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Comparison of the Poems “The Tyger” and “The Lamb” by William Blake
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Comparison of the Poems “The Tyger” and “The Lamb” by William Blake
The two poems that I chose to do a comparison was on “The Tyger” and “The Lamb” both written by William Blake. These two poems share quite similar themes hut are also different in the aspects of life that they address “The Tyger” concentrates on the dangers that one faces in nature as well as in life while “The Lamb” on the other hand portrays a celebration of nature as one can see it from the eyes of a child who is innocent. Using these two poems, Blake is able to explore the theme of nature, creatures as well as their creator in a different, almost contradictory ideas.
The nature in itself is a beautiful but yet a terrifying place. Blake realizes that while God may have made a gentle lamb he is also still the creator of a tiger which is a dreadful and a fearful animal. In the poem “The Tyger” he includes Satan as another creator and includes rhetorical question in passing this message. Blake states that “‘In what distant deeps or skies/ Burnt the fire of thy eyes?” (Blake, line 5/6). This statement is makes reference to both heaven and hell as he tries to establish if the tiger is a creature created by God or by Satan. In the second stanza of the poem “The Lamb”, William Blake unlike in “Tyger” establishes that the lam is an innocent creature just like a child as he states “I a child & thou a lamb” (Blake, line 17). This line may be interpreted as William Blake may have been restored to a state of innocence by Jesus. He does not question the lam as a creature that was created by someone else because of how good it is.
“The Lamb” just like children nursery rhyme has a very easy and simple structure. This poem creates a sweet a peaceful imagery that makes one see how good the lam is. We can visualize a little lamb in the field asking its mother question “Does thou know who made thee?” (Blake, line 2). He utilizes imagery in describing the lamb as woolly bright. Use of a lamb which is white gets a reader to think of heavenly colors thus one can contrast the point he is putting across that a lamb is a heavenly creation.
“The Tyger” is also a poem full of imagery. The stanzas which reads “Tiger! Tiger burning bright/ In the forest of the night” (Blake, line 1-2) creates a vision of evil that tends to happen in forest that is dark. Although it may be dark in the forest, the tigers glowing orange coat as well as black stripes can be seen in the dark. Use of tiger in itself is imagery as tiger is a predator animal and in the years that Blake wrote the poem, the tiger was seen as an evil animal. He uses contrast by using the tiger’s colors and the forest by stating that the tiger is burning bright.
Both of these poem take the shape of conversation but “The Lamb” contrasts in that Blake gives answers. While “The Lamb” is structured like a nursery rhyme, “The Tyger” has six stanzas and it does not have the answer to the question but the question is repeated throughout the poem and the question is left unanswered. This creates an imaginative effect to the reader as the reader tries to establish what kind of creation a tiger could be. Both poems also use repetition to put on emphasis. The line that seeks to know who created the lamb is repeated twice. There is also repetition in the first line in the first stanza as it also appears in the 6th stanza creating musical quality in the poem.
In conclusion, both of these poem explore different ideas of experience as well as innocence. While “The Lamb” shows the good in creation, “The Tyger” portrays the bad. He is also able to use literary devices including use of rhetorical question, imagery and repetition to bring out the themes.
Works cited
Blake, William, 1757-1827. The Tyger. [London] :[Spoon Print Press], 2002.
Blake, William. “The Lamb by William Blake.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43670/the-lamb-56d222765a3e1.
Comparison of Man vs. Nature in “To Build a Fire” and “The Open Boat”
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Comparison of Man vs. Nature in “To Build a Fire” and “The Open Boat”
Naturalism is a form of literature that applies objectivity and detachment scientific principles to study humankind. Specifically, naturalism explores the forces of heredity, nature, and the environment on people who must contend with those forces. The short stories To Build a Fire by Jack London and The Open Boat by Stephen Crane revolve around naturalism. Stephen Crane’s work revolves around four men who are adrift after their ship sank. Throughout the story, the four men struggle to survive while attempting to resist nature. As the story progresses, these four men realize that nature is uncaring and indifferent. The men start questioning God’s existence and their fate. As the story progresses, one man dies, and the three survive. On the other hand, To Build a Fire is a tragic narrative of an unnamed man who chooses to journey alone across the dangerous terrain of the Yukon in below-freezing temperatures. The man becomes a victim of the unforgiving and unrelenting power of nature. The man walks through severe cold, which is around “one hundred and seven degrees below the freezing point.” The man’s life rests on his ability to quickly start a fire to prevent his feet from freezing (Crane 122). The protagonist’s lonely struggle against Yukon’s hostile environment becomes apparent after the failed attempts to light fire, which causes his death. This paper compares and contrasts the theme of man vs. nature in The Open Boat and To Build a Fire. The two stories demonstrate how inferior humans are to nature. Crane and London attempt to prove that man has no free will and is completely controlled by nature.
In a struggle against nature, The Open Boat and To Build a Fire depict similar trends where man is seen to have no control over nature despite their efforts to overcome it. The main characters in “The Open Boat” struggle to survive from the very beginning. To showcase this narrator states that, “None of them knew the color of the sky” (Crane 338). Here, the narrator refers to the four protagonists: the oiler, correspondent, captain, and cook. According to this quote, everyone is totally concentrated on fighting for their survival while paying no heed to the waves. They struggle to survive as they battle the seas. Further, the narrator states, “A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave, you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats” (Crane 339). The waves symbolize uncaring nature and how it has overcome man. No matter how much the protagonists try to battle against the waves, nature always wins, and the waves continue to flow. The characters are, however, adamant about surviving. Even after realizing that nature is indifferent, they still have to contend with this external conflict.
Jack London also uses the theme of man vs. nature in his short story, To Build a Fire, to showcase how destitute man is when faced with the forces of nature. The struggle is depicted throughout the story. The struggle begins when the author writes, “Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray” (London 301). The adjectives describing the day are repeated to indicate the severe and difficult situation the man is about to face. Also, the author questions and examines the abilities that animals and humans require to thrive and where these abilities are developed. The story’s protagonist is arrogant, and his ego drives him to challenge nature by embarking on a journey despite his awareness that he would face adverse weather conditions. This is an excellent example of the idea that each individual is born with some traits, and based on the environment they are placed in, their fate is determined, indicating that man has no power over nature. Furthermore, even though the dog senses that the man is doing wrong, it does not warn him. Explaining this, the narrator explains that the dog had its instincts. This can be traced to the fact that the man considers it as a tool and something he needs to dominate over. After the man tries to light up the fire several times unsuccessfully, he ends up dying. The protagonist’s efforts to overcome nature are met with equal efforts from nature to defeat him, as seen by the protagonist’s inability to light a fire. After the man dies, the dog only stays around for a little while and goes to find other providers. Also, the dog is only concerned about the food and fire that the man provided, not about his death. This shows how nature is indifferent to man. Also, the powerlessness of man is evident in the setting of the story and his lack of identity. Thus, it is evident that Jack London’s short story To Build a Fire is a true depiction of the struggle between man and nature.
Although The Open Boat and To Build a Fire show how inferior humans are to nature and how nature constantly challenges the ability of humans to survive through the theme of nature vs. man, the presentation of this theme is done differently. The main difference is seen in the way the characters interact with each other within the stories. London presents the theme of nature vs. man with the use of a single character, the unnamed man, to showcase how the man is struggling to survive. Contrary, Crane uses the interaction between the four main characters and how these four are struggling to survive.
Overall, the two short stories: The Open Boat and To Build a Fire, primarily center on the struggle between human beings and nature. Although protagonists in the two stories strive to prevail over nature, it is evident that nature has full control over them and leaves them helpless. The stories clearly point out that the manner in which nature controls is not linked with any particular contempt or concern for human beings, but rather nature is completely indifferent to humankind. The men in both tales have a similar end since they are both discovered to be entrapped in uncontrollable natural forces.
Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. The open boat and other tales of adventure. Doubleday & McClure Company, 1905.
London, Jack. “To Build A Fire .”Richard Fay (ed) Stories and storytellers. Fourth Ed. Wellington: BLT, 2006. P. 301-312
Comparison of life before and after the Internet
Discussion 1
Comparison of life before and after the Internet
People have always carried out the same activities even before the internet. For instance, communication and learning were still exercised using traditional means. Communication involved writing letters to friends and family at a longer distance or sending messengers to deliver information. Similarly, people traded with others just like in the Internet days, only that the meetings had to be physical. Another similarity is learning, which took place during the dark ages through means such as physical class attendance just like after the internet. However, advancement in the internet and technology has really changed the way of life in the current days. In the dark ages’ before the advancement, people relied on traditional ways of doing things, which was more difficult as compared to the current automated ways. For instance, the use of physical books that are bulky and cumbersome to carry around was replaced by e-books, which are more convenient for students. Thus, with the internet today, students do not have to visit libraries and carry books home. Rather, the students just download e-books and study at their convenient locations, especially at home. Similarly, during the traditional days without the internet, students had to rely on a teacher to explain the concept to them.
On the other hand, the internet has enabled an easier learning platform where google can explain any kind of question to the students. Thus, there is a difference in the education sector before and after the internet, where life after the internet seems easier. Besides, communication is easier with the internet than during the dark ages. Nowadays, people prefer to send emails rather than write letters, which would take longer to be delivered. Also, online platforms such as Facebook enable a person to explain their profiles, and therefore, one does not need to visit them in person so as to learn about them. More so, the internet had made shopping easier through online trading platforms, unlike in life before where people physically exchanged goods. Besides, socialization has been made easier with the introduction of the internet, where people can meet online and exchange ideas. The internet enables people to make friends trough socializing apps such as WhatsApp, unlike in the past where they had to meet physically.
Discussion 2
Compare and Contrast Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are the world’s successful entrepreneurs who have invested differently in the PC industry. Bill is the chairman of Microsoft as well as a software architect, while Steve Jobs is the chief executive officer of the Apple computer. They are both seen as innovative and have contributed greatly to revolutionizing the world through science and technological input. Besides, they are both characterized as hardworking and dedicated to achieve success from their achievements in their various companies. However, the two CEOs have their differences, which include their leadership styles. To start with, Bill Gates believes in involving his employees in decision making, whereby he entrusts them to input their ideas before implementing changes in the business. Thus, he ensures a friendly environment for workers and delegates duties according to specialization to achieve full utilization of skills. On the other hand, Steve Jobs showcases an autocratic leadership style whereby he does not involve anyone else in decision making. His leadership style has contributed to his success in that he uses his innovations for the benefit of his customers and companies in general. Therefore, unlike Bill Gates, Steve Jobs does not acknowledge the need to work closely with his workers but rather chooses to be a dictator.
Discussion 3
According to the radio article on ‘NPR news,’ Rachel Carson’s faces some criticism on her book, “Silent Spring.” To start with, the radio host states that Carson was not a qualified Biochemist, which implies that the information she passed on spraying insecticides was that professional. However, the claim is misguided since the same radio host continues to say that Carson asked for the scientific help and expertise of other professionals. The other attack is from the chemical and agricultural industry, which referred to Carson as an unqualified scientist as well as a hysterical woman. However, the industries’ claim is not a reason enough for dismissing the book since anyone could air their views through writing. More so, the article talks of Robert White-Stevens, who claimed that some information in Carson’s’ book was absurd. Such information included the generalization of all pesticides to be biocides. However, Carson had explained that her intent was not to ban the use of all insecticides but to be careful about who is allowed to handle them. Thus, the attack by Robert White-Stevens is not justifiable.
Discussion 4
David Sedaris talks about the undecided voters in the presidential elections and the part they play. He says that the voters are confused about which candidate is better than the other and most often end up electing the wrong candidate. The confusion is brought out since voters find some candidates better in some fields than others while poor on alternatives. However, Sedaris wonders why the voters do not simply make a choice based on their best candidates based on how well they know them. He equates the condition of being mixed on the type of food to order on a flight and end up ordering the unpleasant dish. Thus, voting in the United States lies in the hand of the undecided voters who form the larger community. I feel that the United States has an active voting population that has the mandate to make decisions on who is the best candidate to vote for the elections.
Discussion 5
The radio show was a drama broadcast in 1983, which caused a lot of panic among the Americans at that time. Most people run from their houses towards the hills, and others died during the commotion to run away. Most people took the show seriously and believed that the narrative behind it was real. The drama involved an invasion of creatures from another planet that would kill and destroy the human beings on earth but later be killed by small creatures on earth. The cause for the panic was motivated by the presenters’ choice of words when introducing the show whereby, he talked as if the show were a live reporting of the events. Also, the people created illusions of the invasion in their minds, and most of them believed them to be true. Also, I think the fear of the unknown led to increased fear and panic among the listeners where they imagined how it would have been if they were attacked by aliens. Finally, the listeners may not have been used to listening to drama through the radio station and thus took it to be a serious matter.Discussion 6