The Tiger by William Blake

Text:

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Initial Response:

             I believe that the “The Tyger,” circles around evilness and the devil. The poem directly contrasts with “the Lamb,” also written by William Blake. The Lamb symbolized purity and innocence, while the tiger symbolizes evilness and darkness. “The Tyger” also raises questions about the devil, such as his origin.  

Paraphrase:

Tyger! Tyger! Shining brightly
In the forests of the night,
What immortal person
Could create such a fearful creature?

Is there any where in the world where
The fire shines sho brightly in one’s eyes?
Where did he come from?
Who would dare associate themselves with this fire?

And what structure he has!
Can he even twist the tendons in his heart?
And when his hear begins to beat,
What fearsome hands and feet he has?

What is the hammer for? The chain?
Did his brain come from a furnace?
What about the anvil? What grasp he has.
Does he use it to strangle others?

When meteors are falling everywhere,
And filled the heavens like tears,  
Was he pleased?
Did God create such a treacherous creature?

Tyger! Tyger! Shining brightly
In the forests of the night,
What immortal person
Could create such a fearful creature?

SWIFTT
    {S}SYNTAX/ Word Choice:
             The poem repeats the first and last stanzas to summarize the main idea of the poem. The poem is written in a question and answer form, similar to “The Lamb”. The answer display the mysterious word choice, which are evident in lines such as, “Could frame thy fearful symmetry,” “Could twist the sinews of thy heart,” and “In what furnace was thy brain.”
     {I}Imagery:
              Due to the allusions throughout the poem, Blake contains many example of the evil, fiery devil. The poem begins with, “Tiger, tiger, burning bright” creating the fiery image of the devil; this also occurs in the lines, “Burnt the fire of thine eyes.” The poem  mainly provides vivid details of fire. The poem also describes the physical features of the devil. This imagery is especially present in the lines, “And what shoulder, & what art. /Could twist the sinews of thy heart? /And when thy heart began to beat, /What dread hand? & what dread feet?” and the lines, “What the hammer? what the chain? /In what furnace was thy brain? /What the anvil? what dread grasp/Dare its deadly terrors clasp?”

     {F}Figurative Language:
              The poem contains many examples of figurative language, from extended metaphors, to personification, and alliteration. The tiger is an extended metaphor of the devil, who represents evilness, darkness, and fire. In the first line, “Tiger, tiger, burning bright, ” is relating the tiger to fire, which in turn, relates the tiger to the devil. Personification is used in the lines, “When the stars threw down their spears,/ And water'd heaven with their tears.” The use of alliteration is the only use of figurative language in this poem. This language is evident in the line, “In what distant deeps or skies.”
    {T}Tone:
               The tone is very dark and evil, as Blake is describing the devil physical features, evil acts, and tools. Many examples relay this tone from lines such as, “And what shoulder and what art  Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand and what dread feet?”
     {T}Theme:
                The theme of “The Tyger” is that along with good, God also crated bad. Throughout the poem, the narrator continually asks why something so frightful would be created. An example of this occurs in, “When the stars threw down their spears, And water'd heaven with their tears, Did He smile His work to see? Did He who made the lamb make thee?”
      

Conclusion:
                My concluding thoughts are similar to my initial response. The tiger symbolizes evil and darkness, and the narrator asks why God would create such a fearsome creature. The poem also discussed his physical features in a unique way, and showed how sinister he was.