The Spectrum of Human Nature

                When I read Songs of Innocence and Experience, I immediately identify the common themes occurring in both books.  However, the two books broach these subjects from two completely different perspectives.  It is for that reason that The Lamb and The Tyger stand out the most. 

                These two poems seem to break the tradition of  common poems detailing a similar, if not the same, situation or thing.  It is difficult to imagine a Tiger and a Lamb being on in the same unless we are prepared to throw biology completely out of the window.  In a sense, though, they are one in the same.  It's just that the poems aren't about the animals at all.

                The poems themselves invoke a religious reading considering how they both observe and question God's creation of the "animals."  That much is obvious, but I feel like the poems are deeper than that.  If we consider the teachings of Christianity, we see that Jesus often preached a message of love, tolerance, and acceptance.  In that sense, a true Christian would be like a lamb in that they should be a fairly peaceful person.  Moreover, that is how Christianity believes humans should be.

                People, however, are inherently flawed.  We oftentimes fall short of our goals or compromise on our morals.  We have the capacity for love and tolerance, but oftentimes excel at hate and destruction.  We hunt, kill, and wage war on our fellow man.  In that sense, humans share common ground with bestial predators like the tiger. 

                Thus, I believe the common themes of Songs of Innocence and Experience hold true for The Lamb and The Tyger, and that the common theme is the nature of humanity itself.