During the initial reading, the first thing that I've noticed in The Lamb is the gentleness which envelopes the entire poem. There's meekness and peace; a feeling of serenity. An idea about the lamb being Jesus Christ, for He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, had also crossed my head. On the other hand, reading The Tyger for the 1st time, the words such as fire, dread, terror, and spears caught my attention. Curiosity was aroused upon seeing that this poem is full of clamor and turmoil.
With these ideas in mind, I abruptly considered these poems contradictory.
But, is that really so?
The Songs of Innocence and of Experience are series of poems showing us how we view the world at each phase of life. They are, as what Blake put it, "Showing the contrary states of Human Soul". However, the word contrary must not be taken per se, symmetry and complementarity must also be taken into consideration. The two poems, The Lamb and The Tyger, embodied the seemingly opposing perspectives of the world and of life. His poems juxtapose the simple and the blemish free life of a child against the bruised and corrupted world of grown up. While The Lamb reflected purity, The Tyger radiated dark forces. These two states of nature are not to be seen independently because they are supplementary. They present the fuller view of life. It is not always full of joy but not full of sorrow either. You can never understand the true essence of one if you are not going to consider the other. We can never be considered experienced if we haven't gone through innocence because for you to become everything you must start from being nothing. As we notice in life, it is always in equilibrium.
With these ideas in mind, I abruptly considered these poems contradictory.
But, is that really so?
The Songs of Innocence and of Experience are series of poems showing us how we view the world at each phase of life. They are, as what Blake put it, "Showing the contrary states of Human Soul". However, the word contrary must not be taken per se, symmetry and complementarity must also be taken into consideration. The two poems, The Lamb and The Tyger, embodied the seemingly opposing perspectives of the world and of life. His poems juxtapose the simple and the blemish free life of a child against the bruised and corrupted world of grown up. While The Lamb reflected purity, The Tyger radiated dark forces. These two states of nature are not to be seen independently because they are supplementary. They present the fuller view of life. It is not always full of joy but not full of sorrow either. You can never understand the true essence of one if you are not going to consider the other. We can never be considered experienced if we haven't gone through innocence because for you to become everything you must start from being nothing. As we notice in life, it is always in equilibrium.
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