Thursday, February 4, 2010

Noticings on Blake


So I've been thinking about Blake's poem "the Tiger" for a while now. This is what came to mind.
There is a direct relationship that exists between a creator and its creation. In William Blake’s Poem, “The Tyger,” the idea of placing responsibility in the hands of the maker is explored. Through the use of symbols the author is able to craft a literary piece that reflects how all goodness stems from the seeds of a loving and nurturing maker just as all evil is derived from negative influences. This poem suggests that the outcome of every creation depends upon the nourishment that is provided by its creator.
In this poem, the tiger is introduced as a being that breeds despair. The tiger is described to be “in the forest of the night.“ Such an assertion implies that the tiger, in this case a symbol of a dangerous predator, is most powerful when he surrounded by darkness because this is when he is “burning bright.” Initailly, the narrator is caught up in his curiosity of finding out who had created the tiger. He questions, “What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” This line emphasizes the speakers sincere desire to know who could have been motivated to create a being that is the very emblem of what society perceives to be as evil. The anxiety of the speaker is heightened as the poem discloses goes on without clearly disclosing who or what were the intentions of the tigers creator. The only lasting and understandable aspect that prevails in these first lines is that the tiger is a creature to be feared. Also, that as a feared creature, the “imoortal hand” that crafted his character, and his very being is the main contributor to the danger her inflicts. Though the nurturer, or the maker of the tiger is not identified, the attributes that stand out in the tiger are a reflection of his source of direction.
As the poem continues, the anxiety of the is intensified and the responsibility of the maker is emphasized. Creation is looked through a different light in this text. This poem portrays the act of creating to be a dark and mysterious process. The creator is also associated with tools such as hammers, and chains and a furnace. These words provided specific connotation to a mechanic and unnatural form of creating. Thus, this provides a contrast to the romanticist ideal that nature is spontaneous. By directly claiming that the tiger was synthesized in a harsh an twisted manner that left no room for extending delicate, and
natural processes to occur, the author is also suggesting that the tiger is a mechanism built in the likeness of a similar maker. However, in the fourth stanza, the narrator asks, “Did He who made the lamb make thee?” Just as the tiger represents the rawness of evil, the lamb symbolizes the simplistic humility of a creature made in the likeness of a kind and caring creator. Thus, this ultimately indicates that a maker is responsible for the outcome of its creation. Blake makes a transformation in the wording of his sentences. Though he initially seeks for answers using the word “what” as a question prompt, in the last three stanzas, he uses the word “Dare” to highlight that the creator of the tiger has challenged stability by constructing a creature capable of destruction. The progression of this poem works well to show how the presence of despair can be related to the motives of a creator.
In the end of the poem, readers are still unclear as to who
was precisely responsible for the tiger’s creation. This notion of ambiguity develops the idea that each creation can simply be identified by the good or the bad their actions are able to produce. In essence, the deeds of anyone creation are reflective of their creator. In the case of the tiger, his name is marred because in general he is perceived to be a predator and a stimulant of evil. The example of the tiger in this poem exclusively portrays how each being and creation can be identified by its maker or the hands that nourish it.