Summary of “The Tyger” by William Blake
“The Tyger” is taken from “Songs of Innocence and Experience.”It is a beautiful and symbolic poem penned by William Blake.
In the first stanza,we see the poet addressing the tiger. He actually is fascinated to see the beauty of a tiger. He asks how he has been created with such beauty by God. He actually wants to discuss God as an entity as opposed to the tiger. He actually seems to attack Christian God and asks whether a divine entity has the ability to create such a creature which has great and extraordinary perfection.
In the second stanza, the poet is fascinated to see the eyes of the tiger. He opines that the tiger has got the fire in his eyes from some distant heavenly body. This heavenly body may be hell or heaven. He then creates an image using the words like ‘Hand,’ ‘wings,’ and ‘fire.’ The purpose of using these words is to create the image of some divine hand.
In the third stanza, the poet narrates to us the physical characteristics of the Creator. He perhaps relates these physical qualities as an allegory to the characteristics of the tiger.
In the fourth stanza, the poet discusses the steps which are involved in the creation of the tiger. The poet allegorically uses the reference of a blacksmith and tries to find the process of the tiger’s creation. Perhaps he believes that the process of a blacksmith is involved in the tiger’s creation. The way the blacksmith cuts, hammers and remoulds metals after a great labour, in the same way God has also done a lot of labour to create the tiger.
In the fifth stanza, the approach of the poet is purely Christian. The approach can be related to rebellious angel, Satan, similarly, the reference can also be made to “Paradise Lost” written by John Milton. Similarly, the poet uses the words ‘the lamb of God.’ These words clearly show the reference made to Jesus Christ.
In the sixth stanza, the poet once again is going to question the Creator’s ability. The poet once again challenges the ability of his Creator in creating the mighty creature like the tiger.
To sum up, the tiger itself is a symbol of force. It is also a symbol of divine spirit. We can say that the poem is actually based on the poet’s personal spiritual philosophy and intellectual revolution experienced by the individuals. In so far as theme is concerned, we can say that the poet’s purpose is to make his readers realize the potentials of their souls. We have humbleness as well as fierce passions in us. We can say that the poem is a master-piece regarding the use of symbols and allegories. (Words: 455)
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