Analysis of William Blakes The Tyger and The Lamb from Song of

Experience (17!" and Song of #nnocence (17$"

Blakes poetry contained an honesty against which
the whole world conspires because it is unpleasant.
- T. S. Eliot
William Blake was a mystic poet and this Mystic movement of his mind
required Metaphor, he saw no likeness but identities, so the images
and symbols are found galore (plentiful) in his poems !he image of
generally viewed as singles in dimension while the symbol as more
comple" #egions and $a%amian remark that Blake&s poetry deals in
the subtlest (illustrated) of symbolism with the skill that can not be
matched 'n the Song of Innocence (1789) his symbols are largely
drawn from the Bible, but in the Song of Experience (1794) he
often uses symbols of his own making, and his meaning is more
elusive
The Lamb and The Tyger are both representative poems of Blake
!hey celebrate two contrary states of the human soul( innocence and
e"perience !he lamb celebrates the divinity and innocence of not
merely the child but also of the beast harmless creatures on earth, vi%
the lamb )!he #amb* e"plores the innocence of children&s
understanding of +od and the natural world !he child asks the lamb
weather it knows its merciful creator, the tiger giver of its soft easy
clothing&s or its tender voice which fills the valets with music and
pleasure But the child does not wait for the answers ,e answers the
question himself ,e refers to the meekness and gentleness of +od as
the lamb&s creator ,e is one who calls himself a lamb ,e is meek and
mild and comes on earth as a little child ,owever, the child concludes
wishing the lamb +od&s blessings !he poem is a simple one but its
apparent simplicity simply intensifies its deeper meaning ,ere the
creator is identified with the created 't is written in a lyric style of
great freshness, simplicity, and directnessBoth series of poems take
on deeper resonances when read in con-unction 'nnocence and
."perience, )the two contrary states of the human soul,* are
contrasted in such companion pieces as The Lamb and The
Tyger. Blake&s subsequent poetry develops the implication that true
innocence is impossible without e"perience, transformed by the
creative force of the human imagination
The Tyger may be interrupted as an allegory reflecting the opposing
powers of +od and /atan& of good and evil Both !iger and #amb are
the visible parts of +od&s creation +od created the tiger, the aggressor
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and the lamb the prey !he coe"istence of fierceness represented by
the tiger and the gentleness represented by the lamb is a mystery, a
mystery of contrariness !he violent strength alarming in its
possibilities of destructiveness is seemingly an open challenge to the
idea of a benign creator .arly in the song of 'nnocence, Blake sets his
poem about lamb with its artless question
)#ittle lamb, who made thee0
1os&t thou know who made thee0*
/imilarly early in the song of e"perience to quote $2Bowra (rom
!he "oman!ic Imagina!ion)3 Blake sets his poem about the tyger
with its more frightening and more fighter question !he lamb and the
tyger are symbol for two different states of the human soul3 when the
lamb is destroyed by e"perience the tyger in needed to restore the
world
!he images in the poems again added significance and magnitude
when they move into the arena of symbolism Blake retaining the old
spelling !iger& is worth noticing for it&s seems to emphasi%e the
symbolic quality and priest nature of the animal !he metallic and the
clinging image are suggested by the use of the hammer& the chain&
the anvil& !he physical perceptions of the creator at work wresting
with his stupendous creation are suggested by this shoulder hand and
feet !he shape from and physical movement of the beast have been
caught in the phrase fearful symmetry& and the idea of physical
immediacy is convey in the line,)What the hand dare sei%e the fire0*
4or some the tiger stands for the pervasive evil in the world for others
it symboli%es an awful beauty in creation of the universe !he forest of
the night& in which the tiger lurks represents ignorance repression and
superstition !he fire& is a symbol of wrath or passion of anger !he
stars& too suggests the angels 5 !he rebel angels
Both the lamb and the tiger are created by +od !he lamb represents
the milder and gentler aspect !he lamb represents the calm and
pleasant beauty of creation, the tyger its fearful beauty !he grass
contrasts between the nature of the lamb and the tyger make the poet
ask( did he who made the lamb make thee&
!he tyger is +od&s wrath as the lamb is his love !he tiger is a truth
lens, natural predatory and it is man own burning passion shut up
within his natural body& !he lamb, on the other hand, is an ob-ect of
-oy 'ts bleat fills all the valleys with -oy !he question asked in The
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Lamb proceeds from the simplicity and innocence of the questioner
(!he child) !hey have nothing of the bottling and enigmatic nature of
the questions asked in the tiger
Boehme, the 6lchemical philosopher, says the +od of the holy world
and the +od of the dark world are not two +ods there is but one +od&
,e himself is all Being ,e is evil and good, ,eaven and ,ell, light and
darkness, eternity and time Where ,is love is hid in anything there
,is anger is manifested
#egoius and $a%amian remark that Blake&s poetry deals in the subtlest
of symbolism with the skill that can not be matched !he lamb
represents the purity of the divine soul and it is complete in itself while
uninterrupted by e"perience Blake&s !yger represents the fierce of the
soul !he tyger stands for the revolt and wrath ,owever terrible the
tyger may be it is the different manifestation of $hrist
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