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How did the industrial revolution affect William Blake's "The Tyger"?
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The Industrial Revolution influenced William Blake's "The Tyger" by prompting Blake to critique the unnatural and destructive aspects of industrialization. Blake contrasts the sacredness of nature with the horrors of manmade industry, evident in his questioning of the tiger's creation. Phrases like "hammer," "chain," and "anvil" in the poem suggest an industrialized process, condemning the shift from natural creation to mechanical production.
The Industrial Revolution was a historical period that began in Great Britain in the 18th century. During this time, technological advances initiated the transition from a primarily agrarian economy to an economy based on manufacturing and advanced machinery. Factories, the internal-combustion engine, and the use of coal as an energy source were important features of the Industrial Revolution.
The influence of the Industrial Revolution can definitely be seen in William Blake's "The Tyger." For example, take a look at the fourth stanza:
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp! (13-16)
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