Background
“The Tyger,” a poem by William Blake, is the romantic poetry I’ve selected. With its emphasis on the sublime in nature and use of evocative, vivid language, this poem is a classic example of Romantic literature. In “The Tyger,” a poem, the awe-inspiring strength and beauty of a tiger are described using rich, descriptive language (Blake, 2009).
The poem combines repetition and rhetorical questions to evoke awe and mystery. It is formatted with a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme. The contradiction of beauty and dread, symbolized by the tiger and the holy creator who could create such a creature, is central to the poem’s topic.
Modernist Rewrite of the First Stanza
Blake’s First Stanza
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Modernist Rewrite
Tiger, Tiger, neon light,
In the concrete jungle’s night,
What mortal hand or eye,
Could cage your wild ferocity?
Analysis
In my modernist rework, I tried to capture the isolation and disappointment that modernist literature is known for. The tiger, once a representation of the majestic beauty and danger of nature, today stands for the destruction of nature and the advance of industrialization and urbanization as a neon sign in a concrete jungle (Blake, 2009). The original poem’s rhetorical query, which considers the heavenly creator of such a creature, is changed to question the human forces that have tamed this wild animal, reflecting modernism’s emphasis on human activity and abandonment of confidence in supernatural powers.
A key modernist component is the transition from a natural forest to a “concrete jungle.” This modification demonstrates modernist interest in the complexity of urban life. The tiger, formerly a representation of both natural beauty and fear, is now represented by a neon sign, a creation of humankind that denotes the advance of industry and urbanization. This change emphasizes the modernist theme of the disappearance of nature and the isolation people frequently experience in an increasingly automated contemporary society.
The rewrite’s language and style also adhere to modernist ideals. The formal, high vocabulary of the original poem is swapped out with more everyday terms like “concrete jungle” and “neon light.” This change is in line with the modernist inclination to employ language that more closely resembles daily speech and to depart from conventional poetic diction.
A further hallmark of modernist writing is ambiguity, which is added in the modernist rewrite. The reader is left wondering who is to blame for the tiger’s current predicament after the line “What mortal hand or eye, Could cage your untamed ferocity?” is said. Is it society as a whole, particular people, or even the tiger itself? This ambiguity reflects the modernist conviction in the arbitrary nature of reality and the value of unique viewpoints, which allows readers to interact more deeply with the poetry and form their own interpretations.
Finally, the revision clearly distinguishes the speaker from the poet. The speaker in the rewrite is an observer of the modern world, detached and cynical, reflecting the modernist tendency to create a distinct persona for the speaker of the poem. This is in contrast to the original poem, where the speaker’s awe and wonder reflect the poet’s personal emotions.
Reference
Blake, W. (2009). The Tyger. Poetry Foundation. Web.