“The Tyger” a Poem by William Blake Essay

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Issued in the year 1794 William Blake’s “The Tyger” is a poem that provides own visualization of the dark side of creation, when its advantages are not as evident as everyday joys. Thesis: whilst the poem may be apprehended in many ways, essentially the framework of a speaker questioning the beast symbolically reflects the beginning of the appreciation of the strength of own soul.

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Tiger, tiger, shining in the dark, what creator would make such a frightening beast? Where did you feel such wickedness? Why were you created? What creator dared to deal with the flaming creature? Who would create an absolute beast? When the tiger was born what chaos did it cause? How could the creator dare to carry on? What was he thinking? What malice did the beast bring with? When the universe was irritated and depressing, was the creator proud of this creature? Could it be the same creator, who made the blameless lamb? Tiger, tiger, shining in the dark, what creator dared to make such a frightening beast?

There can be no concise paraphrase of “The Tyger” because each line asks a question, and none of them is answered. One major question, which appears to arise too frequently, is: “What does this poem?” The author calls the animal twice to gain the beast’s attention. Then, the poem provides a concise view of the animal and its setting. It confirms the evil nature of this beast. “Burning bright” offers an image of a fire and the representation of hell, and “the night” adds to the depiction of evil (Kennedy and Gioia 400).

The strange spelling in “Tyger” is another hint of the particular meaning of this work. It is very difficult to explain what the beast actually is because the poem is about many things at once. It should be mentioned that there is absolutely no narrative movement in the poem: no one actually does anything other than the speaker asking his never-ending questions. At the same time, from the perspective of the readers, the primary question can be: “What does this work mean?” It was the primary question I had to answer to begin apprehending the poem.

My intellectual response to this work was one of interest and entertainment as I tried to comprehend it. However, my emotional response was not so simple. The ultimate question asks if a creator would dare to create a tiger symbolizing the fear and hate, without which there would not be the opposites of faith and love. As the speaker started to feel the tiger-like strength for fighting with the evil in the world, I started to recognize that the traits of the pure human being needed to be freed with the help of the tiger-like force of the soul.

Whilst this work may be understood in dissimilar ways, the framework of a speaker questioning the beast symbolically represents the beginning of the appreciation of the strength of own soul. The author’s simplicity in language contradicts the intricacy of his concepts, as the speaker in “The Tyger” starts realizing the concealed power of own soul and recognize its importance. The individual can finally initiate own spiritual revolution. Essentially, the poem is written to make readers to witness the person apprehending the potentials of own soul and to acknowledge it ourselves.

Works Cited

Kennedy, X.J. and D. Gioia. An Introduction to Poetry, New York: Longman, 13th ed. 2009. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2020) '“The Tyger” a Poem by William Blake'. 14 June.

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IvyPanda. 2020. "“The Tyger” a Poem by William Blake." June 14, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-tyger-a-poem-by-william-blake/.

1. IvyPanda. "“The Tyger” a Poem by William Blake." June 14, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-tyger-a-poem-by-william-blake/.


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IvyPanda. "“The Tyger” a Poem by William Blake." June 14, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-tyger-a-poem-by-william-blake/.

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