William Blake presents two contrasting views of life in his Songs of Innocence and Experience: the innocent, idyllic world of childhood is contrasted with the dark and disturbing world of age adult. Many of the poems in this collection can be read in pairs, each representing one end of the spectrum of innocence or experience. The utility of looking at paired poems is the observation of the same phenomena from opposing worldviews. This black and white vision, however, is more complex than it seems. The world of innocence may seem naïve and over-confident in its optimistic and positive way; seems to turn a blind eye to the evils of the world. At the same time, the world of experience or the “bad” world seems a little too cynical and in its own way does not present the complete reality of existence. However, together they form a balance between the light and dark forces of the world and present a picture of reality that recognizes both forces. It is important to note that the poet himself does not completely agree with either worldview, but is as objective as possible about each. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A pair of poems that can be compared in this way are The Tyger and The Lamb, which represent experience and innocence respectively. In both poems, the poet questions the nature of each animal's creator, however, the nature of the animal in question and the poet's tone create the contrast between the two explorations of the Creator and creation itself. Since Blake is distant from the voice of the poet in the poems themselves, the nature of the questioner also helps to increase the contrast between the two poems. In The Lamb, for example, the tone is one of happy, innocent wonder and amazement at the seemingly benevolent creator who created the gentle lamb, as seen in the verses. As the poem progresses, the questions posed with joyful wonder in the first line are answered with serene faith in the second line: here, the person asking the questions identifies himself: he is a child "meek and gentle" like the lamb itself, a symbol of childhood and innocence. Furthermore, the benevolent creator is identified as a similar gentle spirit, as seen in these lines: “He is called by your name, for he is called the Lamb. He is gentle and gentle; He became a little child. I am a child and you are a lamb, we are called by his name. Little Lamb, God bless you!” The tiger, in contrast, has an unidentified observer who is also amazed and amazed by the creator and the creation – the tiger itself – but the tone is completely different. The amazement is tinged with fear and a hint of horror: the creator's benevolence is no longer an obvious precedent. Throughout the poem, words related to death and terror are used: “fearful”, “terror”, “mortal”. The creator is no longer a meek or gentle child, but a blacksmith who has forged something as immense and fearsome as the tiger. The speaker is anonymous, but when he asks the question, “Did he who created the Lamb create you?”, one wonders if he is the same child who made a transition from his innocence and transformed into an expert , cynical, darker adult. This assumption is strengthened by the fact that this question is preceded by these lines: "When the stars cast their spears / And watered the sky with their tears: / Did he smile at his work to see?" The unexpressed terror in these words at the smile of the fearful creator juxtaposed with the crying of the celestial stars heightens the sense of darker experience and real knowledge of darkness and its forces that the speaker seems to have undergone. However, knowledge of the.