A. Match the poetic expressions in the poem by Wordsworth and excerpts from three other poems with short notes on them given below.

 

My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold — -William Wordsworth
My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky!
So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.

 

Because I could not stop for death -Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death-
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality…..
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess in the Ring-
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- We passed the Setting Sun-

 

To the Moon -Percy Bysshe Shelly
Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth, Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth-

Ah Sun-flower -William Blake
Ah Sun-flower! weary of time, Who countest the steps of the Sun: Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveller’s journey is done;

 

 

To the Moon

• Symbolism: The moon symbolizes loneliness and one-sided love.
• Description: The poet describes the moon as “wandering companionless,” and the tone of the poem becomes heavier with words like “weariness” and “joyless,” aligning with the symbolism of a lonely moon.

Ah Sun-flower

• Symbolism: The poet uses sunflowers to represent people.
• Description: People sometimes grow weary as life progresses. Blake uses the sunflower and the sun to symbolize life. Weary sunflowers count the hours of sunlight, while weary people trudge towards the end of their lives.

Because I Could Not Stop for Death

• Symbolism: The carriage symbolizes the journey from life to death.
• Description: It picks up people marked by death for their passage to the afterlife. The poem describes three stages of life using the symbols of school (childhood), grain fields (youth), and the setting sun (old age and death).

My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold

• Symbolism: The rainbow symbolizes childlike wonder.
• Description: When the poet sees a rainbow in the sky, it is not just a beautiful sight but also a symbol of his enduring childlike awe. The poet maintains his sense of wonder by appreciating the beauty of nature and encourages others to do the same.

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B. Poets and novelists often age symbols to invest objects with a larger meaning or to represent an abstract thought, idea or concept by something concrete. Now find out symbols in the following cxcerpts and state what they stand for.

 

“Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”
— Percy Bysshe Shelley

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.”
— William Shakespeare

“He is meek and he is mild,
He became a little child.”
— William Blake

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
— Robert Frost

 

“In the sun barn over and over,
I run my heedless ways,
My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades,
That time allows in all his tuneful turning
So few and such morning songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace.”
— Dylan Thomas

 

Answer:

 

Here are the symbols in the excerpts and their meanings:

1. Percy Bysshe Shelley: “Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”
   • Symbols:
     • Winter: Represents hardship, stagnation, or despair.
     • Spring: Symbolizes renewal, hope, and rebirth.
   • Meaning: The transition from Winter to Spring symbolizes the inevitability of positive change following difficult times. The poet suggests that after periods of adversity (Winter), renewal and hope (Spring) are bound to come.
2. William Shakespeare: “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.”
   • Symbols:
     • Stage: Represents life or the world as a performance.
     • Players: Symbolize people or human beings.
     • Seven ages: Refer to the stages of human life (infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age, etc.).
   • Meaning: Shakespeare uses the stage as a metaphor for life, suggesting that people are actors playing various roles throughout their lives, which can be divided into seven stages or phases.
3. William Blake: “He is meek and he is mild, He became a little child.”
   • Symbols:
     • Meek and mild: Represent qualities of gentleness, humility, and innocence.
     • Little child: Symbolizes purity, innocence, and the spiritual rebirth or humility associated with childhood.
   • Meaning: The symbols reflect the qualities of Jesus Christ or a Christ-like figure, emphasizing the virtues of humility and innocence, and the idea of spiritual renewal through childlike qualities.
4. Robert Frost: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”
   • Symbols:
     • Woods: Represent mystery, the unknown, or a place of contemplation.
     • Promises to keep: Symbolize responsibilities or commitments.
     • Miles to go before I sleep: Symbolize the journey or tasks remaining before death (sleep).
   • Meaning: The woods symbolize the allure of unknown or tempting distractions, but the speaker must focus on fulfilling commitments (promises) and continue their journey (miles) before reaching the end of life (sleep).
5. Dylan Thomas: “In the sun barn over and over, I run my heedless ways, My wishes raced through the house high hay And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, That time allows in all his tuneful turning So few and such morning songs Before the children green and golden Follow him out of grace.”
   • Symbols:
     • Sun barn: Represents a place of warmth and nostalgia, perhaps childhood or a simpler time.
     • Heedless ways: Symbolize careless or unreflective behavior.
     • Sky blue trades: Could symbolize aspirations or idealistic pursuits.
     • Children green and golden: Represent youth and innocence, and perhaps the passage of time.
   • Meaning: The symbols reflect a nostalgic view of the past and a sense of carelessness associated with youth. The reference to children and their green and golden attributes symbolizes the fleeting nature of innocence and the inevitable passage of time.

 

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C. Read the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake and answer the questions that follow.

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet, painter, and engraver. His poetry is as delightful as it is challenging, and its wide appeal ranges from the cadence of his lullaby-like songs to the troubling prospects of the lapsed soul and the stormy music of his prophetic works. Of these, Songs of Innocence and Experience depicts two basically opposite states of the human soul. Blake is regarded as the forerunner of the Romantic poets and as a passionate rebel against the social injustice of his time.

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The Tyger
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
Bumt 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? 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 water’d heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to sec?
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?

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Answer the Questions

a) What does the ‘tygex’ stand for?
b) What is the “tyger’ compared with? Why?
c) Explain what the poet means when he asks “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”
d) What state of human soul is presented in this poem?
6) Whose smile has been referred to in stanza five?

 

 

Answer:

Here are the answers to the questions about the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake:

a) What does the ‘Tyger’ stand for?

The ‘Tyger’ in the poem stands for a powerful and fearsome force of creation. It symbolizes both the sublime and terrifying aspects of existence. The Tyger represents the darker, more formidable aspects of the divine or creative power that created the world, contrasting with the innocence and gentleness symbolized by the Lamb.

b) What is the “Tyger” compared with? Why?

The “Tyger” is compared with several things throughout the poem:

• A forge: The Tyger is described as being forged in a “furnace” or “forge,” suggesting its creation involved intense and fiery energy.
• A celestial body: It is compared to a “burning bright” star, emphasizing its fiery and awe-inspiring nature.
• A fearful symmetry: This phrase underscores the Tyger’s intricate and terrifying beauty, suggesting that its fearsome qualities are part of a larger, mysterious order or design.

These comparisons highlight the Tyger’s majestic and menacing qualities, stressing the paradox of its beauty and ferocity.

c) Explain what the poet means when he asks “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”

When Blake asks, “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” he is questioning whether the same creator responsible for the innocent and gentle Lamb (a symbol of purity and peace) is also responsible for creating the fearsome and powerful Tyger. This rhetorical question emphasizes the contrast between innocence and terror and explores the nature of the divine creator’s power and intentions.

d) What state of the human soul is presented in this poem?

The poem presents a state of awe and existential questioning regarding the nature of creation and the divine. It reflects on the duality of existence—combining beauty with terror, innocence with ferocity. This duality represents the complexities and contradictions within the human soul and the larger existential questions about creation and the divine.

e) Whose smile has been referred to in stanza five?

In stanza five, the smile referred to is likely that of the creator or divine being who made the Tyger. The smile symbolizes the divine pleasure or approval in the act of creation, highlighting the mystery and potentially the pleasure behind the creation of such a powerful and awe-inspiring creature.

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D. Prepare a flow chart with the symbols used in the poem.

Tyger ⇒ 1⇒2⇒3⇒

 

Answer:

Here’s a flow chart depicting the symbols used in the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake:

1. Tyger
   • Symbolizes: Fearsome power, awe-inspiring force of creation, dark aspects of the divine
2. Forge/Furnace
   • Represents: The intense, fiery process of creation
3. Celestial Body (e.g., a star)
   • Symbolizes: The Tyger’s burning brightness, its sublime and majestic nature
4. Fearful Symmetry
   • Represents: The intricate, mysterious order and balance in the Tyger’s terrifying beauty
5. Creator’s Smile
   • Symbolizes: The divine pleasure or approval in the act of creating the Tyger

This flow chart illustrates how various symbols in the poem contribute to the overall depiction of the Tyger and its creator.

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E. Discuss the different ideas expressed in the poem with your partner, and then summarize them.

 

Answer:

In William Blake’s poem “The Tyger,” several profound ideas are explored:

1. The Nature of Creation: The poem reflects on the nature of creation, specifically the creation of the Tyger, a symbol of fearsome power and beauty. Blake questions how such a majestic and terrifying creature could be created by the same deity who made the innocent Lamb. This juxtaposition raises questions about the nature of divine creation and the existence of both good and evil.
2. The Awe of the Tyger: The Tyger represents an awe-inspiring force, embodying both beauty and terror. Blake uses powerful imagery to convey the Tyger’s fearsome nature and the sublime quality of its creation. The Tyger’s “fearful symmetry” symbolizes the complexity and grandeur of the divine.
3. The Creative Process: Blake explores the intensity and mystery of the creative process. He likens the creation of the Tyger to a blacksmith’s work in a forge, suggesting a process that is both fiery and destructive. This imagery underscores the power and effort involved in creating something as magnificent as the Tyger.
4. The Divine and the Infernal: The poem reflects on the duality of existence. While the Lamb represents innocence and purity, the Tyger embodies strength and darkness. Blake questions how the same creator could be responsible for both, highlighting the complexity of divine nature and the coexistence of opposites.

Summary: In “The Tyger,” William Blake delves into the mysteries of creation, focusing on the awe-inspiring and fearsome Tyger. The poem contrasts the Tyger with the innocent Lamb, questioning how the same creator could be responsible for both. Through vivid imagery and symbolism, Blake explores the nature of divine power, the intensity of creation, and the coexistence of good and evil. The Tyger serves as a symbol of both beauty and terror, reflecting the profound complexity of the divine.

 

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Lesson 4 A Minor Bird for HSC 2025