Poem+Comparison

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

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? **Carving a Name ** I wrote my name upon the sand, And trusted it would stand for aye; But, soon, alas! the refluent sea Had washed my feeble lines away.

I carved my name upon the wood, And, after years, returned again; I missed the shadow of the tree That stretched of old upon the plain.

To solid marble next, my name I gave as a perpetual trust; An earthquake rent it to its base, And now it lies, o'erlaid with dust.

All these have failed. In wiser mood I turn and ask myself, "What then?" If I would have my name endure, I'll write it on the hearts of men,

In characters of living light, Of kindly deeds and actions wrought. And these, beyond the touch of time, Shall live immortal as my thought. **Poem Comparison ** These two poems are both heartfelt, beautiful poems, and I will try to explain the similarities and differences between them throughout these few paragraphs. First things first; they have a similar rhyme scheme (A,A,B,B and A,B,C,B), and each of them have a similar rhythm, an almost elementary beat, that would appeal to younger children. Though, clearly, these are both poems that have deep meanings, that most children wouldn't be able to understand. Where they differ, are the reasons behind the simple rhythmic patterns. I believe that William Blake was trying to create a primal and dangerous atmosphere when writing //The Tyger//, while //Carving a Name// was written with this structure to emphasize the steady, similar stanzas. These poems each have unique atmospheres, //The Tyger,// one of a menacing, divine, fear, and //Carving a Name//, of love, erosion, and regret. One of the largest differences between the poems, is that //The Tyger// is almost entirely questions, while //Carving a Name// tells of past mistakes, and gives us an answer that we may use in our lifetimes. //The Tyger// calls into question the reality of god, yet //Carving a Name// answers a question that has always been a mystery throughout humanity; how may we be sure that we will not be forgotten once death claims us? The use of poetic devices is common in both poems, each of them using excessive amounts of metaphors to symbolize things far greater than they are. Imagery is also used throughout both, allowing us to picture both domestic scenes, and terrifying visions of the heavens. //The Tyger// and //Carving a Name// were both written many centuries ago, yet have survived to the modern day. This tells us that they are held in high status in the study of literature, a position that they have earned because of their powerful meanings, and intriguing use of language.