The Plight Of The Toads: An Analysis

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and yet of great value or beauty on the interior. An example of
this is the toad that when kissed by the princess was turned into a prince.
In order for the real identity of this amphibian to be realized, one must
to get past the outer shell. In keeping with this explanation Larkin can
also be seen as saying that work at first appear as a hideous and
burdensome beast and yet after careful inspection and acceptance its true
beauty is shown. Thus one sees the first toad and views its composition as
a combination of two interpretations.
A second item to note is the use of the verb "squat"(2) as the word
to carry the action of the toad. This word is definitely not one of the
English languages most attractive words. Rather by stretching one's mind
it can be seen as an "ugly" verb. The use of this "ugly" verb with a noun
that already has the connotation of being ugly pushes this metaphor to its
maximum.
A second interesting metaphor in this stanza is the setting ...

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a type of poison. Larkin has just said that work "soils"(5)
one with its poison and that the amount of this poison one has to ingest is
not proportional to the benefit it brings us. Instead this poison,
otherwise known as work, slowly infiltrates ones whole being and gradually
overcomes one's self. The poet has now revealed the first toad's deadly
side.
The third stanza marks the beginning of a change in thought that
continues for the following two stanzas. Here the poet starts to explore
the seeming escape of certain individuals from the toad, Work, and their
apparent happiness. He effectively uses alliteration in the line "Lecturers,
lispers, / Losels, loblolly-men, louts - / ...

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