The Difference Between a Lamb and a Tyger.
William Blake's poems "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" are from his collection of poems "The Songs of Innocence" and "The Songs of Experience". "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" although similar can be contrasted by looking at the tone, imagery, and word choice. "The Lamb" shows innocence of life. However, "The Tyger" shows the evil and the experience of life. .
The tone in "The Lamb" is very soft and gentle, it is much like a nursery rhyme. In lines 1-3 Blake writes "Little Lamb, who made thee?/ Dost thou know who made thee?/ Give thee life & bid thee feed," (Lines 1-3). Even at the end of the poem Blake writes "Little Lamb God bless thee" (Line20). It seems as if Blake is writing nursery rhyme or a child's Bible story. "The Lamb" is very sweet and innocent. .
The tone in "The Tyger" is the very opposite of "The Lamb". The tone is forceful, evil ,and scary. The tone is very much like a rap song. For example in the first few lines Blake writes " Tyger, Tyger! Burning bright / In the forests of the night," (Lines 1-2). They are very blunt and forceful. Through out the whole poem Blake is very forceful with the tone. For Example Blake writes "What the hammer? What the chain?/ in what furnace was they brain?" (Lines 13 and 14).
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The Imagery in "The Lamb" is soft, happy, and bright. In lines 5 and 6, Blake .
writes " Gave thee clothing delight,/ Softest clothing wooly and bright;". Blake is implying that the clothing is soft and happy. Blake also makes reference to Jesus Christ in lines 14 -16, "For he calls himself a Lamb;/He is meek & he is mild,/ He became a child;". Blake gives the allusion of Jesus Christ to show the tender and caring side of things.
In "The Tyger", Blake uses the imagery of fire, evil, and weapons. The images are very dark and fearful. In lines 5-6 Blake writes, " In what distant deeps or skies/ Burnt the fire of thine eyes?". He also writes in the second line about "The forests of the night" (Line2) and in line 17 " Stars threw down their spears".
