What Does The Tyger Mean

The Tyger Poet, William Blake, in his lyric poem, “The Tyger” questions the creator of the ferocious tiger and wonders how could the same creator create the innocent lamb. Blake’s purpose is to prove that there must be a higher power, God, to create such a violent and powerful animal. He adopts a tone of awe in order to show reverence to such an omnipotent God. Blake begins his poem by calling out “Tyger! Tyger!” to grasp the attention of the readers towards the powerful creature in the forest. He continues by saying, “burning bright In the forests of the night”, which adds the characteristic of mystery to the tiger, and also explains its appearance. In lines 3-4, Blake says, “What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” questioning the magnificent ability of God to create such a terrifying and

His questions are filled with awe and wonder in order to clarify his purpose by trying to identify the divine creator. Blake’s curiosity and wonder grasp the reader’s interest to understand Blake’s perspective of God and creation. Blake resumes asking questions in lines 9-12, still maintaining his tone of awe. He asks “And what shoulder, & what art. Could twist the sinews of thy heart?” referring to the build of the creator and the excellence in his creation. In the fourth stanza, Blake’s curiosity seems to intensify as he asks more questions rapidly and uses an exclamation point for the first time in the poem. Blake may be using this enthusiastic tone to portray the magnificence of this creator. “What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp!” the pervious lines reveal how eager Blake is to reveal how the tiger was created. These lines also shed light on the metaphor Blake used, comparing God to a blacksmith who shapes