Tone

Tone:
“The Lamb” by William Blake

Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed,
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee? Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!

The tone of “The Lamb” is that of meekness and gentility, a tone that brings comfort to the reader. Not only is the subject of the poem, the lamb, an example of an animal that is, in character, rather meek and gentle, but the physical attributes of a lamb are also gentle, soft, and comforting. It has a white color, soft wool, and delicate lines that make up an innocent face. The white color itself evokes thoughts of holiness and innocence. The lamb is placed in surroundings that are also comforting. A “stream” rather than a river is used as the location where the lamb drinks. The idea of the lamb, as seen by the speaker, is one that makes “all the vales rejoice”. The idea of a lamb brings great peace and comfort to everyone. The lamb is likened to a child, a being of innocence, one that is incapable of doing harm to anything or anyone. At the end of the poem, the speaker asks that “Little Lamb, God bless thee!”. The acceptance of the speaker towards the lamb enables the reader to also be accepting of the lamb. By accepting the lamb, the reader further gains the feeling of innocence and peaceful comfort.

“The Tyger” by William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

The tone of “The Tyger” is that of fear and the unknown. Throughout the poem, the speaker questions the tiger and from where and how it was originally brought to life. The first question the speaker asks is “what immortal hand or eye/ could frame thy fearful symmetry?”. Such a question, one that suggests an immortal being, likens the creator to the devil or some other satanic being. As the speaker continues to question the existence of the tiger, he ponders how one would be capable of creating such a beast as the tiger. The objects that the speaker relates to the creating of the tiger are rather rough objects that are used for rough and dangerous purposes. A “hammer”, “chain”, “furnace”, and “anvil” are believed by the speaker to have a part in the making of a tiger. The speaker then asks: “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”. When read alongside Blake's “The Lamb”, the reader understands the opposite natures of the two animals. By adding the element of the Lamb into the poem, the reader feels just how horrible a tiger is by visualizing the opposite natures of the two animals, furthering the fearful tone of “The Tyger”. Another element of the poem that likens to fear is that of the home of the tiger: “the forests of the night”. Forests and night time separately bring about fearful thoughts. Together, however, the two elements combine to form an extremely fearful setting. The very last question of the poem repeats the first question that the speaker asked about the tiger. However, by changing the word “could” to “dare”, the speaker evokes thoughts of hatred towards the creator of the tiger for bringing such an unwanted and feared creature into the world.

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