The Tyger

The Tyger by: William Blake Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies. Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain, In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp! When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Symbols: -The symbol of the Tyger is one of the two central to the poem. Tyger is the the divine, artistic creation. -Wings are what the creator uses to "aspire" to the creation of the Tyger. Essentially, they are the power that allows the creator to "dare" go about the task of creating the Tyger. - Tools make up an extended metaphor of the creator and his creation of the Tyger. A blacksmith uses these tools to make objects out of metal. -The Word lamb refers to Jesus christ´s final sacrifice. - The fire serves multiple purposes as an extended metaphor. First, it’s often associated with the Tyger, which contributes to the Tyger’s fierceness

Form: The poem is written in six quatrains of rhyming couplets A quatrain is a stanza with four lines. Rhyming couplets are pairs of lines, the last words of which rhyme, two lines make a couplet, and two couplets make a quatrain or stanza.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night The tyger is very powerful by comparing it with fire and the unknown

What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? Here the author leaves us the question of who made the tyger, it could be God or Satan both having similar power to mold the figure of such a creature

In what distant deeps or skies. Burnt the fire of thine eyes? we can see the contrast between heaven and hell with the words skies and deeps, making the tiger a contrasting creature that has the fire of hell and stars in his eyes.

On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? Blake says that this creaure is inspired in one of the sky as theese are the closest to God as the tiger is such a magestic creature that it was forged in fire and he, the great one was the only one capable of creating it

And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? There is only one powerful and craftfull being that can make that perfect animal

What the hammer? what the chain, In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp! The autor is wondering what kind of tool did he use to forge the tyger in fire and how did the maker gathered the enough courage to grasp the tyger

When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Was his creator pleased with his new creature maybe it could be God the one who made the tiger or maybe not.