The Tyger And The Lamb Comparison example essay topic

William Blake wrote both "The Tyger" and "The Lamb."The Lamb", is a poem included in his songs of innocence collection, whilst "The Tyger" is included in the songs of experience. Although they are written by the same author and are both about animals they are very different poems with different purposes and directed at different audiences. "The Lamb" has very simple imagery of a lamb and the poet creates a beautiful bright atmosphere for the lamb to live in, meadows, streams and vales. There is also personification of the vales. "The Tyger", however is described as burning bright. There are a lot of words in the poem to do with burning and fire.

The Tyger is seen to be out of control and nothing can contain it, not even God. Blake is almost critical of God for creating the Tyger, "What dread hand and what dread foot". Another semantic field Blake uses in the poem is of mechanical machinery and of the Tyger being created in the forge. In the poem "The Lamb", Blake uses a Trochaic form, which he also uses in "The Tyger". However in "The Lamb", Blake puts no emphasis on the end word of the line.

This makes the poem more feminine and gives it a softer sound. But in "The Tyger", he places emphasis on the last word creating a masculine, harsher sounding ending. It is "catalectic", this means there is an extra beat not fitting to the structure of the poem. It emphasizes the last words, "Bright", and "Night".

He also uses questions that he doesn't answer in "The Tyger". Whereas "The Lamb" has a cyclical structure coming round again to the beginning and answers the questions Blake poses in the poem. He also says, "God bless thee" to the lamb. This is reassuring to the reader; the lamb is good enough to be blessed by God. Blake also uses a lot of sibilance in "The Lamb", as well as a lot of Ls and Ms and Fs. These are all soft sounds for the reader.

On the other hand, in "The Tyger", Blake uses rhythmical plosive sounds and hard sounding consonants in his words. This creates an all round harsher sound. He also uses a lot of assonance which drags out the vowels creating a longer sneering sound. The meaning in both poems is also very diverse. "The Lamb" has no ambiguity it is straightforward and simple. The lamb symbolizes Jesus and creation.

It also symbolizes innocence and vulnerability, naivety and spring and religion. These are all obvious to the reader. The lamb is ignorant and innocent but in a good and pure way. Ignorance and innocence in this poem represent bliss. "The Tyger" is scary but important, "burning bright", the bright represent the colours of the Tyger and the fire in its eyes. The Tyger is powerful, evil, angry and fiery but the same God created him as the lamb.

Blake seems to be saying how dare God create the Tyger as well as the lamb but he could also be saying that God is strong enough to create the Tyger and control it without being afraid because he is all powerful. The meaning in "The Tyger", is more complicated. If you look carefully at the poem the Tyger actually represents the industrial revolution, powerful yet out of control. Blake was very critical of the industrial revolution, he believed greatly in God and that we should live as God made us. The industrial revolution, in his eyes was defying God's natural order.

The people who played a main role in the industrial revolution were in his eyes playing God. "The Lamb" is a poem about innocence and simplicity. It is written for children and is from the point of view of a child, or Blake as a child. The lamb is female and has an ideal life and the poem is a calm one. The poem isn't challenging but pleasant and easy to read.

It is a simple poem if innocence. "The Tyger", however, is a powerful poem about a powerful beast. It is a masculine strong male Tyger. The poem is more challenging than "The Lamb", Blake is criticizing the politics of the time throughout the poem and the Tyger is merely representing the revolution.