Question
Read the poem.
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 seize the fire?
And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And, when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and 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? Which lines best develop the theme that the poet is unsure of who created something as beautiful and fearful as the tiger?
Responses
"What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
"What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
"Tyger, tyger, burning bright / In the forests of the night,"
"Tyger, tyger, burning bright / In the forests of the night,"
"When the stars threw down their spears, / And watered heaven with their tears,"
"When the stars threw down their spears, / And watered heaven with their tears,"
"And, when thy heart began to beat, / What dread hand and what dread feet?"
"And, when thy heart began to beat, / What dread hand and what dread feet?"
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 seize the fire?
And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And, when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and 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? Which lines best develop the theme that the poet is unsure of who created something as beautiful and fearful as the tiger?
Responses
"What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
"What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
"Tyger, tyger, burning bright / In the forests of the night,"
"Tyger, tyger, burning bright / In the forests of the night,"
"When the stars threw down their spears, / And watered heaven with their tears,"
"When the stars threw down their spears, / And watered heaven with their tears,"
"And, when thy heart began to beat, / What dread hand and what dread feet?"
"And, when thy heart began to beat, / What dread hand and what dread feet?"
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The lines that best develop the theme that the poet is unsure of who created something as beautiful and fearful as the tiger are:
"What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
These lines express the speaker's wonder and uncertainty regarding the creator of the tiger, highlighting the paradox of its beauty and fearfulness. They encapsulate the central question of the poem about the nature of creation, particularly pertaining to such a powerful and awe-inspiring creature.
"What immortal hand or eye / Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
These lines express the speaker's wonder and uncertainty regarding the creator of the tiger, highlighting the paradox of its beauty and fearfulness. They encapsulate the central question of the poem about the nature of creation, particularly pertaining to such a powerful and awe-inspiring creature.