Poem: The Tiger - William Blake

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The Tiger - William Blake

Title:

" The Tiger " : - They are perfectly symetrical and unique - highly beautiful

- Was first written with a 'Y' (tyger) for uniqueness and makes us ask why

- Its a predator = hunts and kills to survive

- dominance

- It has orange = a sense of warning

- attak when provoked = to survive

- Also has a soft side (contrast and paradox)

- eyes windows of the soul = sense of power

= persuade

About the poet: - Romantic poet

- wrote about nature and life

Note: Last and first stanza the same to embrace the symetry of the tiger

Stanza 1:

v1: " Tiger Tiger, burning bright, " - poetic metaphor = symbolic to everything its embracing

- " Tiger " - wild animal - independance and freedom

- " Tiger Tiger " - symetrical - wants to show difference

- " burning bright " - alliteration

-" burning " - metaphoric

- yinyang = paradox

- doing something negative produces something positive and bright

- " bright " - positive = guidance

- knows path in life

v2: " In the forests of the night; " -

v3: " What immortal hand or eye, " -

v4: " Could frame thy fearful symmetry " -

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Stanza 2:

v5: " In what distant deeps or skies. " - " deeps " - hell = inferior

- " skies " - heaven = superior

- duality

v6: " Burnt the fire of thine eyes? " - rhytorical question

- " eyes " - to observe

- access to the inner soul

v7: " On what wings dare he aspire? " - Rhytorical question

- " wings " - freedom

- symbolism of evil - they could be the wings of Lucifer (the devil)

- duality of evil and good

v8: " What the hand, dare seize the fire? " - " dare " - challenging something / someone

- " fire "- sygnificant

Stanza 3:

v9: " And what shoulder, and what art, " - " what" and "what" - anaphora

v10: " Could twist the sinews of thy heart? " - " sinews " - tendent

- protect and support

- " heart " - source of passion

- we see the giver and taker of life

v11: " And when thy heart began to beat, " - when he (your creator) created you he let you live

- " he " - who is your creator?

v12: " What dread hand? and what dread feet? " - " What "- questioning

- " dread " - you are scared - sense of fear

- could refer to sense of awe and respect

- " hand " - moulded/ created

- " ? " - rhytorical question

- " what " - the technique used to question the reader

- " feet " - freedom and independence

- after creating something beautiful would he give it freedom

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Stanza 4:

v13: " What the hammer? wat the chain, " - " hammer " - something hard that is used to create

- what hammer was used to create you

- " chain " - ties you but not alwyas negative - might be used to protect you

- we see blacksmith's forge

- to mould something you need to heat it up and therefore need fire

v14: " In what furnace was thy brain? " - " furnace " - fire = hell

- gets us thinking: Is your creator Lucifer?

- " brain " - allows you to chose

v15: " What the anvil? what dread grasp, " - a lot of repetition

- " anvil " - support - block of metal

- " grasp " - shows possetion = was fearful

- even the creator was afraid of his creaton

v16: " Dare its deadly terrors casp ! " - " Dare " - a lot of repetition

- willing to take risks - dared to do so even if he could kill him

- why did you create it(the tiger) if you knew it was dangerous?

Stanza 5:

v17: " When the stars threw down their spears " - " stars " - ball of fire = give light

- " spears " - sharp = can harm

- thrown from heaven = threw Lucifer (evil)

- shows that there is a link between heaven and hell

- " spears " - as others followed

v18: " And water'd heaven with their tears: " - " water'd " - shows greaf and life

- " tears " - were asking forgivness that he couldn't ask

v19: " Did he smile his work see? " - " he " - when he finished creating you he smiled

- " smile " - smirk or smile

- " work " - shows effort

v20: " Did he who made the lamb make thee? " - " he " - Is it Lucifer or God? - Would Lucifer create a lamb

- Author thinks God is the creator

- " made " - Did he make the tiger ?

- " Lamb " - baby= innocent, pure, dependless and white

- " ? " - lets us give our opinion

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Stanza 6:

v21: " Tiger tiger burning bright, " - is it a creature of light? = Does it guide?

- leads other

- ust not fear it

v24: " - are frame thy fearful symmetry? "- " Dare " - only word that change

- says that the creator was risking the creation he made nd that people may go against creator but he did it anyway

- shows he is fearless

- should he have created something so beautiful but dangerous

Note: This stanza is a repetition of the First stanza with only one word changed (" Dare ")

Metric:

Form: Stanzas: 6

Verses: quatrains

Uses 7 syllables = to show perfectionnof the tiger

Uses metric verse emphasises that something is happening

It is a lyrical poem (sounds like a song)

We see Immortality which is immagery that makes you think.

We see the theme of life (good and evil).

We see a rhyme throughout (couplet=go together) - yinyang = good and bad.

Has a lot of questions = to evoke you (why are you here? ).

- retorical questions that make you think and dout answers that you already know

- make the reader important = reader' s opinion counts

The tiger may be symbol of fears and the evil in life.

The poet wants us all to remember this poem.

The title is tiger but the creator is given more importance = shows that he created us all equal and that we decide ow much we shine.