BLAKE

The Tyger

Comprehension

Whom or what is the poet addressing?

The Tyger

Which Song of Innocence is equivalent to this poem?

The Lamb

Sound

In the first line of the poem,"Tyger!Tyger!burning bright" there is both repetition and alliteration. What sound effect do they create?

Of urgency, of pulsating energy.

Does the regular rhyme scheme create the same effect as it does in the Songs of Innocence?

No. Here there is no impression of childish simplicity.

The last stanza is almost identical to the first. Which word is different? What effect does this create?

Dare. The word is stressed.

Language

What impression does Blake create by describing the Tyger as "burning bright"?

Of heat, light, energy.

Are images of light or fire used anywhere else in the poem?

In lines 6, 8, 14, 17, 21.

Underline the words which refer to the tyger's creator. What aspects of the creator inspire such wonder in the poet?

Lines 3-4, 7-l0, 12, 15-l6, 19-20, 22-24. His strength, his courage, his skill.

Every sentence in the poem is:

a)  Negative

b)  Affirmative

c)  Interrogative

Why does the poet use this structure interrogative?

To create an atmosphere of wonder.

From which trade or craft is the imagery in the fourth stanza taken?

From the foundry, the work of the smith.

Meaning

Is the theme of the poem what you expected from the title?

Which parts of the Tyger are mentioned? What are they like?

Shape (4), eyes (6), heart (10-l1), brain (14). Described as fearful, burning bright, full of deadly terrors.

Is the description given in the poem the description of:

a)  a real animal

b)  of certain parts of a real animal

c)  of the "essence" of the Tyger

Explain the significance of the last line of the first stanza "did he who made the Lamb make thee "?

It is impossible that the creator of the meek, pure, innocent lamb could also create a creature like this?

In what ways is this poem different from the Song of Innocence? Mention sound, imagery, choice of vocabulary, sentence structure and tone in your answer.

The sound , though regular, is not so simple or repetitive, the imagery is more complex and based on different elements of ison, the vocabulary is not childlike. The questions in the first stanza of The Lamb are answered in the second stanza. Here, no answer are given. The tone of candid innocence of the first poem is replaced here by a tone of wonder and urgency.

The first two lines of the fifth stanza "When the stars threw down their spears/ and water 'd heaven with their tears " are typical of Blake's later writings and refer to symbolic cosmic activity. At which point in his version of the history of the world do you think this took place?

The creation.