1. Literary Device: Alliteration
Lines of text that feature repeated consonant sounds (consonance) or vowel sounds (assonance).
Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Is the tongue-twister above an example of consonance or assonance alliteration?

2. “The Tyger” 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 sieze 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 watered 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?

3. “The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
Using an A, B, C, D notation, examine the rhyme scheme of the poetic stanzas:
_____ _____ _____ _____
How does the rhyme scheme impact the rhythm/tone of the poem? How would you describe the sound of this poem? Can you think of any other rhymes with a similar sense of sound? ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ A A B B
The rhyme scheme of Blake’s poem lends the lines a lyrical and singsong tone. The nature of the singsong and lyrical rhythm creates a secure, nostalgic feeling. Much like a nursery rhyme, the rhyme scheme of this poem establishes a flowing feeling corresponding with our own internal natural rhythms.

4. “The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
Locate and organize the various examples of alliteration within the poem in the table below, listing the word and line number:
Consonance
Assonance
T –
A –
B –
E –
D –
I –
F –
O –
S –
U –
Tyger, Tyger (line 1)
twist, heart (line 10)
anvil, grasp (line 15)
dare, frame (line 24)
burning, bright (line 1)
began, beat (line 11)
began, beat (line 11),
feet (line 12)
distant, deeps (line 5)
dare, deadly (line 16)
bright (line 1), night
(line 2); fire, thine (line 6)
frame, fearful (line 4)
frame, fearful (line 24)
forest (line 2 & 22) immortal (line 3 & 23)
deeps, skies (line 5)
stars, spears (line 17)
burning (line 1), fearful
(line 4); shoulder (line 9), could (line 10)

5. “The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
How does the alliteration impact the rhythm/tone of the poem? Can you think of any other rhymes with a similar sense of alliterative sound? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Contrast the overall tone of Blake’s poem in regard to the poetic rhythm vs. the tone or mood of the poem’s actual content:
Much like the poem’s sense of rhyme, the alliteration heightens the sense of singsong or lyrical tone to the poem. This written work can be easily compared to nursery rhymes such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” due to the combined nature of AABB rhyme scheme and the tremendous amount of alliteration present in each work.
Rhythmic Tone
Tone of Subject Matter
Singsong, lyrical, nostalgic, comforting, innocent
Grim, dangerous, apocalyptic, predatory

6. “The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
What do you think is the poet’s purpose in using this particular rhyme scheme and such extensive alliteration to explore this contrasting subject? How does the alliteration and rhyme scheme impact the poem’s meaning? ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________
The poet employs a contrasting sense of poetic rhythm and subject matter to lull the reader into a false sense of security. On a first, superficial reading of Blake’s unusual poem the reader may miss the full import of the written words. But upon closer inspection, a deeper analysis leads us to the full poetic truth – Blake utilizes a seemingly innocuous rhyme scheme to explore a dangerous subject. The disconnect is shocking and reinforces our reaction the nature of the disturbing creature he is describing.

7. Answer the essay question below:
Within William Blake’s “The Tyger”, the poet explores the coexistence of good and evil through his examination of the fearsome “tyger”. Using exact text evidence and commentary, write a well-organized response explaining how the use of both singsong rhyme scheme and alliteration contrasts with the grim focus of the poem and enhances the poetic impact.
Red – Major Writing Task
Blue – Minor Insights/Instructions