The Poems the Lamb and the Tyger Are Both Written by William Blake. They Both Are Similar

Grey Clawson

AP Literature

11 February 2011

Question 1

Carefully read the two poems. Both poems address an animal created by God's hand, but the tone of addressing each animal is very different in the two poems. In a well-organized essay, distinguish between the attitudes (toward the animal) expressed in the poems and discuss the techniques used to present these tones. You may want to consider imagery, diction, content, and style (repetition) and use specific textual references as support for the tone of each poem.

The poems “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” are both written by William Blake. They both are similar and they both differ in many different ways. The poems both consist of similar elements in relation to the grand scheme of things. The most obvious and blatant difference between Blake’s poems is the tone, which differs throughout.

Throughout “The Lamb” the tone of the poem is rather appreciative. The lamb is appraised as the innocence of the world. There are many instances in the poem where the poet uses appreciative diction to convey his thankfulness of the lamb. The poet says “clothing of delight” and “softest clothing wooly bright” to show his feelings as well as establishing the attitude and overall tone of the poem. Repetition is a key element in the poem because the poet often repeats his feelings about the little lamb. Generally, the lamb represents the innocence in man.

“The Tyger” represents the loss of innocence in man. This is shown in many ways throughout the poem. The poet makes many allusions, consisting of “furnace”, “dead grasp”, “deadly terrors”, and the most commonly used reference of “burning bright”. While the tyger represents more of the evils of the world or the loss of innocence, the lamb is the exact opposite. The tyger can be considered the evils inside of man along with the difference between the two worlds.

Primarily, the poems differ in the fact that “The Lamb” focuses on the innocence and offerings that man has to give to the world while “The Tyger” focuses on the growth of evil and the loss of innocence in the world. Both the poems are deeply correlated with biblical allusions being that that idea is a common theme in religious texts. The diction provides a great example of how the two poems differ so much. While the lamb is being appraised, the tyger is being criticized and examined.