Industrial Revolution Symbolism and Social Commentary
Here's where Blake gets really clever - the tiger represents the Industrial Revolution itself. Just as tigers prey on weaker animals, the industrial age created a harsh social hierarchy where the powerful exploited the vulnerable.
Blake uses specific industrial language to make this connection clear. Words like "chain," "furnace," and "anvil" create a semantic field of industry, linking the tiger's creation to factory machinery. The plosive sounds (hard 'd' sounds) emphasise the tiger's dangerous power, mirroring the violence of industrial change.
Interestingly, Blake also shows admiration for the tiger's beauty. He uses apostrophe (speaking directly to the tiger) and describes it using nature imagery like "skies," "fire," and "forests." Even the archaic spelling of "Tyger" suggests something special and original.
Blake lived through both the Industrial Revolution and French Revolution, witnessing massive social upheaval. The tiger symbolises this period's mixture of progress and suffering - beautiful yet terrifying, powerful yet destructive.
Remember: The tiger isn't just an animal in this poem - it's Blake's symbol for the dangerous, beautiful, and morally complex modern world he lived in.