Compare and Contrast Essay: The Tyger vs.The Lamb Poems

In 1794, William Blake wrote “The Tyger” as the opposing side to “The Lamb”. The poems are about the two perspectives humans have on the world. Blake uses the tyger to show an aspect of god that many do not dare to question. “The Tyger” represents the dreadful, horrible things in life, how can such divine evil be created on earth by the hands of god?

The poem starts with “Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night;” the tyger is said to be burning bright because of its fur color. The tyger can be seen in the forest at night as a result of the bright orange fur. The fur is the color of  burning fire; fire being seen as a gift from god to man and  one that is also used to guild others. “What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” The fourth line is a reference to god, as he is the immortal being that created all life on earth. Blake is questioning who was able to put the tyger into existence as god was the creator of the lamb. The tyger is dangerous and is feared by the people yet, god crafted it with his loving hands. The same hands that made the lamb had made the tyger. 

The second stanza questions who “Burnt the fire of thine eyes?” as the tygers eyes were overwhelmingly filled with a burning fierencess that only were only found in its eyes. The tyger’s eyes are as black as the night sky and as fierce as fire. Blake used the line “On what wings dare he aspire” to remind the reader that the creator of the tyger was someone from the heavens who had the ability to contain such evil inside such a creature. Did god have an angel create the tyger for him, as he was the creator of the lamb. Blake wrote a poem titled “The Lamb” in earlier years to show that god, the creator of the lamb or rather Jesus, is the embodiment of gentleness, innocence, purity, and trust. Then how can the tyger come to be if god was the opposite of beast. 

The third stanza suggests that to create a tyger one must have strength and skill. “Could twist the sinews of thy heart?” Blake uses the word sinews, as in tendon, to question if the crafter of the tyger could twist heart muscles because of the beast’s evilness. The creator being god, the heavenly father, the creator of good and evil. Blake asks if god's hands created the “dread feet” of the tyger. God is seen to make no mistake with giving earth life, but why did he create the tyger if he has the power to fill the world with blessed animals and good grace.  

The fourth stanza compares the making of the tyger to the craftsmanship of a blacksmith. Although the comparison is in the form of unanswered questions Blake is still able to get his point across to the reader. In “The Lamb” Blakes lines are full of confidence that shows no doubt about god's creation. The reader is to understand that creator, god, is not meant to be understood by us mortals and that he works in mysterious was. “Dare its deadly terrors clasp!” is used to emphasize that the tyger is a dangerous beast. The tyger can kill and the only people who can face this beast are the ones who do dare.  But just like the tyger, the work from a blacksmith can also kill. The work from a blacksmith can vary from small daggers to long swords used in battles. The tiger uses its sharp teeth, the blacksmith sells daggers, and long claws, the long swords, when challenged by an opponent. So it is best for one to not tant the beasts. 

The fifth stanza starts off with “When the stars threw down their spears And water’d heaven with their tears:” it shows that the tyger’s fierceness even overwhelming for the stars in the night sky. The mention of celestial phenomena of starlight and rain reaching us as a result of the comic response to the tyger’s creation is said to be a metaphor for the reason for starlight and rain. Blake makes a reference to “the Lamb” in this stanza. “Did he smile his work to see? Did he who make the Lamb make thee?” At the end of the lamb God blesses the lamb, but he does not once bless the tyger. Blake asked if god smiled down at the tyger as he had the lamb. 

The final stanza is the same as the first. To end a poem with the same words leaves the reader questioning the claims and questions of the poem. Blake uses the tyger to create a sense of mystery, while still giving the tyger the sense of power. Blake does change one would in the last line of the poem “Dare frame thy fearful symmetry.” This changes the idea of who could to who dare. The reader understands that an immortal being who is from the heavens could create such beast, but who with such power would dare to do so? Could the fallen angel, the one who rules hell, have created such a beast. 

The concept of hell was only formed about 200 years before the poem was written. It was created by the church to keep people fearful of all that they did not understand. With the idea still being new, there was limited concert information on the subject, most being word of mouth. The tyger was the embodiment of hell and the lamb was the embodiment of the heavens. Just like hell, the tyger was recognized by the burning fire color that is orange, and the lamb the blinding white of the heavens clouds. The reader is left to question why god put both good and evil on earth. Most would conclude that it is that way as a result of the needed balance in the world. Science would say that one without the other would kill off all species on the planet, or evolution would make something worse come into existence. Blake uses the poems “the lamb” and “the tyger” to give the reader both perspectives of god. He is the one who made the lamb but he is also the crafter of the tyger. To create such a beast should mean gods not as pure as the church makes him out to be and that god is a divine entity who has stained his hands to make the beast.