The Tyger (A)

The Tyger (A)

1. William Blake

2. Romantics

3. Speaker's addressing tiger

   • Asking what being could'v created it

4. Compares Creator to blacksmith

   • "burnt the fire" (6) "twist" (10) "hammer" "chain" (13) "furnace" (14) "anvil" (15)
   • Traditional image of artistic creation

5. Blake's building on the idea that nature contains the reflection of its creator

   • God created man in his own image

6. A tiger

   • Beautiful, but has terrible capacity for violence
     • What kind of God would create such a terrifying beast?
       • What does the existence of evil/violence in the world tell us about God?
         • Do we live in a world where one thing can have both beauty & horror?
       • Creative responsibility & will
   • Symbolizes spiritual & moral problems
     • Perfectly beautiful but perfectly destructive
   • Symbol of presence of evil in world

7. (1) Asks what entity had the capacity/ability to create such a creature

   • "What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?" (3-4)

8. (2) Asks what entity dared create such a creature

   • "What immortal hand or eye, dare frame thy fearful symmetry?" (23-24)

9. Creator's forging of the tiger

   • Physical, laborius, deliberate action
     • Emphasizes tiger's power
     • Couldn't have accidently created it
     • Shows God's strength