Topic > Critical Appreciation of the Tiger by William Blake

Within line 7, Blake mentions “wings” which symbolize the greatness and power behind the act of creating (“The Tiger”). In the fourth stanza, Blake uses the metaphor of a forge by mentioning a hammer, a chain, a furnace, and an anvil which represents creation itself, because the tools mentioned are usually used by a forge, which creates tools from hot metal (" The Tyger"). This comparison to a forge indicates that the act of creating the tiger was intentional. A smithy creates tools, with the intention of using or selling them later. Developing this metaphor in "The Tyger", Blake indicates that the creation of the tiger fulfilled the Creator's purpose, but led Blake to ask why? In “The Tyger,” William Blake conveys an attitude mixed with wonder and inquisition. From start to finish, Blake asks a significant amount of questions directed at the tiger. Blake seems amazed by the very concept of creation, so he asks an animal if it knows anything. For this reason the reader is sucked into it, adopts the same feelings of wonder and inquisition, and strives to discover the same secret that Blake strives to discover. Overall, the theme is illustrated through the particular questions posed by the author, Blake. “Did he smile as he looked at his work? / Did he who made the Lamb make you?” ("The Tiger"). Using the method of asking an animal, which cannot answer, a series of questions helps create the illusion that the poem is about William Blake's thought process. He is trying to discover the secret of the tiger and the origin behind its creation through the verses he has put time and effort into. Since all questions relate to who forged the tiger, the theme centers on the concept of creation itself, where Blake adopted a more unique way of viewing creation; he questioned him.