The poem The Tyger by English poet William Blake is part of the collection Songs of Experience and was published in 1794. It can be observed that the poem lacked narrative movement as the central question is already found in the first stanza of the poem. The poem in terms of meter is trochaic tetrameter combined with catalexis found in the end of each line. The tetrameter component is found in the poem is composed of a 7-8 syllable pattern. The end of each syllable was stressed then followed by the unstressed syllable.
In terms of the rhyme scheme of the poem has six quatrains where in each quatrains carry with it two couplets or a pair of rhyming lines. In summary, the poem has twelve couplets found in its six stanzas that make up the twenty-four line long poem. The first and last stanzas are the same expect for the words “could” and “dare.” The suggestion of this idea of Blake to repeat the question he asked in the first stanza is to keep people thinking.
He wants to immortalize the concept of intellectual guesses when it comes to analyzing his poem. The use of fire as a metaphor to the tiger’s eye is a comparison to the human soul. The poem, if analyzed further is a symbolism of myths about the human existence and even the revolution of the spirit.
There are also many figures of speech used in the poems. One example is Alliteration found in the line, Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright (Line 1). Metaphor is also used in the poem such as the comparison of the tiger’s eye to that of fire. The most obvious figure of speech in the poem is Anaphora because Blake opted to repeat the same question he asked in the first stanza in the last part of the poem. In addition, there are also instances of allusion found in the poem.
If the poem is to be analyzed in terms of tone, it begins with the reader asking the “supposed-to-be mighty” and fearsome tiger who is powerful enough to create such a creature. Despite the beauty of the tiger, the reader still feared what the tiger was capable of doing. The tone in the opening part is fearsome. The narrator of the poem asked additional questions as the poem proceeded. The narrator even asked who could handle the burning eyes of the tiger, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? (Blake, Lines 2-4). The focus of the first stanza is the physical attribute of the tiger that can strike fear to anyone who looks at him.
Despite the form of the tiger, the narrator believed that the Divine being behind his creation understood its beauty that is why he still proceeded with creating the tiger. The creator was even compared to a blacksmith. He kept working on his creation and after his work was complete, the narrator questioned how he could have felt upon the sight of the tiger.
The poem has no dramatic theme in it. The only drama present in the poem was found in the opening question. The succeeding stanzas only develop the question further by providing more details unto how and why the narrator asked such queries.
The symbol of the tiger is the fearsome forces found in nature. It is actually a manifestation of Blake’s personal philosophy on an individual’s spiritual and intellectual revolution. The poem can be labelled as a romantic poem because it evokes many emotions from the readers specially that of fear and uncertainty. The narrator of the poem, all throughout is both amazed and puzzled by the tiger. The fear of the tiger evoked his feelings of curiosity of who could have created the tiger. Outside of focusing on the tiger, the readers can shift their imagination to main creator.
Because of the appearance of the tiger, the agent who created the creature gave people the inspiration for free minds. The creator wanted the tiger to be freed from the binding social norms and fallacies. In order to create such art, the narrator believed that he had strong shoulders. As mentioned earlier, he compared to that of a blacksmith who pounded at the metal in order to create a sword. The creator also has strong artistic wisdom because he is able to create a beautiful symmetry in the tiger’s form.
The tiger is fierce; therefore, the narrator assumed that his creator is also courageous. Despite the forest (or the society which binds people), the tiger managed to emerge from it in all its beauty. In conclusion, what the poem was trying to share to its readers is to emerge from the confides of society. The tiger realized its true potential and did not allow society to define who he is. What makes this poem compelling to the readers is that it challenges them to go beyond the norm. The tiger was not afraid of the forest and as a result, he became more than what the forest expected from him. The same goes for people, if people want to reach their optimum potential they need to challenge both their personal and societal limitations. People should not be afraid to take a risk in order to see where they can go.
Works cited
Blake,Wiiam. The Tyger . Songs of Experience. Print. 1974
