Group Questions:



Group Questions: Respond on separate paper in complete sentences (one paper per group).

Blake’s “The Lamb”

1. What does the creator do for his creation in the first stanza of “The Lamb”?

2. How does the second stanza of “The Lamb” respond to the questions asked by the first stanza?

3. Where are you told directly about the speaker of “The Lamb”? What inferences (conclusions) can you draw from this information?

4. Christ called himself a lamb because he sacrificed himself for the people. What might this imply about the fate of the young speaker in this poem?

Blake’s “The Tyger”

1. What question does the speaker of “The Tyger” ask over and over? What answer is implied?

2. Where in the poem does the speaker wonder if the tiger may have been created by God? What imagery tells us that the speaker also suspects that the tiger could be a demonic creation? List the images that suggest a human creator – like a blacksmith or a goldsmith.

3. The last stanza of “The Tyger” virtually repeats the first. What is the significance of the one word changed in the last stanza?

4. How do you think the voice of the speaker in “The Lamb” is different from the voice of the speaker in “The Tyger”? Why do you think the questions in “The Lamb” get answers?

Group Questions: Respond on separate paper in complete sentences (one paper per group).

Blake’s “The Lamb”

1. What does the creator do for his creation in the first stanza of “The Lamb”?

2. How does the second stanza of “The Lamb” respond to the questions asked by the first stanza?

3. Where are you told directly about the speaker of “The Lamb”? What inferences (conclusions) can you draw from this information?

4. Christ called himself a lamb because he sacrificed himself for the people. What might this imply about the fate of the young speaker in this poem?

Blake’s “The Tyger”

1. What question does the speaker of “The Tyger” ask over and over? What answer is implied?

2. Where in the poem does the speaker wonder if the tiger may have been created by God? What imagery tells us that the speaker also suspects that the tiger could be a demonic creation? List the images that suggest a human creator – like a blacksmith or a goldsmith.

3. The last stanza of “The Tyger” virtually repeats the first. What is the significance of the one word changed in the last stanza?

4. How do you think the voice of the speaker in “The Lamb” is different from the voice of the speaker in “The Tyger”? Why do you think the questions in “The Lamb” get answers?

Key: Group Questions: Respond on separate paper in complete sentences (one paper per group).

Blake’s “The Lamb”

1. What does the creator do for his creation in the first stanza of “The Lamb”? He gives the lamb life, food, clothing, and a gentle voice

2. How does the second stanza of “The Lamb” respond to the questions asked by the first stanza? the speaker answers the questions asked in the first stanza; he names God

3. Where are you told directly about the speaker of “The Lamb”? What inferences (conclusions) can you draw from this information? The speaker says that his is a child. The speaker may be naïve and innocent.

4. Christ called himself a lamb because he sacrificed himself for the people. What might this imply about the fate of the young speaker in this poem? He may sacrifice himself for the good of others.

Blake’s “The Tyger”

1. What question does the speaker of “The Tyger” ask over and over? What answer is implied? The speaker asks the tiger who its creator was; the implied answer is that the creator is either God or the devil.

2. Where in the poem does the speaker wonder if the tiger may have been created by God? What imagery tells us that the speaker also suspects that the tiger could be a demonic creation? List the images that suggest a human creator – like a blacksmith or a goldsmith. The speaker wonders in ll. 4-8 whether God created the tiger. The imagery in ll. 9-10 of twisting the animal’s heart could suggest a demonic creator. The tools and furnace suggest perhaps a human creator.

3. The last stanza of “The Tyger” virtually repeats the first. What is the significance of the one word changed in the last stanza? In the first stanza, Blake wonders who could be powerful enough to create a tiger; in the last, he wonders who would dare to create a tiger. The change suggests that the creation is dangerous.

4. How do you think the voice of the speaker in “The Lamb” is different from the voice of the speaker in “The Tyger”? Why do you think the questions in “The Lamb” get answers? The speaker in “The Lamb” is an innocent child; the speaker in “The Tyger” is an adult, with an awareness of the world’s complexity. The first accepts simple answers; the second sees that there are no easy answers to complex questions.

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