Poem #205 The Tiger (Page 274-5)

Fearful Symmetry

Symbolism: 

The prominent devise used in “The Tiger” is symbolism. The main symbol, not surprisingly, is the subject of the poem: the tiger. The tiger represents all the elements of our world that cause violence and fear. This is conveyed by lines such as, “frame thy fearful symmetry?” 

The overall idea of the poem is questioning what God, what being, would create such a beast like the tiger. Really meaning who would create the violence and terrors of the world. The tiger is meant to represent that all the individual aspects of the world that are majestic and powerful in creation but then are not peaceful and kind. 

Blake then links his other poem, “The Lamb,” back into this poem by using the lamb as a symbol. He compares the tiger to the lamb to signify the differences between the peace and violence in the world. The poet questions whether the same God that made the lamb, a peaceful and timid creature, could have also made the fierce and violent tiger. 

Metaphor: 

William Blake uses metaphors to explain the creation of the tiger. He explains the creation as if God was a blacksmith. He uses questions such as, “What the hammer? What the chain?” and “What the anvil?” These are all tools of a blacksmith used to create different objects. He also compares it to a blacksmith because the job of a blacksmith involves using fire to melt and transform. Fire can be destruction and birth both at the same time which is similar to the theme of the poem which involves the beauty of creation as well as the violence of that which is created. 

Like the blacksmith pulls what he has created from a burning furnace, the poet wonders why when God saw the creation of the vicious tiger coming to life he continued to make it and allowed it to live knowing it would be a violent creature. This is all symbolic of how God allows free will in the world and thus evil and violence sometimes occur.

Reaction:

One of the reasons I chose the poems “ The Lamb” and “The Tiger” is because they were written to be read together. They are the two perspectives in which one can look at God. I found Tiger to be especially beautiful and fascinating. The metaphoric connection between the creation of the earth and the blacksmith was powerful and beautiful. Despite the fact that the poem was about the evils of the world, it gave still a feeling of deep equality and a sense of one’s origins. 

The poem was also relatable because it took one of the main reasons people chose not to believe in God and simplified it. I also was impressed by the diction in this poem. Especially when he describes the tiger, such as “fearful symmetry,” or “sinews of thy heart,” they create such powerful images of the Tiger and its creation.