C. Srygley
AP Literature
12 January 2012
The Tyger by William Blake
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 seize the fire?
And what shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
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?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Initial: “The Tyger” by William Blake is a four stanza poem revolving around a central notion of questioning the existence of a tyger. Throughout the poem, Blake uses rhetorical questions to, in a sense, clarify and detail the entire nature of the poem. The diction is relatively archaic with words like “thy” and “thee” heavily used. I feel that the poem is questioning on why God has sent such a destructive force as well as such a timid and beautiful force. The comparison between the tyger and the lamb directly reflects the forces.
Paraphrase:
Tyger burning bright,
In the darkness of a forest:
What immortal god-like force,
Could produce your proportional beauty?
In what depths or heights,
Burnt the fire of your eyes!
On what reasons did he act!
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the tissues of your heart?
And when your heart began to beat,
What fearful hand? & what fearful feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was your brain?
What the anvil? what fearful grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile at his work?
Did he who made the Lamb make you?
Tyger, Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
SWIFTT:
S: In terms of syntax, Blake has heavy influence on rhetorical questions that intended to add detail yet simply inform and make the reader ponder. There are a total of four stanzas with one pair containing four lines and the following pair containing eight lines. The sentences are not compound or complex, but the use of questions occurs universally in this poem.
W: The diction is, simply put, archaic in the sense of words like “thou” “thy” and “thee” having heavy usage. Descriptive words for the tiger add imagery and visual detail. There are no complex words or difficult organizational techniques.
I: Blake uses heavy imagery and figurative language to compare the purity of the lamb to the ferocity of the tyger. “The Tyger” takes simple details and adds elements to evoke various images and emotion, all of which involving terror, wonder, and awe.
F: Blake’s figurative language also emphasizes God’s reasoning behind the creation of tigers; for example the quote, “When the stars threw down their spears and water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see,” uses figurative language to ask a question as to the reasoning behind god’s creation of this creature.
T: As to the tone of this poem, I feel a sense of wonder yet uncertainty. Secondly, a second tone in the poem is thoughtfulness because the reader feels uncertain yet the poem is rational and logical.
T: The theme of the poem is finding the truth and purpose behind God’s creation of a seemingly destructive force. There is also an unseemingly comparison to the purpose behind the creation of the timid lamb and the deadly tiger, symbols perhaps for good and evil or light and darkness.
Final: I feel that my initial analysis was general accurate such that the poem is essential questioning the purpose behind the creation of an “evil” animal. The comparison between the lamb and the tyger can also be biblically attached to good versus evil, God’s influence versus Satan’s influence, and purity versus contamination. The diction is in fact archaic, and the sentence structure is not advanced.
W: The diction is, simply put, archaic in the sense of words like “thou” “thy” and “thee” having heavy usage. Descriptive words for the tiger add imagery and visual detail. There are no complex words or difficult organizational techniques.
I: Blake uses heavy imagery and figurative language to compare the purity of the lamb to the ferocity of the tyger. “The Tyger” takes simple details and adds elements to evoke various images and emotion, all of which involving terror, wonder, and awe.
F: Blake’s figurative language also emphasizes God’s reasoning behind the creation of tigers; for example the quote, “When the stars threw down their spears and water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see,” uses figurative language to ask a question as to the reasoning behind god’s creation of this creature.
T: As to the tone of this poem, I feel a sense of wonder yet uncertainty. Secondly, a second tone in the poem is thoughtfulness because the reader feels uncertain yet the poem is rational and logical.
T: The theme of the poem is finding the truth and purpose behind God’s creation of a seemingly destructive force. There is also an unseemingly comparison to the purpose behind the creation of the timid lamb and the deadly tiger, symbols perhaps for good and evil or light and darkness.
Final: I feel that my initial analysis was general accurate such that the poem is essential questioning the purpose behind the creation of an “evil” animal. The comparison between the lamb and the tyger can also be biblically attached to good versus evil, God’s influence versus Satan’s influence, and purity versus contamination. The diction is in fact archaic, and the sentence structure is not advanced.
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