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The Tyger

The Tyger and The lamb:

In The Tyger Blake points to the contrast between these two animals: the tiger is fierce, active, predatory, while The Lamb is meek, vulnerable and harmless. The reference to the lamb in the penultimate stanza reminds the reader that a tiger and a lamb have been created by the same God, and raises questions about the implications of this. It also invites a contrast between the perspectives of "experience" and "innocence" represented here and in the poem "The Lamb." "The Tyger" consists entirely of unanswered questions, and the poet leaves us to awe at the complexity of creation, the sheer magnitude of God's power, and the inscrutability of divine will. The perspective of experience in this poem involves a sophisticated acknowledgment of what is unexplainable in the universe, presenting evil as the prime example of something that cannot be denied, but will not withstand facile explanation, either. The open awe of "The Tyger" contrasts with the easy confidence, in "The Lamb," of a child's innocent faith in a benevolent universe.

Theme:

The poem is more about the creator of the tiger than it is about the tiger itself. The poet was at a loss to explain how the same God who made the lamb could make the tiger. So, the theme is : humans are incapable of fully understanding the mind of God and the mystery of his handiwork.

Symbolism:

Black writing his poems in plain an direct language. He presents his view in visual images rather that abstract ideas. Symbolism in wide range is a distinctive feature of his poetry. The Tyger, included in Songs of Experience, is one of Blake's best-known poems. It seemingly praises the great power of tiger, but what the tiger symbolizes remains disputable: the power of man? Or the revolutionary force? Or the evil? The poem is highly symbolic with a touch of mysticism and it is open to various interpretations. The tiger initially appears as a strikingly sensuous image. However, as the poem progresses, it takes on a symbolic character, and comes to embody the spiritual and moral problem the poem explores: perfectly beautiful and yet perfectly destructive, Blake's tiger becomes the symbolic center for an investigation into the presence of evil in the world. Since the tiger's remarkable nature exists both in physical and moral terms, the speaker's questions about its origin must also encompass both physical and moral dimensions. The poem's series of questions repeatedly ask what sort of physical creative capacity the "fearful symmetry" of the tiger bespeaks; assumedly only a very strong and powerful being could be capable of such a creation.

Background:

"The Tyger" just might be William Blake’s most famous poem. Published in a collection of poems :Songs of Experience in 1794, Blake wrote "The Tyger" during his more radical period. He wrote most of his major works during this time, often railing against oppressive institutions like the church or the monarchy, or any and all cultural traditions –sexist, racist, or classist –which stifled imagination or passion. Blake published an earlier collection of poetry: the Songs of Innocence in 1789. Once Songs of Experience came out five years later, the two were always published together. In general, Songs of Innocence contains idyllic poems, many of which deal with childhood and innocence.

Idyllic poems have pretty specific qualities: they’re usually positive, sometimes extremely happy or optimistic and innocent. They also often take place in pastoral settings :think countryside; springtime; harmless, cute wildlife; sunsets; babbling brooks; wandering bards; fair maidens, and many times praise one or more of these things as subjects. William Blake published the Songs of Experience in 1794, often railing against oppressive institutions like the church or the monarchy, or any and all cultural traditions –sexist, racist, or classist –which stifled imagination or passion. The Songs of Innocence was published in 1789. In general, Songs of Innocence contains idyllic poems, many of which deal with childhood and innocence. Idyllic poems have pretty specific qualities: they’re usually positive, sometimes extremely happy or optimistic and innocent. They also often take place in pastoral settings :think countryside; springtime; harmless, cute wildlife; sunsets; babbling brooks; wandering bards; fair maidens, and many times praise one or more of these things as subjects. The themes of the two collections are extremely different.

Between the songs of innocence and the songs of experience.

The background: The French Revolution

The French revolution is a revolution against the feudalism, it has profound effects on the Britain. It brings the though ts of “liberty”, “equality”, “fraternity”to the English.

After the industrial revolution, the contradictions of the British social class becomes more serious. People found that the industry and technology just brought them with pain instead of happiness. So more and more people became disappointed about the society. That’s why William Blake has changed his writing style during this time.

“anvil music” represents the splendid “making process of the tiger”.

The Tyger, included in Songs of Experience, is one of Blake's best-known poems. It seemingly praises the great power of tiger, but what the tiger symbolizes remains disputable: the power of man? Or the revolutionary force? Or the evil? Or as it is usually interpreted, the Almighty Maker who created both the meek & gentle lamb & the terrible & awesome tiger? The poem is highly symbolic with a touch of mysticism & it is open to various interpretations. The poem contains six quatrains in rhyming couplets & its language is terse & forceful with an anvil rhythm.

The symbolic meanings of the tiger A. Tiger is associated with fire in,firstly, color--- the burning fire is in the color between red and orange, similar to the color of the tiger; secondly,the tiger’s eyes are like flames, and made of flames in the poem. 老虎代表凶猛的力量和保护力,作为百兽之王,自然也象征生命力、活和动物的能量。(方坦纳[英],134)火的象征:火的特征是易冲动,精力充沛、有活力,有探险精神,但有潜在的失控倾向和破坏性。B.The tiger is symbolic of the revolutionary forces(the French people) in the French Revolution to which Blake was a supporter. It could destroy the old system and establish a new one. C. When the stars threw down their spears, And watered heaven with their tears,此二行有更深的象征意义。Blake在长诗The French

Revolution 中(1791),此法国贵族所组成的反革命武力为国王的starry hosts(群星),两诗所作时间相近,正是法国革命激烈展开,获得Blake关注之际,因此此二行可能指反革命的贵族们被革命的人民战败之际。另:此二行另一种解释是老虎眼睛比星光还亮,群星暗淡无光,因此丢掉武器,哭泣不已。3)The theme Literally,Blake is praising the skill and courage of the maker of the tiger, ie., to praise Lord God who created the world. Symbolically,Blake is praising the French Revolution and the violent revolutionary forces. 4) The significance of the contrast between the tiger and the lamb The tiger :ferocious, violent, powerful The lamb:

peaceful, innocent, kind, weak, mild, gentle Blake seeks for balance and harmony in this unbalanced world. Thus to express the dialectic unity of the beautiful and the ugly,the good and the evil,the white and the black in the world. The dialectic ideas are fully shown. 5) Stylistic analysis The form serves the content perfectly. A. The sound effects 1.The rhythm Trochaic: the rhythm reminds the readers of the anvil music,very powerful, as if a blacksmith at work. In general,the poem is written in trochaic tetrameter. The first line, for example,the lack of the unstressed syllable in the last foot makes the reader read the following line in a haste, without a pause. 2.The rhyme alliteration, end rhyme, assonance

Tiger ! |Tiger ! | Burning| Bright 《老虎》第一个诗行以爆破音开头起句突兀、急促是四音步扬抑格这种格律也是本诗的基本节奏。这种一重( )一轻( )的节奏产生的乐音恰好符合铁匠抡锤奋力敲打铁砧的音响效果形成了铁砧乐音(anvil music)。这种节奏一直回旋在诗中与诗中铸造老虎的场面契合完美地负载了“锻造老虎”这一内容.

不同于常规的8 音节四音步扬抑格本诗的7 音节四音步扬抑格行末省掉了一个轻读音节这增添了第四音步的力度也让读者无法停顿就匆匆转入下行去感受铸造者迫不及待地开始新一轮的敲击。《老虎》全诗以四音步扬抑格为基调穿插其中有一些变格。例如第4、10、11、18、20、24 行每行8 个音节基本可划分为四音步抑扬格(iambic tetrameter)将四步扬抑格诗行间隔成几个部分。抑扬格是轻读音节在前后面跟重读音节这种格律较为舒缓类似打铁间隙的缓冲整理。第6 诗节是第1 诗节的重复内容上仅一字之差(dare Vs could)表现的却是以大规模排比形式出现的“what 十四问”之后诗人对老虎赞美之情的升华。在节奏上第6 诗节完全和第1 诗节相同如此回环往复和衷共鸣首尾衔接形成了一个无孔可入的整体老虎这一主题意象的坚不可摧浑然天成表现得淋漓尽致。布莱克的《老虎》神秘莫测多少年来一直吸引人们觅胜探幽。对老虎之象征意义的众多分析中较广为接受的是《老虎》(1793)写于法国大革命(1789)之后纯真善良的天性和支持革命事业的政治倾向使得诗人极可能在借老虎这一意象来代表一种锐不可当的正义力量。如果没有铿锵的铁砧乐音和遍布全诗的爆破音和响亮元音以音配画老虎的威力及铸造场面的盛大就失去了浩荡声势换句话说是音义的完美结合使《老虎》神威赫赫。

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