Read the poem and answer the following questions
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat.
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp.
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
The hammer, chain, furnace and anvil in the poem present the maker of the tiger as a
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → blacksmith
The poem asks, “What the hammer? what the chain” and “What the anvil?” These are all a blacksmith’s tools.
- A blacksmith is a person who makes things out of iron.
- He heats the iron in a furnace, a very hot fire.
- Then he lays it on an anvil, a heavy iron block, and beats it into shape with a hammer.
- So the speaker pictures the maker beating the tiger into shape in his workshop.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: potter — Incorrect. Wrong link: a potter shapes clay on a wheel. A potter does use a hot oven, but has no use for a hammer, chain or anvil.
Option 3: weaver — Incorrect. Not mentioned: a weaver makes cloth from thread on a loom. The poem has no thread or loom.
Option 4: painter — Incorrect. Not mentioned: a painter works with a brush and colours. None of these is named in the poem.