The Lamb & the Tyger by William Blake
The Lamb & The Tyger
William Blake
“The Lamb” and “The Tyger” are two different poems written by William Blake, the first taken from the Songs of Innocence and the second taken from the Songs of Experience. Both poems follow an A-A-B-B rhyme scheme and both focus on the topic of religion. Many sources have recommended the reading of the two poems together and I, myself, found that it was an experiment worth trying.
When I first read “The Lamb” I was sure that it would be a poem with Jesus himself as the main character. This is because of my background in Christianity, as I have been apart of a Baptist church for over 5 years now. After all the alternative name for Jesus Christ is the lamb so my mistake here seems reasonable. However, as I read I discovered that the narrator was simply talking to a Lamb. I could not accept that this connection with Christ was not intentional however and as I read on, the connection between the two characters is unified. The poem mainly focuses on the narrator speaking to a lamb, asking it questions about its very existence, and then answering it in the second half.
This poem starts out with the question of “Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?” This is a question that refers back to the most basic principle in the bible, “God made the heavens and the earth and all the animals who roam the earth.” It is also a question that most missionaries will begin with when they are sharing the gospel, that “god made you and has a plan for you.” This Lamb, like every person on this planet, is shown as something that searches for meaning in his existence, trying to figure out the reason for his existence.
The poem continues with more questions from the narrator, asking the Lamb if he knew who gave him life, lets him feed, gave him clothing and a voice. By asking this the narrator is indirectly asking him, “Do you know who takes care of you?” This question could easily be answered by “the sheep boy” or “the
William Blake
“The Lamb” and “The Tyger” are two different poems written by William Blake, the first taken from the Songs of Innocence and the second taken from the Songs of Experience. Both poems follow an A-A-B-B rhyme scheme and both focus on the topic of religion. Many sources have recommended the reading of the two poems together and I, myself, found that it was an experiment worth trying.
When I first read “The Lamb” I was sure that it would be a poem with Jesus himself as the main character. This is because of my background in Christianity, as I have been apart of a Baptist church for over 5 years now. After all the alternative name for Jesus Christ is the lamb so my mistake here seems reasonable. However, as I read I discovered that the narrator was simply talking to a Lamb. I could not accept that this connection with Christ was not intentional however and as I read on, the connection between the two characters is unified. The poem mainly focuses on the narrator speaking to a lamb, asking it questions about its very existence, and then answering it in the second half.
This poem starts out with the question of “Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?” This is a question that refers back to the most basic principle in the bible, “God made the heavens and the earth and all the animals who roam the earth.” It is also a question that most missionaries will begin with when they are sharing the gospel, that “god made you and has a plan for you.” This Lamb, like every person on this planet, is shown as something that searches for meaning in his existence, trying to figure out the reason for his existence.
The poem continues with more questions from the narrator, asking the Lamb if he knew who gave him life, lets him feed, gave him clothing and a voice. By asking this the narrator is indirectly asking him, “Do you know who takes care of you?” This question could easily be answered by “the sheep boy” or “the