Essay: “The Tyger” by William Blake

“The Tyger” by William Blake
William Blake, one of the finest poets in the English language and one of Britain’s most revolutionary visual artists, exerted an enormous influence on the later development of Romanticism in art. Elizabeth E. Barker says that Blake “takes viewers on journeys of the mind.” While many people consider Blake a man of genius, others say that Blake’s work is that of an amateur and believe his pieces have contradicting conclusions. Blake’s most popular poem “The Tyger” appears in Songs of Experience, a collection of poems that was printed in 1794 as a companion piece to Blake’s 1789 collection, Songs of Innocence. “The Tyger” consists only of questions with no provided answered. The poet filled this poem with paradoxes and contrasts. He ironically rhymes words that have complete opposite connotations to symbolize and foreshadow different things. He also utilizes metaphors and imagery that reflect on events from his past. “The Tyger” allows itself to be read from diverse, broad perspectives which is open for interpretation.
William Blake was born on November 28, 1757 to James, a men’s clothing merchant, and Catherine Blake. He was the second born of his six siblings, two of which died in infancy. The Bible had an early influence on Blake’s life and continued to be a life long source of inspiration that impacted his life and works with intense spirituality. Starting at the age of four, Blake spoke of having visions. His first vision was of God “putting his head to the window,” but they did not stop there. At the age of nine, while roaming through the woods, he saw a tree filled with angels. His parents tried to encourage him to tell the truth instead of making up lies for attention. Since he was not like other kids his age, his parents did not force him to attend public school. His mother taught him to read and write at home. Blake expressed a wish to become a painter at age ten, so his parents sent him to drawing school. Two years later, Blake began writing poetry, and when he reached the age of fourteen he apprenticed with an engraver because art school was too expensive(literaryhistory.com).
Blake was a nonconformist who related to some of the leading radical thinkers of his time. In rebellion to the neoclassical conventions, he prioritized imagination over reason in the creation of both his poetry and images, insinuating that ideal forms should be constructed from inner visions. He stated in one of his pieces, “I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans.” In 1782, Blake married an illiterate woman named Catherine Boucher. He taught her how to read and write, and also instructed her in draftsmanship. Later, she assisted him with printing the enlightened poetry for which he is remembered today. Although they tried, the couple bore no children. In 1784 Blake and his fellow apprentice, James Parker, set up a printshop that later failed. Blake also taught his younger brother Robert how to draw, paint, and engrave. Robert became sick in the winter of 1787 and soon died, probably due to consumption. Blake claims that as Robert died, he saw his brother’s spirit rise up through ceiling, “clapping his hands for joy.” He believed that Robert’s spirit continued to come visit him and later says that Robert taught him the printing method used in Songs of Innocence and other “embellished” works. In 1800 Blake moved to the seashore town of Felpham, England where he lived and worked under the patronage of William Hayley until 1803. He desired to read classical works in their original language, so he taught himself Hebrew, Latin, Italian, and Greek. It is said that Felpham is where William experienced intense spiritual discernment that prepared him for his mature work that began in 1804. Blake believed that his poetry could be read and comprehended by common people, but he was determined to not change his vision to become popular. In May of 1809 he displayed his work at his brother James’ house. Some people who viewed his exhibit glorified him for his artistry, but most thought the paintings were “hideous” and many called him insane. Blake’s works were not well known until after he had died(literaryhistory.com).
William Blake was apart of the Romantic Age. His earlier work is rebellious in character. Blake was a mystical man who had a tendency to rely on his imagination and makes many references to the supernatural. He published his most popular collection, Songs of Innocence, in 1789, and followed it in 1794 with Songs of Experience. Some readers view Songs of Innocence in a literal sense, considering it a children’s book, but others have found hints of parody or critique in its seemingly naive and simple words(literaryhistory.com). According to Blake, innocence and experience are “the two contrary states of the human soul.” One is not more true than the other, both are essential parts of being human(galegroup.com). When comparing the nature of the lamb to that of the tyger, it helps to understand Blake’s beliefs and inspirations(leonschools.net). The French Revolution is the most important historical reference for understanding “The Tyger.” Blake was opposed to violence or cruelty of any type and would usually feel sympathy for the revolutionaries. However, the goriness of the revolt did not please him. The tyger that is depicted throughout the poem can be interpreted as a symbol of human evil. It can also be viewed as a symbol of the righteous wrath that is necessary to counter the effects of the evil complacency that leads to widespread social suffering, especially among the poor and disadvantaged people that Blake is filled with compassion for(lcps.org). The tyger is a fiery, passionate creature that lives in the dark shadows of the night(leonschools.net) Blake filled this poem up with a series of questions with no provided answer. Commentators suggest that the poem is designed to remain mysterious and inscrutable(lcps.org). It is how readers perceive the tyger that makes him either terrifying or zealous(leonschools.net).
In Joseph Crawford’s literary analysis of William Blake’s well known Poem “The Tyger,” he says that the world of the tyger is witnessed as one of “monstrous and disorganization.” The foot has no obvious owner, questions have no obvious answer, and the tyger has no obvious creator. Everything is darkness, doubt, and confusion. Even if a reader has a suggestion of what each individual word or line means, the poem itself contains mystery and can be interpreted in many different ways. The readers of “The Tyger” have a host of questions while reading and trying to to comprehend the poem. The rhyme scheme along with certain enhanced words in “The Tyger” intrigue readers which causes it to stick in their heads. Some phrases in the poem such as “when the stars threw down their spears…” fascinate readers, and the fact that they do not really know what it means draws their attention to it more. The questions that eludes the narrator the most is not how the tyger was made, but why. The speaker believes that the world was made by a mild, tame, humble God that makes cute, harmless animals such as the lamb. However, certainty in the creation of the lamb has become doubt in the tyger. It is a fact that the lamb was made by Jesus, but the tyger, having the same origins, is merely a guess. Readers question why an almighty God would make an animal such as the tyger whose body has been designed to inflict pain on other beings and for dealing with death. From the perspective of  “The Tyger” the narrator of “The Lamb” is hopelessly naive, while from the point of view of “The Lamb,” The speaker of “The Tyger” is not wise, just scared and confused. Some believe that the tyger symbolizes the dark shadow of the human soul. The scary part of themselves that everyone prefers to keep a secret if it has to exist at all(galegroup.com).
Blake lived in, and often reacted against, a society that viewed rationalism as a strongly emphasized ideal. Blake claimed to be a Christian but believed that each person has the right to define and participate in Christianity as they please. He created his own immensely complex mythic system, and numerous people have poured out buckets of ink trying to relate “The Tyger” to Blake’s extremely distinctive notions of theology. It can be read as a challenge to any system of thinking rooted in belief to lucid reason and logical order. Robert C. Evans wrote in his literary criticism of  “The Tyger” that he believes that it can be viewed to embody either the evil selfishness that leads to the corruption of society or the remedy for both. Blake was impatient with the class-conscious, imperialistic, and increasingly industrial society of his time. “The Tyger” can be read as a depiction of the forces that will eventually destroy it. Emphasis on certain words that are used throughout the poem such as “skies”, “deep”, and “distant” imply entities beyond the broad scope of usual human knowledge. Vast physical spaces in every direction are suggested as Blake implies an unearthly, supernatural origin of the tyger. Evans also makes a point to mention Blake’s use of words throughout the poem such as “burning bright” and “forests of the night” that have a more symbolic or metaphorical meaning. “Burning bright” could suggest that the tyger is incredibly visible. Also, the word “burning” anticipates all of the fire imagery that will unfold later in the poem. “Forests of the night” suggest an unknown and potentially harmful atmosphere that is feared by humans(lcps.org).
In stanza one, the last line is used to address the fear of the narrator of the poem, while the last line in stanza two points out the fearlessness of the tyger’s creator. Not only does he touch the fire, he puts it out which shows that he does not feel pain. In stanza three, the muscles that are being manipulated are that of the heart which is the very core of physical life. In a neat rhythmical trick, Blake creates an iambic meter which when repeated, sounds like a heartbeat. The questions continue into stanza four, while now using nouns to imply the power of both the creator and the thing created. The questions being asked begin to imply the speakers excitement, while also working to make the reader excited. The imagery that is used in the first two lines of stanza five tend to confuse readers. Several critics have tried to offer explanations for this imagery, but each one has a different interpretation of it. The reference to the creator’s “smile” introduces another implied emotion. Readers are not positive if the smile is cruel or one filled with genuine happiness. Critics who imagine the creator as being evil see the smile as sardonic and mean spirited, while those who view him as mighty and majestic see it as him taking pleasure in his work. The final stanza repeats the first, contributing to the symmetry that is used throughout the whole poem. However, there is one noticeable difference in the final line. Instead of using the word “could,” he changes it to “dare.” This change, yet again, establishes more questions rather than providing answers(lcps.org).
In the analytical reading of Blake’s “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” from the perspective of animal studies, it is said that the two parallel poems become significant in the participation of the criticism of the intricate nature of the human outlook towards non-humans. The pure vision of the child in “The Lamb” is presented to readers who linger in the world of experience that is presented in the text, an adult world which intentionally or unintentionally continues to participate in species-politics. The idealistic vision of the child narrator, when relocated to the adult practical world, generates a melancholy sympathy towards animals that is based purely on pity, and Blake could see right through it. Pity leaves the very foundation of inequality on which species-politics thrives unchallenged. This belief provides sympathy inciting species on which humans as a superior species should feel remorse for. In the world of innocence, the adjectives “mild” and “meek” symbolize tenderness and love, while in the world of experience they refer to the submissive of non-humans to humans. He created a picturesque world where the mutual respect and compassion creates a bond between humans, animals, and nature to an extent that makes them inseparable to each other. The animal imageries used in “The Tyger” and “The Lamb” could be viewed as visionary to the outlook of Blake’s opinion on animals. The tyger that Blake presents in his poem is a symbolic animal that resists the anthropocentric requirements for being categorized as an innocent, lamb-like animal. The opposition to the anthropocentric framework is reflected in the fundamental sense of secret that is associated with the image of the tyger in the poem. The characteristics of being pure and submissive are the requirements for being categorized as a good animal. Humans prefer to praise the qualities that do not threaten human beings superior status on earth. It is debatable whether the tyger represents good or evil, but it is certain that it is the sense of unquestionable mystery, its resistance to any categorization or any explainable meaning terms that makes the figure of the tyger supremely inspiring to Blake(springmagazine.net)
William Blake is a name that has earned immortality. He is one of the finest poets of the English language who impacted the development of Romanticism in art. Katherine Raine says that Blake’s writing offers us “fragments of worlds whose bounds extend beyond any of those portions their work embodied.”“The Tyger,” being Blake’s greatest-known piece, is one of immense mystery and deals with the negative aspects such as the horrors in reality.