William Blake (1757-1827) published a collection of poetry titled "Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience" which is divided into two parts, as the title suggests. "The Lamb" is from "Songs of Innocence" and "The Tyger" is from "Songs of Experience."

"The Lamb" is a poem which glorifies the creator of the lamb. It has the feeling of a nursery rhyme through the use of repetition and a simply rhyme scheme. The use of soft, gentle phrases, such as "tender voice" and "little child," also adds to the feeling that this is an innocent poem to read to a young child. The imagery and description of the lamb as "tender," "meek" and "woolly" further supports that nursery rhyme atmosphere.

The idea that the creator is kind and good is shown two was in "The Lamb." First, a series of rhetorical questions followed by an immediate and simple answer: "He is meek, and He is mild." And second, by using the symbol of the lamb to represent the creator. The lamb is perhaps the gentlest creature we can think of, and in Christianity Jesus Christ is often referred to as a lamb.

Just as innocence is a much simpler state that that of experience, "The Lamb" is simpler in both design and concept than "The Tyger."

As in Blake's earlier poem, "The Tyger" makes use of rhetorical questioning. However, unlike in "The Lamb," no answer to the questions is provided to the reader. The series of questions leads to doubt forming in the reader's mind as to whether the creator is truly as good as once thought.

"The Tyger" is made up of five stanzas, each of which is constructed of a pair of rhyming couplets. The rhyme scheme, along with a strong rhythm of stresses and unstressed syllables, results in a "drum beat" suiting of a tiger in a forest.

In "The Tyger" William Blake asks the question "Did He who made the lamb make thee?" This suggests that readers are meant to compare the two poems.

Both poems make use of a fairly simple rhyme scheme with ending sounds of "ee" and "ight." This parallel structure forms a bridge between the two poems even before looking at their themes.

"The Tyger" and "The Lamb" both speak of creation, but each from a different light. "The Lamb" takes a very innocent approach - the creator is kind and good, and there is no doubt about it. "The Tyger" takes a more experienced approach - asking more questions and not believing right away that the creator is good; after all, a creature such as the tiger was created.

Strong commonalities in both theme and stylistic elements like these two poems; not to mention the direct reference to "The Lamb" in "The Tyger." Blake intended these two poems to be juxtaposed, and they have been for centuries.

The Tyger (Beaty 967). To begin with the poem is in lyrics and is divided into six, four line stanzas, with the rhyme pattern AABB. The syllables of the lines follow the pattern 7778 7777 7887 7777 7887 7778. This format is somewhat simple compared to others and makes the poem flow and easy to remember. Within this structure there is a large amount of historical influence on the poem. The most noticeable of these influences are those of Romanticism. The obvious interest in the Tiger shows a love for nature which came about in that time after people no longer had to struggle against it to stay alive and could now walk through the woods and just enjoy what they saw (Brians). The many references to heaven and creation also go along with the biblical theme that was common at that time, (Brians) and is noticed in 18th line. Another aspect of Romanticism is the strong emotion put into poetry, especially into horror and amazement, which is especially felt in the second and third stanzas describing the tiger. Along with Romanticism also came individualism (Brians) and people began looking into art that they enjoyed themselves rather than what everyone else liked. This brought out a wider variety in the poetry being written. All of this was after the Enlightenment which loosened Christianity’s hold on Europe and let other religious ideas grow. Another major historical influence at that time was the industrial revolution. Blake was no stranger to this as his father was a London hosier (Literature) and Blake worked in his shop when he was a child. From these experiences Blake grew to hate the industrial revolution and what it had done to the world. He expressed this distaste in London (Beaty 625) with his description of the horrible state the city was in. In line 10 of London Blake talks about the church being appalled at what is happening in the Industrial Revolution as though it were evil. Images from the industrial revolution are clearly seen in The Tyger in the fourth stanza with the use of the words that give you an image of a factory creating this tiger. This gives the tiger sort of an evil feel which leads the reader to feel that the tiger is being forged in the depths of hell. To answer the question of whom the creator of the tiger we need to note the influence of Paradise Lost by Milton on Blake. To Blake Satan was the hero of the epic, and he felt that Milton was actually on Satan’s side without even realizing it (wwnorton). Even more so Blake found Satan’s actions admirable in the epic, (wwnorton) and it quoted as saying “I must create my own system or be enslaved by another man’s” (Grif). This gives a sense of a rebellious Blake actually identifying with Satan and in the seventh line of the poem Blake toys with the notion of Satan being the creator of the tiger when he talks about a winged hero, the most notorious of which being Lucifer himself. This interest in angels and demons came from his visions starting at a very young age in which Blake spoke with archangels and other historical figures, one of which was Milton (Literature). Later in life he was greatly influenced by the works of Emanuel von Swedenborg (Liukkonen), another mystic visionary who claimed to be able to travel to heaven and hell (Liukkonen). This influence is seen when he refers to the fall of the angels in the 17th line of the poem as when the angels put down their spears and were kicked out of heaven when the war ended. In the 20th line of the poem Blake alludes to his earlier poem, The Lamb (Beaty 871), which is meant to go along with The Tyger. In line 17 of The Lamb Blake tells the lamb that it wasn’t God, but Jesus who created him. Then in The Tyger Blake asks the tiger in line 20 if it was Jesus that made him also. This placing of the emphasis on Jesus instead of God comes from Gnosticism, in which the Judeo-Christian God is considered to be the flawed Demiurge while Jesus is the son of the True God (Hoeller). During Blake’s time these views were not acceptable and so they put into The Tyger cryptically, but in the present day Blake is recognized as a Gnostic saint (Madanaim). The Lamb is a definite influence in The Tyger which came after, and is necessary to completely understand The Tyger. The Lamb being in Songs of Innocence (Literature) is just that, an Innocent poem written as though the speaker were a child knowing nothing of evil. Then in The Tyger which was published in Songs of Experience (Literature) it is as though experience has shown the speaker that there is more to the world than what was discussed with the lamb and now he is questioning just who created the tiger in the fourth line and then decides in the 24th line with his change of wording. After becoming aware of the external influences on this poem it become clear to the reader that there is much more going on in this poem than just the speaker looking at a tiger Taking into consideration what is going on at the time and how it is worded the reader can get a good idea of exactly how the speaker feels about what’s happening and a much better idea of what the authors motivation for the poem was.

 

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

An epic beginning to an incredible poem. The capitalization of the second Tyger indicates strength and simply a bite that I think has to be maintained in reciting. The alliteration of the hard consonant sounds also capture attention - rarely has this common poetic device worked so well.

The Tyger is burning bright - a first reference to fire that is a constant recurring theme in the poem. Blake had been working on a Narrative of Surinam by Stedman in his working life which described the tyger's eyes as emitting flashes like lightning.

In the forests of the night;

Some interesting considerations for this line. Why use the plural forests? Forest of the night would have been sufficient for most poets? Perhaps Blake's own visionary experiences play a part here as well as the commonly accepted 18th century view of Heaven and Hell being different lands - Blake used themes of Heaven in Hell and Hell in Heaven several times. A simpler explanantion might just be that he preferred the assonance of the plural form, just as Byron later preferred the singular in his poem The Destruction of Sennacherib: 'The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold', rather than the more likely plural Assyrians.

In his biography of Blake, Ackroyd opines that there is also an interpretation regarding the literal literary creation: 'From the forests of the night is derived the dark charcoal that is used to forge the iron for Blake's copper plates'. This seems unduly superficial to me and while Ackroyd urges readers to recall Blake's subscription to Swedenborg's theories on the one hand, he also seems to sweep the likely connection to one side on the other.

I am inclined to the view that Blake saw his visions as an insight into the Forests of the night.

What immortal hand or eye,

There could only be one possible creator in Blake's mind but it sets a suspicion of doubt at this point in the poem. I find the use of 'hand or eye' rather than hand and eye interesting. It might simply be that Blake disliked the sound of 'hand and' but it does focus some thought on the possible different creative processes for both his art and poetry. His engraving required mechanical aptitude but his art needed vision.

Could frame thy fearful symmetry.

The Could in this line has also to be considered in the context of Dare in the final stanza.

Frame would have been a natural thought process for Blake in the creation of art. Fearful in relation to the Tyger is self-evident but symmetry? Webster's Dictionary says of symmetry: also: beauty of form arising from balanced proportion. This possible explanation of fearful beauty appeals to me.

Stanza the second

In what distant deeps or skies

Again an interesting likely reference to Heaven and Hell and continuing the doubt regarding the creation of such a beast from the question posed in the first stanza.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

Fire again. The continuation of the metaphor almost certainly now transcends the original inspiration, if indeed this was from the Narrative of Surinam.

The burning eyes in Heaven or Hell, or the burning eyes in Heaven in Hell and Hell in Heaven?

On what wings dare he aspire?

Back to the creator now. A subtle shift from the capability implied by 'Could frame…' to the requirement for courage suggested by 'dare he aspire'. On what wings indeed, this is a solitary reference and not easy to be conclusive about. Blake was visited with visions of Angels (and as a child by God) from time to time which may have led him to see the creator also with wings.

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

The shift to courage is now made completely in this repetition. The metaphor of forge for the creation process now begins.

Throughout this stanza too, there are strong consonants to maintain the flow of the poem: 'distant deeps' 'Burnt' and the strong t in 'What', for example. In reading, I like to accentuate these sounds, perhaps over-emphasize but the result is effective, I believe.

Stanza the third

And what shoulder, & what art

The shoulder is a clear reference to the physical prowess required in the forging process. To then supplement the physical power by going on '& what art' is a stunning continuance of the twin aspects of creation mentioned above.

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

So it requires physical prowess and art to 'twist the sinews of thy heart'; this is suggestive to me of both the general metaphorical sense of heart together with (again) the physical contrast. This comparison and contrasting reach to the heart of the poem for me.

And when thy heart began to beat
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

A concentration now on the physical elements. It prepares the reader/listener for the forging process to be elaborated on in:

Stanza the fourth

What the hammer? What the chain?

The staccato questions suggest a quick-fire delivery to me.

In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp,

The creation metaphor now completes its passage. All the elements of creation in the forge have been contemplated. The physical strength of the smith. The tools, hammer, chain and anvil. This coupled with an artistic vison

Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

'Dare' reappears and the thread of a courageous, rather than simply a capable creator is developed.

Stanza the fifth

The crescendo of the poem approaches.

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears

Wonderful lines. Why were the spears thrown down? In fear? revulsion? I am sure the inspiration of stars throwing down spears was by seeing shooting stars in the night sky as many have suggested. But the meaning? Blake depicted in an engraving of a creation scene from Job the stars shedding tears. The (almost) reversal does suggest shock, surprise and revulsion at what has been created.

The magnificent build up is now over and the epicenter of the poem reached.

Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

I find it interesting that while Tyger is capitalized and Lamb is capitalized, the word 'he' for the creator is not. The extent to which this may be suggestive is unclear to me. It may simply be a device to avoid undue emphasis on the word when reading - I am sure the capitalization elsewhere is deliberately to produce accentuation. If the poem had been produced 100 years later, one might be forgiven for thinking there was an element of Darwinism creeping in. Blake had a clear belief in creation but perhaps the creator is known by his creations?

I have read a number of theories suggesting that the poem indicates that the Tyger embodies evil. This could certainly be true. I have also read that the poem leaves the issue unfinished, an open question. I disagree.

Tyger, Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare thy fearful symmetry.

To me, there is further depth than simply the creation of evil by God (creator). I think the poem touches the heart of the most troubling issue that racks theologians. How can God allow, for example, the death of an innocent child through famine in Ethiopia. The change in the poem from simply a capable creator to a brave creator suggests, to me, that Blake saw a necessity for balance in the world - he once wrote that active evil is better than passive good.

The poem tells me that Blake saw and appreciated that a brave creator knew the need for misery in the world as well as joy and for fear as well as fearlessness

 

In Songs of Experience, the child in “The Chimney Sweeper” understands that he is a victim and tells the observer (most likely the Bard in the “Introduction” to Experience) who sees the “little black thing” (1) in the snow weeping. Unlike the boy in Innocence, both parents of this child are living and have gone to the church to pray, an overt criticism of the Church of England since chimney sweepers were not welcome in church (Nurmi 18). The boy believes that his pious parents sold him as a chimney sweeper because he was happy. Clothing him “in the clothes of death” (7) refers to his life as a social outcast and his being destined to an early death because of the working and living conditions of his profession. However, his parents believe that they have done no harm and have “gone to praise God and his priest and king” (11). This is not only a criticism of the parents who sell their children into this life but of the Church of England and the government for condoning the ill treatment of these chimney sweeps. He also seems to be criticizing God himself, who seems so cruel for allowing those who practice this treatment to go unpunished. For these poems, an understanding of the ideas of one poem, as well as the ideas that it lacks, illuminates the other poem. This gives the reader a different interpretation of the poem than if one of these “The Chimney Sweeper” poems would be read alone. For instance, in Songs of Innocence, the chimney sweeps are offered hope by the outcome of Tom Dacre’s dream. The narrator offers comfort that no harm or punishment will come to those who obey. Also, Tom is used to illustrate another point. He is originally frightened but later feels “happy and warm” (23), showing that one can experience a certain degree of happiness in the even in the worst of circumstances. These ideas of hope and happiness place further emphasis on the bitterness of the chimney sweep in Songs of Experience. He understands his circumstances and sees no hope of freedom from his oppression. Instead of believing that obedience will prevent punishment, he

perceives his current circumstance as a punishment for being happy with his childhood. Also, he does not seem to endorse the Christian idea of having joy in the midst of adversity; he sees little if any reason to be happy in his miserable predicament. In fact, the God that his parents praise seems as cruel as others who allow children to be mistreated in such a way. These examples illustrate how an understanding of the themes of “The Chimney Sweeper” in Songs of Innocence can further illuminate the some of the ideas in Songs of Experience.

 

Analysis of "The Chimney Sweeper"

William Blake wrote "The Chimney Sweeper" of "Songs of Innocence" in 1789. In the next to last line of the first stanza, the cry "'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!" is the child's attempt at saying "Sweep! Sweep!," which was the chimney sweeper's street cry. This poem shows that the children have a very positive outlook on life. They make the best of their lives and do not fear death.

This is quite the opposite in it's companion poem in "Songs of Experience" which was written in 1794. In this poem, the child blames his parents for putting him in the position he was in. He is miserable in his situation and he also blames "God & his Priest & King". This point of view is different from that of its companion poem because the chimney sweeper has been influenced by society and has an "experienced" point of view

Analysis of "The Lamb" and "The Tyger"

"The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" is a very symbolic poem. The lamb in the poem can symbolize innocence, serenity, a child, Jesus, or sacrifice. The poem gives credit to God for making such a beautiful being as the lamb.

It's companion poem in "Songs of Experience", "The Tyger," on the other hand, contains a different perspective of human life. The tyger could be compared to an "experienced" human. The tyger is described as an animal that basically has to kill everyday in order to live. It is a being whose life is made by death. The question is asked "What immortal hand or eye dare frame thy fearful symmetry?" The "experienced" author is asking why God dared to make humans the way that they are, the way of the tyger. This, of course, is differs greatly from the perspective of the "innocent" author of "The Lamb."

Unlike the one in Songs of Innocence, "The Chimney Sweeper", in Songs of Experience is very dark and pessimistic. This poem also seems to be very judgmental and gives motives for everything, but unlike Song of Innocence, the sweeper in this poem does not free himself from his misery.

In the first two lines, Blake gives us an image of an anguished child in a state of agony or even in a state of corruption. The color black seems to be very important because it is used to represent sin against innocence, the color of the white snow. Blake also shows the same child weeping, when he really means to say sweeping, because that is what has that child in such grief. This stanza ends by someone asking him about his parents, which later end up being responsible for this child’s state.
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In the second stanza, the child is pictured in a very more happier and playful mood. This soon changes when he decides to tell the stranger more about his parents. They are showed to be punishing their child for being so happy by "clothing in clothes of death and teaching him to sing notes of woe." It is very obvious the sweeper’s feels hate towards his parents for putting him in such sadness, but instead he chooses to hide it by making himself look happy and satisfied.

It is clear in the last Stanza that Blake’s criticizing the Church , especially, and the state for letting a lot of these things happen. During this time many children were dying from being, either, worked to death or from malnutrition. Neither the state or the church did anything to stop this and is obviously why Blake feels so much anger towards them. The sweeper’s parents are really no help towards their own child. This makes the reader wonder, if they are worshipping god, the source of good doings, why do they chose to ignore their own child. They would rather turn their heads the other way and instead findlove at church.

I think this is a very striking poem. It clearly shows Blake’s anger towards society at this time. I also think that he used many of his poems to make people aware of the suffering of people at this time. I also think That he wrote two separate books to give a fuller effect. Songs of Innocence, I think was how people thought that everything was okay. Songs of Experience, in my opinion was to open every ones eyes.