Blakes Tyger and Bliges No More Drama - Essay Example

Blake's Tyger Compared to Blige's No More Drama By Devangini Mahapatra Chauhan Song and poetry have been genres in themselves. This is a fact displayed in the nuances attached to both. We will study there details in context of the comparison of William Blake's popular poem, The Tyger, with the lyrics of Mary J Blige's No More Drama. While on the face of it, there may not be many similarities, these two pieces of work are in fact similar in a lot of ways. To begin with let us take each piece of work separately. The Tyger is one of William Blake's finest work as far as poetic excellence goes. His work has the art of symbolism embedded in it - a fact that can be seen as he describes one of the Creator's tools as the anvil, thus using the Creator to signify the essence and work of a blacksmith. In this poem, Blake depicts at once, the beauty as well as the fear attached with the natural and the unknown - the tiger. Seen from his eyes, this species is a being of such beauty in all it fine golden colors and ferocity depicted through its claws and teeth as well as the rhythm in its roar, that the onlooker gets intimidated more than anything else. Blake pitches the tiger's case when he speaks of the tiger's aspirations in attaining the strength and beauty as far as covering certain goals and going a certain distance in its lifetime are concerned. If we are to concentrate on the analysis of the language used by Blake, otherwise known as stylistics, we will find a striking use of poetic iconicity that highlights the effect of the tiger on an unassuming onlooker, in its natural habitat. When speaking of burning eyes, Blake not only depicts the fire that rages within this animal, but also shows the ionic significance its eyes bear to the blacksmith's fire - the Creator's fire in which the anvil that created the tiger was seasoned. Also, Blake follows a safe pattern throughout his work - one that comes across through the rhyming words in every sentence and every alternate sentence as the poem progresses. Also, considering the fact that poetry is meant to be crisp in its presentation, Blake has managed to keep alive this trait by employing short and snappy sentences to direct an underscore of energy into the jungle that envelopes this being. In this regard, the lyrics of the song we are comparing with the Tyger, are of a more modern and bold nature. Mary J Blige with her unconventional ways and meaningful videos, is similar to Blake in her style of showing intensity as well as tender feeling towards fellow beings around her, simultaneously. In her song, No More Drama, Blige demonstrates the same crisp style of writing but with less use of rhyming words. The phonetic echo in her song is restricted to the message she is trying to put across through her song. While Blake's Tyger was an epitomy of a certain being, Blige's No more drama is a song about feelings and emotions. Thus, Blake's work is a self contained piece of art that signifies the essence of the fire in the tiger's eyes while Blige's song is one that places more emphasis on the drama portrayed in one's everyday life - a drama supposedly lost to the exit of that special someone. In sound and context, both pieces of work bear similarity in intensity but again, the nuances of the lives obviously led by the two artists are poles apart. Blige, in her ultra modern world, does not see any need for medieval poetic influence in her lyrics, while Blake's agenda seems to one that revolves around making each word meaningful. In short, every stanza of the poem is a theme in itself while the words in Blige's song contribute to a wholesome theme. In this context, it may be seen, that taken separately, the words in Bliges song would mean nothing to the listener in terms of rhythm or focus on language. To divert our attention wholly to Blige's song, we will find that this is one of personal pain, unlike Blake's poem which celebrates the beauty of the tiger and the fear evoked by this being simultaneously. Blige, in her song is more into mundane things and makes up for a lack of linguistic appeal through an understanding of her plight with and without that special someone. Blake on the other hand, is influenced by the twentieth century literary criticism and cannot seem to get over his penchant to deliver a wholesome piece of work that supports the ideals portrayed by the fire in the tiger's eyes as it scares the onlookers. In a poem, the metal exercise involved in terms of trying to study the linguistic and phonetic patterns in respect of a particular period of time, is tremendous. Meanwhile, a song simply satiates the listener's need to connect with the mood within in terms of music and not necessarily lyrics. In a song, the attention of the audience is diverted into various quarters like sound, and rhythm through the use of instruments. This is a loss for the significance of text and language in a song. A poem, on the other hand, is a simpler form of evoking feelings in someone's mind through the use of wholesome text and a better command of meaning and language as it unfolds. More of the rules followed in both genres would be in context of the relation between the words. While many insist on a paradigmatic or syntagmatic relation in this context, it is left entirely to the reader or the listener to decide how a song or a poem appeals to him or her. There is more emphasis on substance in a poem while a song boasts of more style. This is apparent in the linguistic journey that Blake takes as he goes from the tiger's eyes to the Creator's fire to create in which He seasons his tools. The road taken by Blake rounds up at an exciting halt - one that makes us almost want to reach out and touch the animal. In this regard, Blige is more laid back her style. Her words have an isolated feel to each other with neither giving the other away in a bid to convey the deepest emotions. More general as they are, songs have less of an effect on the listener after a prolonged period of exposure and time has been diverted to their structuring and linguistic appeal. All the same, just like Blake, Blige too plays with ionic meanings as she describes waking up without that someone as painful - considering there has been a new morning after that. Her pain draws you out and makes you wonder at the vagueness of the stranger she is talking about. This brings us to the unraveling of both songs. While Blake's song unravels in a jungle where there are victims waiting to be taken by the fearless tiger, Blige shows the lost art of passion as she goes about her everyday activities of waking up and breathing without the presence of a particular person. Her song is undoubtedly set in an urban atmosphere where earning a living is a greater task than that of saving your hide in a jungle. In this regard, the similarities also emerge. To start with, both the artists are writing about inner struggles. While Blake is trying to understand the struggle within the jungle and the struggle on the onlooker's part to understand and describe this awe inspiring animal before him, Blige is trying to depict a struggle to maintain peace of mind and happiness in a world where these things have very obviously lost all meaning. Yet Blige in her song is a lost woman, while Blake in his poem is only more enriched after his encounter with the beautiful tiger. Another similarity is compactness in content which both artists demonstrate in their work. While Blake calls upon us to regard this beauty, Blige only invites people to share her misery and motivate her to look at this as a positive chapter in her life. In fact, by the end of it, she is almost trying to convince herself of the relief she feels at the need for no more drama. While Blake's poetry speaks of changing times as far as literary freedom and depiction is concerned, Blige depicts the changed times. References: Blake, William. The Tyger. Using English: from conversation to canon. Blige, J Mary. No More Drama Read More