The Tyger

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1794

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Historical Context

At the end of the 1700s, the Industrial Revolution was beginning to dominate and change the landscape of the world. This period was a transition from ancient methods of transportation, energy, and manufacturing to modern technological advances that involved steam and waterpower, machine tools, and mechanized factories. Because of the increasing convenience of these technologies, population growth soared, and the world was forever and permanently changed. By the 18th century, the technological advancements allowed Britain to become the world’s leading commercial and colonial empire. The impact of the Industrial Revolution cannot be overstated; almost every aspect of daily life was affected. Overall, living standards increased and people had greater access to goods and services than ever before.

In addition to the massive innovations in technology that were taking place during this period, the end of the 1700s also marked the Age of Enlightenment, which was an intellectual and philosophical movement concerned with reason, evidence, and scientific rationalization. The Enlightenment was concerned with resurrecting classic forms like those of the Renaissance and Classical Greece and Rome, and often undermined the authority of religion as a governing force. The philosophies that emerged during this period influenced and paved the way for both the American and French revolutions, offering new ideas about liberty, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Blake’s work represents the first reaction against the ideals of the Enlightenment and the rise of industry and technology, pushing the canon of literature and art in a new direction, and spawning the beginnings of the Romantic movement. While “The Tyger” is an example of early Romantic work, the impact of the Industrial Revolution is a defining aspect of the poem, as the speaker compares God to an ironworker toiling over the forge. Blake would have been familiar with these images as he spent most of his life in London where the Industrial Revolution began. Blake’s poetry was ahead of his time and inspired other Romantics to follow him, prioritizing and privileging emotion and the pure sanctuary of nature.

Literary Context

William Blake is considered one of the early key figures and founders of Romanticism, a movement that began in the late 1700s and reached its peak between 1800 and 1850. Romanticism emphasized emotion and individuality, often glorifying nature and the medieval as opposed to civilization and the classical. Although its name is misleading, Romanticism does not reflect the genre’s preoccupation with romance or love. Instead, Romanticism as a movement was a cultural reaction to the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, both of which were in full swing during the time that “The Tyger” was written in the late 1790s. Because the Enlightenment was so concerned with reason and scientific rationalization, artists and writers involved in the Romantic movement focused their artistic pursuits on aesthetics and emotions, specifically fear, awe, and terror. For example, “The Tyger” conjures awe and terror at both the creature of the tiger and God as the creator.

The Romantics prioritized imagination and creativity, seeking to free themselves from classical and logical ideologies about art and society that were so prevalent during the Age of Enlightenment. Romantic writers explored the sublime aesthetics of nature and therefore privileged free expression that seemed to come naturally from the artist. The favoring of emotional experience and the imagination is prominent in “The Tyger,” as the speaker spends the entirety of the poem in a state of creative imagination, inventing details of the tiger’s creation in his head and exploring these made-up images as if they were real. The poem is also an emotional appeal about the imagined creator and his creation; the speaker never fails to clarify his feelings and emotions about the tiger. Even the speaker’s emotions align with the Romantic endeavor without flaw, as the speaker feels a deep existential fear and awe that is almost beyond his extensive imagination.