Rationalism And William Blakes The Lamb And The Tiger

In the 18th century the works of literature during this time were rationalist writings. Many writers during this time were neoclassic or rationalist writers, which are the same type of writers. Authors that were rationalist writers created works that were more reasonable, made generalizations about the world, satiric and more. They tended to stay away from bringing literature into their writing. However, William Blake did not take the approach of a rationalist writer when he wrote the two poems The Lamb and The Tiger. These poems both are tied to God and make biblical references. Blake shows the contrast between these two poems by having The Lamb based off innocence and The Tiger based off of fear and losing one’s innocence. In The Lamb†¦show more content†¦Since the little lamb is learning of is origins it shows the lambs innocence from the lack of knowledge of how it is cared for. In the poem The Tiger, the author illustrates how there is a loss of innocence in the in the speaker. Blake has the speaker asking questions to the Creator. All of the questions asked are out of fear from seeing the tiger. The imagery used in the poem shows how the dangerous and terrifying that speaker, â€Å"Tiger Tiger, burning bright† and â€Å"Burnt the fire of thine eyes† (Blake). Not only does it describe the tiger as something to be scared of but also the fire within the eyes of the tiger makes the speaker even more fearful. The speaker continues to ask the Creator about the tiger out of fear. The reader knows that the speaker has lost their innocence when, â€Å"Did he smile his work to see?/Did he who made the Lamb make thee?† (Blake). In the first line the speaker questions how his Creator could have made a beast and be proud of it. The speaker then asks in confusion how his Creator could have made a gentle and innocent lamb like himself and also make the tiger, that is a beast to fear. The speaker began asking who could have created th is beast, then asks about the details of it to then ask how his Creator could make two things completely different from each other. Blake makes these two poems with some similarities, to connect them, and with differences to illustrate how innocence is loss.Show MoreRelatedThe Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay1758 Words   |  8 Pages William Blake, a unique poet of the literary canon, is one of the most critiqued poets of all time. Having a rather unique stylistic approach to topics, especially religion, Blake seems to contradict himself in his own writing and, therefore, sparks questions in the readers’ minds on specific subjects. Two of his poems in particular have been widely critiqued and viewed in various lights. â€Å"The Tyger,† written in 1774, and â€Å"The Lamb,† written five years later in 1789, are considered companion poems