Archetypes Depicted In Lamb And Tyger's Poems

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind”. (Genesis 1-24) This was the 6th day of creation. This quote is known by many religious people. However, William Blake, the author of many poems including Lamb and Tyger, questions how god could really make a certain animal. Comparing two of the most famous archetypes in literature history, a lamb and a tiger, he questions his own God. Even though these poems have animal names they can be translated to many things in life. Blake’s poems have three main archetypes that can be perceived, they are the lamb, the tiger, and a possible mixture of both in society. The first archetype to be critiqued is the lamb, an innocent creature. In Blake’s poem he shows the lamb to be innocent almost naive. He first asks the lamb who made it. This is foreshadowing for the second stanza when Blake tells the lamb he was made by god in his image. Even going so far to tell the lamb that he was named after god himself. This lamb that Blake is talking to is actually a small child. The small child is innocent and doesn’t know much to this new world he has been recently introduced to. However, with this small introduction into the world, the child will gain experience. This may give him an edge over other children making him

Even though lambs and tigers are only animals, they are very powerful poetic devices. The tiger is strong, vicious, and experienced beast. The lamb is a sweet, young, and innocent creature. The mixture of both are the perfect cycle in all of the world. With every tender moment in one’s life there are also hardships. With any beautiful moment their is an equal ugly moment in someone’s life. Sir Isaac Newton states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Even though this is a scietific quote, it perfectly symbolizes a person’s lamb and tiger life