Monday, June 27, 2011
William Blake: "The Lamb" and "The Tyger"
"The Lamb" and "The Tyger" are totally different animals. I believe Blake is trying to portray two important images: the goodness and the badness in the world. The lamb is a gentle, innocent creature while the tiger is a predatory animal that can be brutal. In plate 5, line 4, from "The Tyger", "Could frame thy fearful symmetry?", Blake is making a reference to the "The Lamb". He is pointing out that they are equally important in life, because they were both created by God. I believe that Blake is trying to describe the good and bad things that God has created for each person on earth. The lamb represents the innocence, youth, and good aspect in life. This can be seen in "The Lamb" from plate 15, line1-2, "He is meek and he is mild, he became a little child." However, the tiger represents the trials and tribulations that people may encounter throughout life. Although the tyger may be represented as an evil tool from God, it may just be a test or challenge from God. If a person can overcome that challenge then the person will grow from it.
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Marie,
ReplyDeleteSome good observations on these two poems by Blake. The organization and presentation of your commentary is a bit jumbled and hard to follow, though. I think trying to cover both poems in one paragraph contributes to the problem here.
I agree with what you are saying about the lamb and the tyger both being equally important. I took this as saying that the two balance each other, just as many things in the world are balanced. I also agree that the lamb represents innocence, yet the tyger represents the reality of the world and some of the cruel occurrences we endure as we grow older and move from adolescence to adulthood. However, I believe that the tragedies and trials that the tyger represents make the good times that much more enjoyable. I also wrote about these two poems in my blog!
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