The reader's initial reaction to "Tyger," as used in the title and in the poem, asks if the word is spelled incorrectly. Should the word be spelled Tiger? The belief that every word in a poem has a distinct purpose answers the question with a no. Blake spells the word as "Tyger" to serve as a metaphor. "Tyger" at a most basic level represents all beasts of the world. At a more detailed level, the word represents a sharp contrast from the softness and goodness of "the Lamb."

"Tyger! Tyger! burning bright / In the forests of the night, / What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?" (Lines 1-4) Blake calls the "Tyger" twice in the begi

Blake uses "The Tyger" to ask several rhetorical questions about the power or even existence of God. Did this evil that created Satan come from some hidden aspect of God or did Satan find his power in some source other than God ("distant deeps or skies") (Line 5)? These questions have no definitive answer, and Blake makes no attempt to comment on them. Blake does not ask these questions expecting to find an answer. He asks these questions because the questions have to be asked. Would the answers to these question of where this evil came from benefit humanity? The answer to that is probably not, but the pursuit of these questions will help the reader to discover his/her own humanity.

nning stanza to gain the creature's attention. The poem then offers a brief view of the creature and its setting. This view tells of the evil of this creature. "Burning bright" creates a picture of a fire and a symbol of hell. "The night" adds to the portrayal of evil. Blake then asks the "Tyger," What "immortal hand" (God) could create this "fearful symmetry?"(lines 3 and 4). This "symmetry" relates the "Tyger" to the "Lamb" and through the metaphor, Satan to Jesus. Given this interpretation, the question asks how God could create both the ultimate of good and the ultimate of evil.

"When the stars threw down their spears / And water'd heaven with their tears, / Did he smile his work to see? / Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" (Lines 17-20) Lines 17 through 19 follow directly with the story of Satan's fall from heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15). These lines also parallel the Bible's tale of Revelations. "Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth (Rev

Some common words found in the essay are:
God Bible, Tyger Tyger, Blake Tyger, Satan Blake, Tyger/Satan Line, God Satan, Satan Jesus, Devil Christian, Tyger Lamb, Blake's Lamb, immortal hand, burning bright, deeps skies, industrial revolution, blake tyger, distant deeps skies, god create, distant deeps, night / immortal, word spelled, hand eye, bright / forests, his/her own, / forests night, forests night /,
Approximate Word count = 1137
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)