The Tiger Flashcards
summary
it is poem about a tiger who is walking through a forest and the speaker wondering about the creator who is responsible for such a fearsome creature as the tiger and how he can create an innocent lamb, but such a scary creature too. It is about questioning the unknown
He considers the tiger to be the epitome of all creative power
structure and form
-formed of 6 quatrains, written in rhyming couplets with a regular rhythmic beat
-this regular but rhythmic beat could be mimicking the hammering and pounding thud of the hammer or the measured pad of the tiger
-the poem is symmetrical, like the tiger
-strict form could also show the speaker trying to make order in a world of unanswered chaos
Tyger, Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night’
-directly addressing the tiger with repetition sounds like chanting with the foregrounding making it the subject of the poem
-alliterative metaphor creates rhythm while emphasising the beauty of the tiger
-burning suggests destruction which could link to power
-‘forests of the night’ is quite elusive and mysterious imagery
-the fact he is bright in the dark shows he has power and does not require camouflage
‘What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?’
-there are 11 rhetorical questions within the poem which are all questioning gods existence and and creation
-hand or eye links to creation and knowledge
-it shows the human desire to learn about the creator
‘Did he who made the Lamb make thee?’
-the speaker is wondering how a creator could make such an innocent lamb but also a fearsome tiger. this deals with the issue of evil and suffering surrounding the creator
‘dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
-first verse is repeated putting emphasis on the speakers desire and questioning
-could is changed to dare which suggests risks outweigh the act itself. it paints the creator in a brave and courageous light
