Two Contrary States of a Human Soul

William Blake, an English poet, painter and printmaker, is nowadays considered one of
the most prominent figures of the Romantic Movement. Songs of Innocence (published
in 1789) and Songs of Experience (published in 1794) are two of his widely-known
poetry volumes. These volumes are meant to be read together as they have several
paired poems, that are generally contrasted, being The Lamb (from Songs of
Innocence) and The Tyger (from Songs of Experience) the most famous example,
because they represent, side by side, “the two contrary states of a human soul”: The
Lamb emphasizes innocence and purity in the world, and The Tyger moral decay and
evil.

In terms of structure, The Lamb is divided into two stanzas of ten lines, and The Tyger,
into six stanzas of four lines. In terms of rhyme, both poems present end rhyme; The
Lamb has five rhyming couplets in each stanza, and The Tyger two rhyming couplets
per stanza, being AABBCCDD and AABB their rhyme schemes, respectively.

The main message of these poems is the significance of God’s power and the existence
of the divine will. Both are very short poems in which the author is narrating, showing
his questioning about “creation and God”. They display the speaker´s amazement about
God’s creation of the gentle lamb and the fiery tiger, respectively, being the use of these
animals and their characteristics clear allusions to good and evil. The creation of the
lamb helps the speaker understand God´s benevolence and creative qualities; on the
other hand, the creation of the tiger helps him to understand the “spiritual revolution and
freedom from falsities”. Moreover, both poems have “wonder” as a common major
theme; however, “innocence” and “excitement” are also present in The Lamb, and “good
versus evil” in The Tyger.

Some of the literary devices that can be found in both poems are: alliteration, when /h/
and /m/ sounds are repeated in “He is meek & he is mild” (The Lamb), and /t/ and /b/
sounds in “Tyger Tyger, burning bright” (The Tyger); imagery, in “Softest clothing wooly
bright” (The Lamb), and in “the forests of the night” (The Tyger); and symbolism, that is
conveyed through “the lamb” and “the child” representing chastity and innocence (The
Lamb), “the Tyger”, evil and beauty, “the forest of the night”, unknown challenges, “the
blacksmith”, the creator, and “the fearful symmetry”, the existence of good and evil (The
Tyger). Additionally, in The Lamb, we can also find allusion in the second stanza
because “the lamb” directly alludes to Christ; and, on the other hand, in The Tyger, we
can find metaphor in “the forests of the night”, personification when the author considers
the stars as humans, and rhetorical questions to emphasize the speaker´s point.

In a nutshell, William Blake’s The Lamb and The Tyger are two paired poems, with a
vivid imagery and clear religious allusions that make readers reflect about “creation and
God”, and the existence of good and evil. The contrast between them is a direct allusion
to “the two contrary states of a human soul”.

Bibliography
Contrast of The Tyger and The Lamb by Blake. (2010, January 22). Retrieved from
MegaEssays.com: https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/5071.html

Gradesaver. (2020, February 1). The Poems of William Blake. Retrieved from
GRADESAVER: https://www.gradesaver.com/the-complete-poems-of-william-
blake/q-and-a/contrast-between-the-tyger-and-the-lamb-132728

J.K. (2003, June 24). How iis The Lamb similar to The Tyger. Retrieved from
Study.com: https://study.com/academy/answer/how-is-the-lamb-similar-to-the-
tyger.html

Literary Analysis of The Lamb. (2019, May 20). Retrieved from Literarydevices.net:
https://literarydevices.net/the-lamb/

Literary Analysis of The Tyger. (2019, March 2o). Retrieved from Literarydevices.net:
https://literarydevices.net/the-tyger/

Name: Elizabeth Hernández Dominguez.

Major: English Language.

Academic Year: 5th