These two poems are very confusing, and it is difficult to understand some of the symbolisms, yet others are obvious. In “The Lamb” the symbolism is obvious. Blake writes, “Little Lamb who made thee/ Dost thou know who made thee” (Ln 1-2). Later he writes, “He is meek& he is mild/ He became a little Child” (15-16), if it wasn’t obvious form the fist lines of the poem it should be from these lines, the Lamb is God, who was incarnated in a child by the name of Jesus. Blake’s words are concise, and non explicit. In the poem “The Tyger” Blake’s symbolism are not as obvious. His words are concise. He does not elaborate on anything, he simple makes a statement and moves on. The tyger can represent pure evil, it can represent Satan, the horrors of the world, and it can represent understanding and reason. There are many interpretations of what the tyger represents. In relations to faith and believing in an omnipotent God, the Tyger represents an unsatisfied feeling. The tyger, is unbelief and doubting. The tyger represents the reason one uses to question the power and authority of God. This poem is about reason being trumped by the realization of the exquisiteness and repulsion of the natural world.
Evil is used in many different senses, and the word holds many different meaning for different people. In this poem, the tyger kills a lamb. This is a torturous act; a ferocious overpowering tyger killed a poor innocent wholesome lamb. Is this evil, or just an act of nature? Animals killing others animals for survival is a part of the process of life. Some animals are meant to be predators and other are the pray. In order for the tyger to live, he must eat. He is not killing the lamb for sport. This is the harsh relization that there is horror in the world, there are acts of disgust, and turmoil, and God has created it. It leads one to believe that God does not necessarily only encompass good. God created the animal that carried out this unnerving act, which can only mean that God also encompasses evil. In order for evil (the tyger) to exist there must be good to thrive upon (the lamb). Evil is dependent on good, and vice versa. Without one the other cannot exist.
These two poems are about having your reason and practical beliefs plagued by the horror and beauty of the natural world. The beauty is seen in creation, in God. The horror is seen in the tyger, in his snide and cruel acts. Yet there is still beauty in the tyger, because the creator created him and he doing exactly what he was created to do. Horror and beauty were both created of our benefits.
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3 comments:
Lindsay,
I am glad you overcame the technical difficulties with your blog and have it up now. I am sorry that you had those problems.
You certainly choose a challenging poet to discuss in your first post! Blake is a true original, and can be confusing because he is not like anyone else you may have encountered before. I like the way you discuss this pair of poems, and focus on them, and also the way you quote and discuss a specific passage from "The Lamb." I wish you had done so for "The Tyger," though--your comments on that poem are less persuasive, because it is not as clear you know what the poem says. (The tyger does not kill a lamb in the poem, for example, although you say it does.) Also, be sure to proofread your post for missing words and spelling errors. Such small problems interfere with your reader's attention to your ideas.
Lindsay,
You are right about the symbolism in "The Tyger". I hadn't thought of the tyger as pure evil. I certainly agree that Blake wants to recognize that God created both the lamb and the tyger and an omniscient God understood the future dynamics between them. Very interesting.
-Stacey
"The Lamb" reminds me of the passover story and of Jesus. "The tyger" I see as sin and evil temptation. God had put them on earth and had created them both to let us choose our own path.
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