‫…‪William Blake‬‬

‫‪“The Tyger” vs.‬‬

‫”‪“The Lamb‬‬
‫شعر ‪ /‬مرحلة ثالثة‬
‫قسم اللغة االنكليزية‬
 The Tyger and the lamb are
two poems written by the
romantic poet William Blake.

“The Lamb” is from Songs of

Innocence written in 1789

“The Tyger” is from Songs of

Experience written in 1794
William Blake composes two beautiful
pieces of work that exemplify his ideas
on the nature of creation. The two
pieces, "The Lamb and The Tyger", are
completely opposite views, which give
questionable doubt about most
people's outlook of creation. These two
poems are meant to be interpreted in a
comparison and contrast form showing
the "two contrary states of a human
soul."
The Lamb

 “The Lamb” gives a childlike atmosphere and is written

in very simple language, but with a deeper meaning.
“The Lamb” is supposed to represent a sense of
innocence and naivety, somewhat in comparison to
children. Blake not only believes that God has created
us, but also that He has blessed us. Blake displays a
pure side of creation.
 Even the arrangement of the poem is one of a didactic
method, somewhat of a call and response sort of
concept. The repetition of lines back to back adds to
the whole childlike manner of the work.
As for the “Tyger” the central idea
stays the same, but the whole
perception is changed around.
The Tyger

 “The Tyger” is the darker side of the idea of creation

where there are less joys involved. Blake only displays
the horrors of the world in this poem to separate it
almost completely from the “Lamb”.
 The purity and simplicity that was displayed in the
“Lamb” is not shown in the “Tyger”. With Blake's use
of vivid imagery such as, "fire", "hammer", "furnace",
"chain", "anvil", and "spears" and the use of austere
action words such as, "burnt", "seize", "twist", "beat",
"grasp", "clasp", and "threw" creates specific
relentless connotations (meanings).
Comparison between “The Tyger”
and “The Lamb” (1)
 “The Tyger” is a representative poem of Songs of Experiences
and “The Lamb” is of Songs of Innocence. The two poems
represent the two aspects of Jesus Christ. Blake signifies the two
poems with vivid and extra-ordinary Biblical image.
 Tiger is spelt as Tyger in order to suggest the fierceness, creates
a roaring vibrating sound T-y-g-e-r-r-r…! The tiger is a symbol of
wrath, passion and thus the image of the Christ. Christ includes
within Himself the meekness of the lamb and the wrath of the
tiger.
 The tiger is the representative of strength and force to break the
bond of experiences. When the evil becomes so powerful to
destroy good, innocence… a vehement force like tiger becomes
necessary to protect them.
Comparison between “The Tyger”
and “The Lamb” (2)
 Lamb is the symbol of love, pity, joy, virtue and mercy that united the
world of creatures. The lamb is as innocent as a little child. The happy
child discovers God in lamb. Through the vision of the child, Blake sees
this meekness of the lamb is like the passion of the Christ.
 . The lamb is typically a good Christian poem. The symbol — “lamb of
God”! Christ is called the lamb of God. Who sacrifices himself on the
wooden cross to rescue the humankind from the sins. This is a pure
religious concept that is drawn from the New Testament.
 The lamb and the tiger are symbols of two different states of the human
soul. The two sections—Innocence and Experience are contrasted
elements in a single design. The first part sets out an imaginative vision
of the state of innocence and the second shows how life changes,
corrupts and spoils. However, experience is an inescapable fact. It is also
a necessary stage, which is very important in the cycle of life.