doing this we will have a better idea of what things worked for Blake and what didnt and maybe look into his mind and try to figure out the why to what he did. William Blake was a mysterious figure in the literary scene of 18th century London.