In Blake's poem "The Tyger" the author questions God and the existence pf evi;. "What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?" (23-24). Blake is trying to comprehend why God would create something as fierce and scary as a tyger. In the following text Blake questions what was God thinking, "Did he his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" (19-20). Blake is confused by the fact that there in fact is evil in such a beautiful world, but he does not understand the purpose for the existence of evil. In Blake's poem the tyger symbolizes the evil and violence, while the lamb symbolizes innocence and peace.
In the poem "The Lamb" the narrator takes the form of a child who is asking a lamb about its creation, "Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee?" (1-2) As the poem progresses the child begins to answer its own questions "Little Lamb God bless thee." (19). The child adds a sense of innocence and natural sense of curiosity that children possess. "The Lamb" represents innocence. By comparing it to children, Blake is able to display creation as something pure and innocent. The repetition of the lines adds to the childlike manner of the poem. "The Tyger" is a darker idea of creation. Blake only writes about the horror and evil in the world, in an effort to distinguish this poem entirely from "The Lamb". With Blake's use of imagery such as "fire", "hammer", "furnace","chain", and "spear" he is able to create a darker mood for the poem.
They both question the Christian belief, if God is responsible for creating both the good things in life (the lamb) and the evil things in life (the tyger), how can God be good and moral.Overall both poems focus on the same ideas but are told from different perspectives.
I enjoyed your interpretation of Blake's poem "The Tyger" and "The Lamb". Overall both poems do focus on the same ideas but are coming from two different point of views. I like how you noticed that both poems do question the Christian belief. I got the same message of innocence that the child portrays from the poem "The Lamb".
ReplyDeleteI really liked your interpretations on "The Tyger" and "The Lamb". It gave me a different perspective on "The Tyger". I like the comparison between good and evil. My view of the poems were swayed by my faith and what i know from the bible. So i felt that that "The Tyger" was just show the strength and power of God while "The Lamb" shows the soft and merciful side of God. I agree that a lot of people ask the same question about God. I believe that if you read through the bible below the surface that question gets answered. But anyways great post!
ReplyDeleteNice response, it made me think of another way of viewing the poem. After reading this i got a clearer understanding of the opposition between the two. It got me thinking ,maybe the writer is trying to get across a meaning about how neither of these objects would seem the same if they did not accompany each other. Kind of like accepting the bad with the good to balance out each other somehow.
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