Comparison Of Poems “The Lamb” & “The Tyger” by William Blake

God’s creations differentiate from one another, and are each unique in their own way. William Blake's poems, “The Tiger” and “The Lamb”, compares two poems and considers what makes them each distinctive. The tiger is a representation of the evil in the world, while the lamb represents innocence. Both of these animals were created by God, which forms questions about how two things created by the same person could differ so much. By comparing God’s creations, the tiger and the lamb, symbolism is portrayed by representing them as the good and and bad in the world.

While the tiger is a representation of evil, it also represents death and hell. God created the tiger as a fearful and ferocious animal. Blake claims that the tigers “deadly terrors clasp” (15). This creature is very violent, and is capable of killing other animals. A sense of terror is developed from the poem, which helps set the fearsome tone. Blake asks “What immortal hand or eye dare frame thy fearful symmetry” (24). The poem forms questions about the reasoning for God creating such a dreadful animal. Although the tiger is evil, it is still a creation of God, which shows that there were meaningful intentions behind it.

Despite the evil tiger, the lamb symbolizes a good and pure creation. William Blake portrays the lamb as innocent and tender. God gave the lamb “clothing of delight” (5). The spft, delicate wool is referred to as the lambs “clothing”. When thinking of a lamb, they are thought to be dainty, calm animals. The lamb is “meek and he is mild”(15). Lambs are gentle and mean to harm to any person or animal. The lamb represents morals and the good in God’s creations. 

Although both animals differ in many ways, they have many similarities. Blake asks “Did he who make the lamb make thee?”(20). It is hard to fathom that these two very different creatures were made by the same creator. Because God created them, they are both admirable. The lamb is being told “God Bless Thee”(20), while the tiger is being referred to as deadly and dangerous. This line represents the positive feelings toward the lamb, and helps establish the negative emotions toward the tiger. The two animals were both made in the image of God, which is a common characteristic between them. Though the tiger is represented in a negative way, it is more so shown this way to help draw attention to and signify the purity of the lamb. Both the tiger and the lamb are associated with “good” and “evil” because it further shows their contrasting characteristics, but some of their similarities are also brought to the surface.

Symbolism is depicted in the poems by associating the tiger with the evil in the world, and the lamb with the good in the world. William Blake used these animals to show how different all of God’s creations are. The tiger has a negative connection with death and hell, while the lamb has a positive connection to the innocent and pure creations of God. While there are many differences between the two, they have a few similarities, one being their honorable creator. William Blake discusses the tiger in a negative way while praising the lamb in order to establish symbolism, but both animals accommodate redeeming qualities.