Wei ger1

ssenber

Compar
isonofWi
l
li
am Bl
ake’
s‘TheLamb’
and‘
TheTy
ger
’

I
nWi
l
li
am Bl
ake’
sSongsofI
nnocenceandSongsofExper
ience,hecr
eat
esaser
iesof
poemst
hatcont
rastoneanot
hersuchas‘
TheLamb’whi
chdescr
ibesani
nnocent
,chi
l
d-l
i
ke
v
iewoft
hewor
ldand‘
TheTy
ger
’whi
chdescr
ibesamor
emat
urewor
ld-
view.I
nBl
ake’
spoem
‘
TheLamb’
,hehasani
nnocentchi
l
dspeaki
ngt
oal
ambaboutGodandt
hewondr
ousgi
ftof
l
i
fet
hatt
hel
ambhasr
ecei
vedandhowt
heSonofGodi
sal
socal
l
edaLamb.Bl
akeusest
his
i
nnocentandj
oyousconv
ersat
iont
opor
trayt
hei
nfi
nit
egoodnessofGodasseent
hrought
he
wor
shi
pfuley
esofachi
l
d.I
ncont
rast
,Bl
ake’
spoem ent
it
led‘
TheTy
ger
’isquest
ioni
ngwhyt
he
God,
whomadet
hegent
lel
amb,
woul
dal
somakesuchaf
eroci
ouscr
eat
ureast
heTy
ger
.The
di
ff
erencesi
nWi
l
li
am Bl
ake’
s‘TheLamb’and‘
TheTy
ger
’ar
eshownbyt
hei
nnocentchi
l
d
speakeri
n‘TheLamb’andt
hemor
emat
urespeakeri
n‘TheTy
ger
’inwhi
chcont
rast
ing
t
echni
quesar
eusedt
ojuxt
aposet
het
wopoems:t
hesi
mpl
ersent
encest
ruct
ureusedi
n‘The
Lamb’
andt
hemor
ecompl
i
cat
edr
het
ori
calquest
ionsusedi
n“TheTy
ger
”;t
hei
ngenuouswor
d
choi
cesi
n‘TheLamb’
andt
hemor
esophi
sti
cat
edonesi
n‘TheTy
ger
’;andt
hel
i
ter
alassur
ance
oft
hechi
l
din‘
TheLamb’
thatGodi
stheCr
eat
orandt
hel
ackofananswerf
oracr
eat
ori
n‘The
Ty
ger
’.‘
TheLamb’
isi nnocence,
ndeedaSongofI whi
l
e‘TheTy
ger
’isaSongofExper
ience.
I
nBl
ake’
s‘TheLamb’
,ther
eissi
mpl
i
cit
yinhowt
hechi
l
dspeaks.Thechi
l
disspeaki
ng
t
oanact
uall
ambaski
ngi
tint
hebegi
nni
ngi
fthel
ambknowshowi
tcamet
obemade:“
Lit
tl
e
Lamb,
whomadet
hee?/Dostt
houknowwhomadet
hee?
”Theuseoft
hel
i
ter
arydev
icecal
l
ed
apost
ropheaddst
othet
onet
hatt
hispoem i
sbei
ngspokenbyachi
l
dsi
ncet
hechi
l
dseemst
o
f
eelnoembar
rassmenti
ntal
ki
ngt
oanani
malort
hatt
her
eissomet
hingsl
i
ght
lyr
idi
cul
ousi
n
speaki
ng t
o oneei
therasper
hapsan ol
derper
son mi
ghtf
eel
.Thesi
mpl
i
sti
csent
ence
st
ruct
ureal
sout
il
izesr
epet
it
ioni
nthef
ir
standsecondcoupl
etsofeachoft
het
wost
anzas
whi
chl
endt
hepoem asenseofachi
l
d’s“
sing-
song”t
ypeofr
hyt
hm.I
ncont
rast
,“TheTy
ger
”
usest
hemor
esophi
sti
cat
edl
i
ter
arydev
iceoft
her
het
ori
calquest
ionasi
nthei
ntr
oduct
ory
l
i
nes:
Ty
ger
!Ty
ger
!bur
ningbr
ight
I
nthef
orestoft
heni
ght
,
Whati
mmor
tal
handorey
e
 Wei ger2
ssenber

Coul
dfr
amet
hyf
ear
ful
symmet
ry?

Thespeakeri
sst
il
lusi
ngt
hedev
icecal
l
edapost
rophe,
butnoti
nsuchasi
mpl
i
sti
cwayast
he
chi
l
din‘
TheLamb’
.Thet
onei
smor
eint
rospect
iveasi
fthespeakeri
sspeaki
ngout
-l
oudt
o
hi
msel
frat
hert
hant
otheact
ualTy
ger
.Thespeakerseemst
ovi
ewt
heTy
gerassomet
hingt
o
bef
ear
edbecauset
hel
i
ne“
thef
ir
eoft
hineey
es?
”indi
cat
est
hatt
hespeakerwoul
dnotbei
n
t
oocl
oseapr
oxi
mit
ywi
tht
heani
mal
ast
hechi
l
dseemedt
obei
n‘TheLamb’
.
Thewor
dchoi
cesmadebyWi
l
li
am Bl
akei
n‘TheLamb’l
endsaf
eel
i
ngofchi
l
d-l
i
ke
i
nnocenceandt
heonesmadebyhi
min‘
TheTy
ger
’gi
vesonet
hei
mpr
essi
onofamor
e
exper
iencedspeaker
.In‘
TheLamb’t
hechi
l
dtel
l
sthel
ambt
hatGodgav
eitl
i
fe,f
ood,wat
er
andcl
othi
ng,
andt
huspr
ovi
dingi
twi
thal
li
tsbasi
cneeds:
Gav
etheel
i
fe&bi
dtheef
eed,
Byt
hest
ream &o’
ert
hemead;
Gav
etheecl
othi
ngofdel
i
ght
,
Sof
testcl
othi
ngwool
ybr
ight
;

Thesi
mpl
i
sti
cnat
ureoft
hewor
ds“
li
fe”and“
feed”byBl
akegi
vet
her
eaderani
mmedi
ate
f
eel
i
ngt
hatt
hespeakeri
sachi
l
dandnotat
eenageroranadul
t.Howev
er,i
n‘TheTy
ger
’the
wor
dchoi
cesar
emuchmor
ecompl
exaswhent
hespeakerasks:
Whatt
hehammer
?whatt
hechai
n?
I
nwhatf
urnacewast
hybr
ain?
Whatt
heanv
il
?whatdr
eadgr
asp
Dar
eit
sdeadl
yter
ror
scl
asp?

Thei
mager
yoft
hisst
anzai
soneofasmi
thi
nhi
sfor
d.I
fthesecondl
i
nehadsai
d,“
Did
someonecr
eat
eyouf
rom f
ir
e?”
,itwoul
dhav
esoundedmor
enaï
veandt
hespeakerwoul
dnot
hav
esoundedassophi
sti
cat
edashedoes.Thel
astwor
dint
hepoem ‘
TheTy
ger
’is“
symmet
ry”
whi
chachi
l
dwoul
dnotuseatal
l
.Achi
l
dwoul
dhav
esai
d“same”orper
haps“
ali
ke.
”Ther
eis
noneoft
hepl
ainnessofwor
dchoi
cei
n‘TheTy
ger
’asi
spr
esenti
n‘TheLamb’
,whi
chsuppor
ts
t
hef
eel
i
ngofi
nnocencei
n‘TheLamb’
andt
hatofexper
iencei
n‘TheTy
ger
’.
Wi
l
li
am Bl
akeof
fer
sthel
ambananswerf
ori
tsexi
stencebyt
hechi
l
d,butheof
fer
sno
suchassur
ancesi
n‘TheTy
ger
’.I
n‘TheLamb’t
hechi
l
dver
ypl
ainl
ytel
l
sthel
ambt
hathe(
the
 Wei ger3
ssenber

chi
l
d)wi
l
ltel
lthel
ambwhohi
scr
eat
ori
s:

Hei
scal
l
edbyt
hyname,
Forhecal
l
shi
msel
faLamb;

Thechi
l
dhasnodoubt
saboutwhot
hecr
eat
ori
sort
hef
actt
hatHi
ssonr
esi
desi
nal
lli
vi
ng
cr
eat
ures–hi
m andt
hel
ambspeci
fi
cal
l
y.Het
rust
sthatt
hisi
sthet
rut
h andheexpect
sthat
t
hel
ambwi
l
lbel
i
evei
ttoo.Ther
eisnosuchassur
ancei
nthequest
ioni
ngi
n‘TheTy
ger
’.No
expl
i
citconcl
usi
oni
sdr
awnaboutt
hecr
eat
oroft
heTy
gerot
hert
hant
oask“
Didhewhomade
t
heLambmaket
hee?
”.Noanswerf
ort
hequest
ioni
spr
ovi
dedatal
l
.Iti
stot
all
ylef
tin
ambi
gui
ty.Thespeakeri
sol
denought
oreal
i
zet
hatanswer
stocer
tai
ntheol
ogi
calquest
ions
ar
enotcl
ear
,butl
eftt
oani
nfi
nit
enumberofi
nqui
ri
esi
nst
ead.I
nst
eadoft
he“
blackandwhi
te”
por
tray
edi
n‘TheLamb’t
hatGodi
stheul
ti
mat
eCr
eat
orofal
lthi
ngs,‘
TheTy
ger
’showsa
mor
eexper
iencedphi
l
osophi
calout
lookofal
lthe“
shadesofgr
ey”t
hatadul
tst
endt
ovi
ew
aboutt
hei
deaofacr
eat
or.Thespeakeri
n‘TheTy
ger
’goesont
oask“
Whati
mmor
talhandor
ey
e/Dar
efr
amet
hyf
ear
fulsy
mmet
ry?
”asi
ftoquest
iont
hewondr
ousGodt
hatt
hechi
l
d
v
ener
atedi
n‘TheLamb’
.
Wi
l
li
am Bl
aket
ackl
esadi
ff
icul
tsubj
ecti
n‘TheLamb’and‘
TheTy
ger
’inhi
swor
kst
he
SongsofI
nnocenceandt
heSongsofExper
ience:‘
whoi
sGod?
’Heusesani
nnocentchi
l
din
‘
TheLamb’t
ost
ateunequi
vocal
l
ythatGodi
stheCr
eat
or,butusesamor
emat
urespeakeri
n
‘
TheTy
ger
’toquest
ionwhot
hecr
eat
ormaybeandwhyhewoul
dcr
eat
eev
ilaswel
lasgood.
Theway
sinwhi
chhecont
rast
stheset
wopoemsandt
hei
ropposi
ngpoi
nts-
of-
viewar
edone
byusi
ngsi
mpl
esent
encest
ruct
ure,
unpr
etent
iouswor
dchoi
ces,
andgi
vi
ngt
hechi
l
dcompl
ete
assur
ancei
nit
sbel
i
efi
n God i
n‘TheLamb’
,and byusi
ng mor
ecompl
i
cat
ed r
het
ori
cal
quest
ions,mor
edet
ail
edandsophi
sti
cat
edwor
dchoi
ces,andl
ackofconcr
etebel
i
efi
na
cr
eat
ori
n‘TheTy
ger
’.
Wei ger4
ssenber