The Tyger, in this poem, is seen as an image of the creative Energy of human life;
An energy that aspires to a geometrical perfect form, symbolized by the symmetry of
the animal.
But this symmetry is fearful because represents the contradictory and complementary
forces of good and evil, impossible to separate.
Similarities: The Lamb and The Tyger
-Same use of questions and repetitions
-Same evocation of two real animals, with their characteristics and their natural
habitats
-In the original picture of “The Tyger”, the face of the animal is similar to that of the
Lamb
Differences:
The Lamb The Tyger
- Songs of Innocence / Songs of Experience
- Represents innocence and purity / Represents beauty and fear
- Lulling, slow rhythm / Fast, hammering
- There is a question and an answer / There are only questions
- Creator: good, generous / Powerful, frightening
- Poet: confident , identifies with the Lamb / Cannot understand the mystery of
creation
London
In this poem Blake describes the city of London that he sees wandering through the
chartered streets, marking the exploitation of people, the chimney sweeper, the
soldier and the harlot. London appears as a dark and polluted city, in the middle of the
Industrial Revolution, and Blake becomes very critical against his society.
He criticizes the injustices caused by materialism and commercial exploitation and
sympathises with the victims of industrialization.
