The poems “The Tiger” and “The Lamb” both appear in William Blake’s collection of poetry, Songs of Experience. Tackling these poems together can provide readers with insights into the overall themes of the collection. Both “The Tiger” and “The Lamb” convey similar messages, also called themes. By definition, a theme is a main idea, an underlying subject or message that can be found throughout a text.

In the poem “The Tyger”, Blake uses a series of questions in order to explore the idea of creation. He wonders who created such a powerful and fearful creature and asks “what the hammer? / what the chain?”. In this poem, Blake is critiquing the idea of an all-powerful being who created a world with both beautiful and terrifying creatures. He further contemplates the idea that if an all-powerful being could create “the tyger”, what else could it create?

In contrast, “The Lamb” takes a more gentle approach. Blake asks the lamb who created it, and the poem gives a direct answer: “He is called by thy name, / For he calls himself a Lamb”. The poem celebrates a loving, nurturing creator, and the innocence of a gentle creature like a lamb. Blake is celebrating the idea of a creator who creates both beautiful and frightening things, but ultimately loves and cares for all that exists.

Themes of creation, power, love, and innocence can be found throughout the collection of Songs of Experience. By exploring both “The Tiger” and “The Lamb”, readers can gain a better understanding of the overall themes present in Blake’s work. Both “The Tiger” and “The Lamb” convey similar messages, also called themes, which serve to remind readers of the power, beauty, and diversity of the world.