The Tyger: Structure & Language Techniques

Structure

Uses a series of questions to create a sense of curiosity and inquiry.
Refrains to mirror rhythmic quality of nursery rhymes and folk songs, highlighting the paradox of the Tyger as a dangerous yet beautiful creature.
The poem consists of six quatrains, revealing an underlying symmetry that mirrors the balanced dichotomy of good and evil, beauty and ferocity of the Tyger.

Language Techniques

Repetition: Used effectively throughout the poem, particularly with the phrase ‘Tyger Tyger, burning bright’ in the opening and closing stanzas, which beautifully encapsulates Blake’s fascination with the animal.
Alliteration: Evident in phrases like ‘burning bright’ and ‘deadly terrors.’ This poetic device contributes to the rhythm and musical quality of the poem.
Imagery: Powerful and vivid imagery is used to evoke the compelling and terrifying beauty of the Tyger. ‘In what distant deeps or skies, Burnt the fire of thine eyes?’
Use of Metaphor in ‘immortal hand or eye’ suggesting the tyger’s creator.
Symbolism: The Tyger itself is a symbol of the predatory, destructive nature of the world and the mysterious, terrifying beauty of the creation.

Key Quotes

‘What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?’ This quote addresses the creator of the Tyger, contemplating the duality of its existence.

Remember, poetic devices such as alliteration, symbolism, and metaphor are not just decoration, they are used by Blake to create a deeper level of understanding within the reader and further analyze and question the dual existence of the Tyger.