Summary of The Tyger

Popularity  of “The Tyger”:  William Blake, a great artist and poet, wrote ‘The
Tyger’.   It is known as the most cryptic lyrical   poem   of English literature and
was first published in 1794 in Blake’s first volume of   Songs of Experience. The
poem presents the amazement of the  speaker   about the creation of a fiery
tiger. It also illustrates the significance of God’s   power   and the existence of
the divine will.

“The Tyger” “As a Representative of Wonder” : As this poem is about the

creation of tiger, the writer expresses that everything present in the universe
reflects the image of its creator despite their cruel nature. The emphatically
striking image of the tiger makes him think of its creator, and he doubts if this
violent thing is created by God or Satan. In fact, he gets puzzled at the sight of
a tiger in the dark. Therefore, he poses a series of questions about his fierce
appearance and the creator who has created it. On seeing its perfect
symmetry, he questions what tools could God have used to craft its body. He
also resolves as his questions are unanswerable and beyond human
understanding. By comparing the tiger with fire and talks about the existence
of evil in the world. However, what enchants the readers is the way he has
juxtaposed evil and good in the poem.

Major Themes in “The Tyger”:  Wonder and good versus evil are the major
themes in the poem. The writer has used visual   imagery   coupled with other
literary elements to incorporate these themes in the text. Throughout the
poem, the speaker shows a sense of awe and wonder about the creation of the
tiger. While observing the astounding symmetry of the tiger, he fails to
understand how the same God who created the gentle lamb could also make
the vicious Tiger. However, the poem reflects that humans cannot understand
the supremacy of God’s and his work.

Analysis of Literary Devices in “The Tyger”

Literary devices   are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas,
emotions, and feelings with the use of these devices. Blake has also used
literary devices in this poem to show the fearsome and yet magnificent image
of a tiger. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has
been analyzed below.

Assonance :  Assonance is the  repetition   of vowel sounds in the same line such
as the sound of/i/ in “Tyger Tyger, burning bright” and /ae/ sound in “Dare its
deadly terrors clasp!”
Metaphor :  It is a  figure of speech   used to compare two objects or persons
different in nature. There are two metaphors in the poem. The first is used in
the second line, “In the forests of the night” he compares tiger
with  darkness   and repression. The second is used in the sixth line, “Burnt the
fire of thine eyes?” he compares its eyes with fire or something evil.

Rhetorical Question :  Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to

receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. Blake has used a
series of questions in this poem to emphasize his point such as given below:

“What the hammer? what the chain,

In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp.”

Personification :  Personification is to attribute human qualities to inanimate

things. Blake has used personification in the fifth   stanza   where he considers
stars as humans,

“When the stars threw down their spears

and water’d heaven with their tears:”

Alliteration :  Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same

line such as the sound of /t/ and /b/ in “Tyger Tyger, burning bright” and the
sound of /f/ in “Dare frame thy fearful symmetry”.

Apostrophe :  An apostrophe is a device used to call somebody from far. The

poet has used this device in the first line, “Tyger Tyger, burning bright.”

Symbolism :  Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving

them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. “The
Tyger” represents the evil and  beauty   too, “the forest of the night” represents
unknown challenges, “the blacksmith” represents the creator and “the fearful
symmetry” symbolizes the existence of both good and evil.

Imagery:  Imagery is used to make the readers perceive things with their five
senses. Blake has used imagery to show the unique creation of God such as,
“What immortal hand or eye,”, “Burnt the fire of thine eyes?” and “In the
forests of the night.”

The  literary analysis   shows that Blake has skillfully employed these devices to
make the poem simple to understand.

Analysis of Poetic Devices in “The Tyger”

  Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry.
Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
Stanza:  A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are six stanzas in this
poem with each stanza having four lines in it.

Quatrain :  A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry.

Here, each stanza is quatrain as the first one or the second one.

Rhyme   Scheme:  The  rhyme scheme   followed in the entire poem is AABB.

End Rhyme :  End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. End rhyme
occurs within the second and third lines and again within the second and
fourth lines. The rhyming words are, “bright”, “night”, “skies” and “eyes.”

Repetition:  There is a repetition of the  phrase , “Tyger Tyger burning bright”,

which has created a musical quality in the poem.

Refrain :  The words that are repeated at some distance in the poem are called
refrain. The phrase, “Tyger Tyger burning bright” is repeated with the same
words, it has become a refrain as it has been repeated in first and last stanza.

Quotes to be used

The lines quoted below can be used when describing a tiger in a science class
or while sharing a  fantasy   story with a tiger in it.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

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