William Blake – A contrast of ‘The lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’
The lamb
The Tyger
Spiritual exploration of innocence and Exploration of religion from the world of
purity
experience
Repetition of ‘Who made thee’
Repetition of ‘Tyger’ in the first and last
stanza
First 2 lines repeated at the end as an ‘Could frame thy fearful symmetry?’ –
opener and closer to the poem.
Last line of the first stanza.
Could suggest innocence is preserved ‘Dare frame thy fearful Symmetry?’ –
throughout the poem?
Last line of the last stanza.
Could changes to dare suggesting loss of
innocence as the poem progressed?
Rhyming couplets throughout the poem. Rhyming couplets throughout the poem.
The last words of each line rhyme with The last words of each line rhyme with
each other. Gives the poem a cheerful each other. The poem has a gloomier
tone as the words that aren’t harsh and tone compared to ‘The lamb’. The words
are words associated with happiness. give the poem a harsher tone. ‘Spears’
‘Delight’ and ‘Bright’
and ‘Tears’.
The lamb in the poem seems to have Has a link to religion? Refers to ‘Heaven’.
some relation to Jesus. ‘Gave thee life Could also give reference to hell, letting
and bid thee feed’ could relate to the the world of experience take over where
powers people believed Jesus to have?
nothing is as sweet as it seems. ‘Burnt
the fire of thine eyes?’ and ‘In what
furnace was thy brain’
Brightening tone – everything is happy Mechanical tone - everything has a
and innocent.
meaning and is very stiff.