Wednesday 4 September 2013

What is the central idea of William Blake's poem "The Tyger"?

"The Tyger" was one of the poems contained in William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, published in 1794. In this poem, Blake is trying to understand the nature of the Creator by examining his creations. Thus the central idea is religious, striving to grasp the nature of the divine.


The poem is essentially a series of queries address by the narrator to the Tyger. The narrator observes the sheer magnificence of the Tyger...

"The Tyger" was one of the poems contained in William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, published in 1794. In this poem, Blake is trying to understand the nature of the Creator by examining his creations. Thus the central idea is religious, striving to grasp the nature of the divine.


The poem is essentially a series of queries address by the narrator to the Tyger. The narrator observes the sheer magnificence of the Tyger and its "fearful symmetry" and wonders what sort of Creator would have the courage and skill to create such an animal.  The narrator also wonders whether the same Creator could have created the fierce Tyger and the meek and gentle Lamb. 


Some critics see this contrast as essentially dualistic, a speculation on whether there must be two opposing divine forces, one harsh or even evil and the other benevolent and gentle, to account for the presence of both good and evil in the world. 

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