Short Analysis of The Tyger In The Tyger, the speaker uses a tiger as a metaphor to suggest that God could

also be responsible for creating evil, which challenges the readers faith by getting them to question the nature of Gods work if it brings suffering upon humankind. As a romantic poem, The Tyger deals with one philosophical idea people were concerned with during the Romantic period. That is, the significance of God in human life. The religious element is present in the poem as it portrays the tiger as an evil creature. Several metaphors are used to describe the beauty and power of the tiger. For instance, in the first stanza the tiger is described as burning bright/In the forest of the night (1-2). Thus, the tiger is described as being as destructive as a fire. Likewise, the tiger walks in the night, where everything is dark, which clearly shows its evil nature. Moreover, the tiger is beautiful, which only makes him a dangerous temptation. This is evident in line four as the tiger is said to have fearful symmetry, which reinforces the notion of the tiger as an evil being. Religious ideas are also evident in the way the tigers origin is described. Line three indicates that the tiger was created by an immortal hand or eye, which establishes the magnificence of the creation of the tiger by God. In addition, the poem states that the tiger is the result of Gods hard work. This is clearly shown in the fourth stanza in which God is compared to a blacksmith. For example, the fourth stanza uses words like hammer, chain and anvil to evoke the image of a blacksmith forging weapons with the use of fire. In turn, this supports the idea of the tiger being represented as a burning fire and suggests the tiger could even be a weapon used to make real peoples deadly terrors (16).

An important aspect to consider is the speakers tone toward the religious values expressed in the poem. In the fifth stanza, for instance, the speaker uses an ironic, somewhat sarcastic tone when he mentions the death of Jesus (17-18) and asks if God smile[d] his work to see (19). More importantly, the speaker is challenging the readers faith by getting them to ask themselves whether God did right to create the tiger, and if so, what kind of a god would dare work with such terrible power, the fire of the Tyger, and still be considered to care for the humanity upon which it would be released (Dickey, John). In conclusion, The Tyger is a romantic poem that deals with the struggle between good and evil. Through the use of a tiger, the speaker indicates that all the horror of the world could also be the work of God, and the poem openly questions why God would do such a thing. However, the answer is in the interpretation of the readers. For that reason, The Tyger is a significant piece of literature whose theme remains relevant throughout time.

Works Cited Dickey, John. William Blakes The Tyger Analysis. Associated Content. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1562523/william_blakes_the_ty tyger_analysis.html?cat=10 Elite Skills Classics. Poetry of William Blake. The Tyger (From Songs of Experience). http://www.eliteskills.com/c/12337