Morris 1

Joseph Morris
Sister Grover
English 314-03
20 January 2016
Of Peace and Passion
On the calm surface of William Blakes poems The Lamb and The Tyger there is not
much to see. The Lamb is a rather simple tale that asks Little lamb who made thee? (1) and
responds with a clear allusion to Christ being the creator. The Tyger asks a similar question
over a longer span of verses, but does not provide an answer and instead verbally ponders Did
he who made the Lamb make thee? (20). However, this simplicity is a delightful faade
concealing more intricate ideas and through a deeper analysis a hidden meaning to these poems
begins to reveal itself amidst the murky depths. Specifically, through the use of visual poetry,
allusion, and imagery in these two poems, both respective creatures become more than just mere
animals; they transform into resplendent symbols representing the inherent contrast between two
sides of human nature: peace and passion.
Visual Poetry
In a subtle yet bold manner, both poems employ the often overlooked art form of visual
poetry (the arrangement of words on the page) to portray their subject matter.
For instance, The Lamb demonstrates the idea of peace via its visual form. When viewed
from the side, its stanzas are both shaped like serene cradles. The second stanza illustrates the
reason for this shape: He is called by thy name, / For he calls himself a Lamb He became a
little child: / I a child & thou a lamb (13-14, 16-17). The passage undoubtedly refers to the
Christ Child, also known as the Lamb of God, and causes the poems shape to take on a more

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distinct meaning; it does not seem to represent just any cradle, but the serenity of the Christ
Childs manager. The passage further states that the speaker is a child as well, suggesting that the
symbolic cradle also represents the speakers peaceful and childlike nature. Enhanced by the
wording of the poem, the shape of The Lamb exhibits a strong sense of peace.
Unlike the tranquil cradle used by the Lamb, the stanzas in the Tyger are uniformly
arrayed as a battery of stripes when viewed sideways, portraying the stripes of the tyger. Now, if
the same connection to Christ provided by the visual poetry in The Lamb is used in The
Tyger, a question arises about the poem: How are stripes representative of Christ? This
question leads to the Bible where in Isaiah 53:5 it says: But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed. In this instance, stripes refers to Jesus being whipped by the
Roman soldiers just prior to His crucifixion, a time period commonly referred to as the Passion
of Christ. So if the cradle illustrates the peaceful aspect of the human soul, the stripes might not
illustrate the tyger itself, but the passion (play on words) of the carnal body.
Further pushing this dual relationship between the lamb and the tyger is the prevalent use of
symmetry. The symmetry acts like a mirror, reflecting the beginning of each poem from its end,
while simultaneously emphasizing the similarities and differences between the two poems.
The Tyger seems self-aware of this fact, as it twice mentions the beasts fearful
symmetry. Although explicitly speaking about the animal, it also implicitly refers to the
symmetry demonstrated by the poem itself. The visual stripes are vertically symmetrical, and in
those stripes, the stanzas also demonstrate a poetic symmetry. Stanzas 1 and 6 are completely
identical. Stanzas 2 and 5 both refer to the skies/heaven and eyes/tears:

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In what distant deeps or skies.

When the stars threw down their spears

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? (5-6)

And water'd heaven with their tears (17-18)

Stanzas 3 and 4 recount the tygers hypothetical creation:

And what shoulder, & what art,

What the hammer? what the chain,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart? (9-10) In what furnace was thy brain? (13-14)
This symmetrical pattern makes it feel like the poem has folded upon itself.
This symmetry is not reserved only for The Tyger as The Lamb also demonstrates
similar elements. The two cradle shaped stanzas mirror each other visually and the cradles
themselves appear quite symmetrical. Even the rhyme scheme in the second stanza is completely
symmetrical: Thee, thee, name, lamb, mild, child, lamb, name, thee, thee. The abundant use of
symmetry in both poems, and between them, hints to a single creator of both the animals and the
sides of the psyche that they depict. This also alludes to the possibility that those emotions might
actually be two parts of a single whole, with the complex symmetry of the passionate tyger
standing in harmonious contrast to the simple symmetry of the peaceful lamb.
Allusion
The visual arrangements of the words in the poems are not the only indicator of human
natures duality; both poems are also rife with verbal allusions that support either peace or
passion.
For example, both poems draw upon the Bible in order to bolster their respective themes. As
was previously mentioned, the second stanza of The Lamb alludes to the peaceful birth and life
of Christ. Conversely, the fifth stanza of The Tyger alludes to the violence of Christs Passion
(via the visual stripes) and also to His subsequent crucifixion and death: When the stars threw
down their spears / and water'd heaven with their tears: / Did he smile his work to see? (37-39).

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The words spear, water, and work are clues that allude back to the Bible. John 19:30 states:
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head,
and gave up the ghost. Christs work had been completed, but did God smile when He watched
this scene? John 19:34 is the source for the other two words: but one of the soldiers with a spear
pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. This further cements the
connection between the poem and the Bible with the lamb emanating life and peace while the
tyger embodies passion and death.
Another allusion lies in the second stanza of The Tyger, and contrasts inner peace against
mankinds more passionate nature by discretely mimicking the ancient Greek legend of Icarus,
son of Deadalus. In the legend, Icarus and his father escape the labyrinth using wings formed
from wax and feathers. Deadalus warns his son not to fly too close to the sea or too close to the
sun, but his warnings go unheeded. Icarus cannot contain himself and flies ever higher until his
wings melt in the heat of the sun and he plummets to his death in the sea. Lines 5 through 8 of
The Tyger hint to this myth very clearly:
In what distant deeps or skies.

(They escape from the labyrinth.)

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

(Fire in the eyes is a symbol for passion.)

On what wings dare he aspire?

(They had wings of wax and feather.)

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

(Icarus reached towards the sun and fell.)

Just like Blakes two poems, both Deadalus who remained calm and alive and Icarus whose
emotional incontinence led to his demise demonstrate two sides of the same coin of human
nature. Ultimately, this strong allusion to the ideas of peace and passion perfectly embodies the
relationship both poems have with each other.

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Imagery
Although the visual poetry and allusion help push the idea of the contrasting nature of the
self, they are not nearly as powerful as the imagery used by the two poems. Without ever uttering
the word peace, The Lamb effectively describes and conveys a sense of tranquility. The words
seem like they are whispered. The first stanza draws a mental picture of a fluffy little lamb,
happily eating in the brightness of the afternoon By the stream & o'er the mead (4). Its tender
voice rings above the waters soft gurgling. The second stanza delicately describes a meek and
mild newborn child and compares it to the lamb. It feels so absolutely peaceful that it might as
well be a childs lullaby.
The exact opposite feeling is developed through The Tyger. Blake limns humanitys wild
and passionate side by brewing a vision of eventide darkness filled with fire, violence, and
horror. It describes a burning beast with burning eyes whose brain was forged in a fiery furnace
(1, 6, 14). Its hearts sinews have been forcefully twisted (10), and its body noisily beaten
together with a hammer and anvil (13, 15). There is no peace nor tranquility here as distress
litters the poem, evidenced by the excessive use of the words fearful, tyger, dread, terror, dare,
deadly, and tears. This is quite different from the array of words used in the other poem: meek,
lamb, mild, child, bright, delight, and rejoice. Yet in symmetry the two ideas and their words
contrast each other like a haunted mirror image.
Conclusion
Similar to Taoisms symbol Yin and Yang, this poetic mirror image gracefully exemplifies
the two conflicting sides of human nature in one individual. Unlike Yin and Yang, the poetry
displays undertones of a specifically Christian perspective. This is evident through the use of
cradles and stripes as visual representations of peace and passion, and through the textual

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allusion to the Lamb of God, Christ. Regardless of the Christian perspective however, the
insights into the complex nature of the human psyche are brought to life subconsciously via the
perfect placement of allusions to ancient stories and consciously via the masterfully crafted
imagery of the placid lamb paired against the terrible tyger. These two poems essentially
culminate into a beautiful painting of the discordant polarity of the human soul.

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Works Cited
The Bible. Bible Gateway, n.d. Web. 20 Jan 2016.
Blake, William. The Lamb. Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Jan 2016.
Blake, William. The Tyger. Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Jan 2016.