The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay - 1758 Words

William Blake, a unique poet of the literary canon, is one of the most critiqued poets of all time. Having a rather unique stylistic approach to topics, especially religion, Blake seems to contradict himself in his own writing and, therefore, sparks questions in the readers’ minds on specific subjects. Two of his poems in particular have been widely critiqued and viewed in various lights. â€Å"The Tyger,† written in 1774, and â€Å"The Lamb,† written five years later in 1789, are considered companion poems due to their similar humanistic topic and stark differences of each other. Through the use of specific titillation and use of rhetorical questioning, Blake sets up an ultimatum between the two poems, creating the illusion that each creature in†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Tyger,† however, is part of the â€Å"Songs of Experience† collection, which revolves more around a â€Å"ruthless, ferocious† (Northrop 380) â€Å"world of e xperience† that an â€Å"adult† would live in (Northrop 380). Whereas the â€Å"Songs of Innocence† are â€Å"relatively light and optimistic poems† (Milton), the â€Å"Songs of Experience† are much darker in tone and exposing the world as seen in the â€Å"Songs of Innocence.† Postulated to be unique in the fact that these two collections were the most intricate of all of his works, Blakes â€Å"artistic vision† is clearly shown in â€Å"The Songs of Innocence and of Experience† (Curran 256). Being from this volume of Blakes most complex works, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger† are commonly thought of as companion poems because of the similarity and opposition found in the two. Each of these poems, read in light of each other, seem to revolve around the topic of religion, as many others found in this particular novel do. Leading to one of the central themes of the piece, it could be considered that Blakes overl aying message in the pieces were about religion. However, despite him being a Christian, albeit â€Å"unconventional† in his practice (Evans), the overlaying theme of most, if not all poems in the volume revolve around some aspect of humanitys spectrum. Thus, despite the use of theological logic in part of each poem, the idea of religion is explored with a more rationalisticShow MoreRelatedThe Lamb And The Tyger By William Blake1330 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake is an English poet, painter, and printmaker from the eighteenth century. With his unique way with words and mastery craftsmanship, he created an illustration collection of poems called Songs of Innocence and Experience in 1789. His most famous poems from Songs of Innocence and Experience are â€Å"The Lamb and The Tyger†. These poems use animals to attest to God’s role as the Creator, yet they possess contrasting tones and language of the speaker and present conflicting views of God’s powerR ead MoreThe Lamb And The Tyger By William Blake996 Words   |  4 Pagescreated, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible† (Colossians 1:16). William Blake wrote poems about this very subject. In his twin poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†, Blake uses different literary techniques such as sound, imagery and symbolism to echo the common theme of creation along with how it is viewed differently. William Blake’s use of sound in his poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†, enhance the central idea of creation and the question of how one God can create such differentRead MoreThe Tyger And The Lamb By William Blake991 Words   |  4 Pagesand event that has ever existed may have had bad effects in one situation, but good effects for another situation. And every human, by extension, has aspects about them that can be viewed as both good and evil. In his poems, â€Å"The Tyger† and, â€Å"The Lamb†, author William Blake explores the ideas of duality, and how each thing must have an equal opposite. He uses both these poems to further ruminate on this dichotomy and brings up many questions in the context of religion. He seeks to point out that inRead MoreThe Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay863 Words   |  4 Pagesin The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake his idea that there are two different types of people in this world yet we ne ed both for balance. His next poem The Chimney Sweeper has many hidden meaning within his poem about his views on society. Then he goes on in his poem titled Infant Sorrow to reveal his thoughts on non-conformists. William Blake makes a different criticism of society in his four poems The Lamb, The Tyger, The Chimney Sweeper and Infant Sorrow. To begin, William Blake uses hisRead MoreWilliam Blake s The Lamb And The Tyger1493 Words   |  6 Pageswriters who recorded their artistic and emotional responses to the natural world, William Blake explores the concept of life’s dualities and how this concept applied to life in 18th Century Britain, as well as to the relationship between the body and spirit, in his most popular works, Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (1794). Two standout poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger,† respectively taken from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, demonstrateRead MoreWilliam Blake s The Lamb And The Tyger873 Words   |  4 Pagesdescribed as pure, tender, and innocent. Even in the Holy Bible, lambs are talked about in such high honor that they were even used to be holy sacrifices during biblical times. William Blake describes the young sheep in similar characteristics in the poem â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†. A tiger as we know its characteristics to be is fierce and mysterious. Always lurking around, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. In William Blake’s two separate poems he ties each of the poems together withRead MoreWilliam Blake s The Tyger And The Lamb 940 Words   |  4 Pagesthe ages many writers have come and gone, and with them brought many ideas or viewpoints on life and the human soul. Undoubtedly, William Blake was indeed one of those monumental writers who paved the way for new thinking. A thinking of the human soul and two intricate parts that join to fulfill a soul. Both pairs of the soul are illustrated in both The Tyger and The Lamb. Both poems being commonly referred to as staples of poetry, can allude to different ideas. Man believe they deal with the questionsRead MoreWilliam Blake s The Lamb And The Tyger1473 Words   |  6 PagesWhile Blake’s â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger† contrast ea ch other as the innocence and experiences that happen in the world, they also reflect on how our Creator could create such evil and purity in the same world. The same of Wordsworth’s representation of his past self vs. his present self, both are necessary to understand â€Å"the life of things† more deeply. Innocence is the foundation upon which experience is built meaning that experience and tragic parts of life start from the innocence of a personRead More Comparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay1458 Words   |  6 PagesComparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake This essay will focus on the enchanting poem, The Lamb which is taken from the Songs of Innocence which will be compared and contrasted with the mysterious poem, The Tyger, which is taken from the Songs of Experience. The poem of The Lamb represents the childs early years whereas The Tyger portrays an adult (the dominator). Blake has constructed these two poems from natural views and by comparing and contrastingRead More Comparison of The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay2199 Words   |  9 PagesWhen do we change? When do we change from being the innocent children God sent into the world, to the corrupted ones that leave the earth? William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience examine these different states. Blake wanted to show the two contrary states in the human mind. The Lamb and the Tyger are just vehicles for Blake to express what he feels happens to people as they grow, develop and eventually become perverted by the world around them. Blake’s background and occupation greatly