CARLOS MANUEL MARTINHO LAJARIN          POESÍA DE LOS SIGLOS XIX Y XX

                                                                                                                     GRUPO – A

 

 

 

 

 

William Blake                 - THE TYGER -           ( From Songs of Experience )

 

 

 

 

 

                     In the title, we have the clue to know what the poem is about. It is about the Tyger. It is the main symbol of the poem.

 

My first impression reading the poem is that the author is talking about a tyger. But something is wrong, because the author is all the time making questions about the tyger.

 

In this poem, William Blake is using  everyday language. The vocabulary is easy to understand. But probably behind this everyday language and the simplicity of the words, there is a complexity of ideas.The author is using metaphors, and that there is an ambiguous meaning.

 

The poem is full of questions. And we have to know who is making this questions. And the answer is; himself, the poet. Blake is questioning things. And he wants to know why some things happen. The author wants to know the answers to his questions.

 

In the first paragraph, we can see that the author is talking about the Tyger ( an animal ) and a forest. Here we have the first Romantic influence; Nature.

The Romantic idea of nature is pure, clean and innocent. But as we can see between the first paragraph and the second one. The Tyger represents the dark half of this nature. The dark side of the creation. When the poet says: “ What the land dare seize the fire?”. It is probably referring that the Tyger was created from fire ( here we have the idea of hell).

In this two paragraphs we have a contrast. Because he hates the Tyger ( because it is  evil of nature), but he appreciates the beauty of the animal.

 

In the third paragraph, Blake is talking about the heart. The poet is talking about feelings, another important idea of the Romantic poetry. He is asking if the evil of nature could hurt the feelings.

 

In the fourth paragraph, when the author mentions “ the hammer” and “ the chain”. He is referring to God. God as a creator, God as a builder. The creation of animals in the world of nature. But the author is also comparing the Tyger as a weapon created in hell, because he makes a reference to a furnace and deadly terrors.

 

 

 

 

 

In the next paragraph, another time he is referring to God as a creator when  he says: “ Did he simile his work to see?” In this phrase, “he”  is God. And in the following line we can see the “ Lamb”. When the poet says: “ Did who made the Lamb make thee?”. The poet is making contrast between the pure and innocent of nature ( the Lamb) and the evil ( the Tyger).

The author can´t understand how someone who creates something beatiful, clean and pure like the Lamb, can create something evil like the Tyger.

 

At the end of the poem we have the repetition of the first paragraph. Where the author is making reference to the nature,and also the evil and beauty of the Tyger.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION: The author wants us to know that nature ( the world) has an evil face.

 

PERSONAL OPINION: I think that it is a very good poem of William Blake. I heard about this poem before, and doing this Reading Module I now i know more about it.

 

 

 

 

ANTERIOR                                                                                                                                                             SIGUIENTE