In most cases, poems written by the same author often display similar themes. The author usually focuses on one particular topic or idea and strongly states it in his writings. Sometimes, poets use aspects of their own lives as a basis for their poetry. In William Blake’s “The Lamb” and “The Tyger”, the author utilizes similar themes in both.Blake’s poems often dealt with religious topics. “He was a libertarian obsessed with God…a Christian who hated the church.” (Kazin, p.3) In Blake’s “The Lamb”, he discusses many points that question creation and religion. To Blake, the lamb represents innocence and fragility. His description of the lamb states “Gave thee clothing of Delight – Softest clothing, wooly, bright; - Gave thee such a tender voice”. (Knopf, p.19) “Blake develops an elaborate personal mythology that underlies virtually all symbolism and ideas in his work” (Shilstone, p.223) Blake wrote this poem as though he was speaking directly to the lamb. He asks it, “Dost thou know who made thee? – I a child & thou a lamb, –We are called by his name” (Knopf, p.19) At the time it was written, these lines probably held little or no significance. However, today, we see that Blake’s phrasing brought much religious significance to the poem. If you recall, Baby Jesus is referred to as “The Lamb of God”.With that in mind, what Blake says can be interpreted in various ways. As stated before, “He was a libertarian obsessed with God…a Christian who hated the church.” (Kazin, p.3) Yet Blake refers to the entity that created the lamb as the entity that by which he himself was created. What was Blake trying to say here? Did he feel that his being and life were just as symbolic of that of the “lamb” or Baby Jesus’ life? Or did he think that he would be rec...
