My impression from the tyger poem

The Tyger: Annotation 1

When first reading the poem The Tyger by William Blake, it is hard to tell if the poem is referring to an actual tiger. The first stanza opens up with a repetition of “ Tyger! Tyger!” which somewhat sounds like a shout, and sets the mood for the rest of the poem. The shouting could maybe even be seen as a warning. The rest of the stanza uses words like “ immortal” and “ fearful” which goes to make readers question if the author is referring to a tiger or more of a higher being. The word fearful also makes the Tyger seem powerful and adds to the overall mystery.

In the second stanza, it sounds like there is a question of where the Tyger came from. The words “ distant deeps or skies” makes it sound like the Tyger is from a far away or possibly other worldly place. The next two lines seem to bring in another character, but still remains mysterious. The speaker refers to this second character as “ he,” which may be assumed as the creator of the Tyger. A hand is also brought up, which I assume belongs to said “ he.” If the Tyger was created by someone’s hand, it sounds like this creator is in some way divine. “ He” seems to have some sort of Godly power to create something like the Tyger.

The next stanza seems to go back to the creator of the Tyger. It questions what kind of strength or creativity it would take to create the Tyger by asking what shoulder and art it takes. Again, going back to the possibility of the Tyger’s creator being Godly or unearthly. Mystery is still one of the main themes of the poem because so much about the Tyger is still unknown. The end of the stanza takes a slightly different turn. When it refers to a heart starting to beat, the word dread appears twice. I think this sounds like when the Tyger comes to life, all fear it. The beginning of the poem made the Tyger sound very powerful and definitely a force to be reckoned with. Along with this appearance of fear comes the mystery of what the Tyger is and where the Tyger came from.

The fourth stanza is still going on about the creation of the Tyger. I think that when the hammer and chain are mentioned, there is speculation about maybe those were tools used to create the Tyger. It then goes on to talk about a furnace which sounds like a reference to someone who creates things with a furnace like a blacksmith or a metallurgist. The next line speaks of an anvil, which goes again to maybe say that the Tyger was created with tools. Maybe this is alluding to the fact that the Tyger was created like a machine. This could refer to the fact that the Tyger is as strong as a machine, if not stronger. The end of this stanza brings back the word dread, which was repeated in the last stanza. The word dread and the last line bring a scarier and more mysterious vibe back.

The fifth stanza sounds slightly religious. There is mention of heaven, going back to the original thought of divinity in the poem. Also the word “ he” is brought back, talking about the Tyger’s creator. Especially in this stanza, the “ he” sounds like God. The last line alludes the biblical symbol for Jesus Christ, the lamb. I think that the author is making a comparison here by wondering how someone who created such a gentle creature, the lamb, could also create something so mysteriously fear-inducing. Both creatures show different power, but also divinity.

The final stanza is a repetition of the first stanza. The only difference between the two stanzas is that the word “ could” from the first is changed to “ dare” in the last. This change in words is definitely deliberately done and carries a message. I think that it starts out with more of a wondering of who has the capability to create such a creature but the final stanza goes back and says who would want to create the Tyger, something so mysterious. The speaker makes it sound like creating the Tyger would be taking a risk, because not even the creator knows what the Tyger could be capable of with the power it beholds.