The Tyger, By William Blake

Original
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

First Impression
- This poem from William Blake, is about how the author is "asking" the tiger how he was made. William Blake starts the poem by asking who made the tiger as a whole. As the poem progresses, Blake begins to ask the tiger how each body part was made. Finally, Blake repeats the line "Tyger! Tyger! burning bright/ In the forests of the night,/ What immortal hand or eye/ Dare frame thy fearful symmetry? " The one thing I don't understand is, Who exactly made this tiger?

Paraphrased
Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright
In the forest at night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could make you?

In what distant seas or skies
Made the fire in your eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What hands crafted the fire?

And what shoulders and what art.
Could twist the muscles of your heart?
And when you heart begins to beat.
What terrifying hands? And what terrifying feet?

What the hammer? What the chain
In what furnace was your brain?
What the anvil? What terrifying grasp
Dare your deadly clutch?

When the stars fell from the sky,
And rained on the Earth,
Did he smile when his work saw?
Did the man who made the lamb, make you?

Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright
In the forest at night,
What immortal hand or eyeCould make you?

Syntax and Word Choice
- The poem is broken up into 6 stanzas, with each stanza consisting of about 1-2 sentences. Furthermore, the meter is regular and rhythmtic. The word choice is "semi-modern" English. Blake also uses simple Shakespearean words like thy.
Imagery
- Blake uses burning bright to describe and represent the tiger. The "forging" represents the actual construction of the tiger and how every living thing is made. Furthermore, sentences like "What immortal hand or eye..." and "Did he smile his work to see?" represents Satan or an evil being.
Figurative Language
- Blake compares the tiger's eyes to fire and the construction of the tiger's heart, to twisting and binding the muscles of his heart.
Tone
- The tone that Blake uses in this poem is, intersting and curious. Throughout the poem, Blake questions the tiger's existence. One example of his tone is, In what distant deeps or skies/ Burnt the fire of thine eyes?/ On what wings dare he aspire?/ What the hand dare seize the fire?
Theme
- It is difficult to determine the theme of this poem. The main idea of the poem, however, is to figure out who made the tiger.

Conclusion
- After using SWIFTT on The Tyger, I can conclude that the main reason for Blake writing this poem was for the reader to answer his question of, "Who made the tiger?" Along with posing multiple questions, Blake does a marvelous job of describing the tiger, making this a very well written poem.