Some Thoughts on the common toad

The Importance of nature:

• Universal
• Something we can all take pleasure in

Concept: The seasons have always had a great importance to agrarian societies, which has led to universal symbolism

• First spring following the end of WW2
• Rebuiliding life
• Hope

Persephone

• Daughter of Dimita (goddess of the world)
• Autumn and winter spent underground (sad, as mother mourning)
• Spring and summer brings hope and happiness for her 

• "salutes the coming of spring after his own fashion"
• "one of the phenomena of spring which most deeply appeal to me"
• "...the toad has a very spiritual look, like a strict Anglo-catholic towards the end of lent"

• a common sight for everyone to enjoy
• an interesting phenomena
• toads don't get enough attention ('much of a boost') from poets- under appreciated
• larks and primrose are seen as more beautiful
• Orwell using aesthetic enthusiasm to show the beauty of toads
• continually depicted as ugly/ associated with evil

Types of repetition:

• Epistrophe- repetition of words at the end of successive sentences
• anaphora- repetition of words at the start of successive sentences or clauses
• Epizeuxis- repetition of words in succession within a sentence

At the behinning, Orwell uses anaphora to emphasise the prominence of the toad, greater significance and sign of spring 

• Orwell loved the natural world from his childhood in Henley-on-Thames and on the south downs at Eastbourne
• Orwell has been disappointed by earlier letters of complaint to Tribune, when he ventured into nature related topics instead of hard politics. An "as I please" article published on 21st January 1944 referring to rambler roses he'd planted at the cottage he lived in before the war had brought correspondence criticising his bourgeois nostalgia

• He is encouraging, or demonstrating, political quietism
• He is being 'backward looking' by favouring nature to machines
• To love the country, you need to live in a town
• To encourage people to appreciate nature and find contentment in it rather than always wanting more 

• Spring is unstoppable
• Spring is an escape from all the stressful things - juxtaposition
• Emphasis on how normalized the desire for leaders to have control is
• Nature doesn't care about politics

Tone:

• Smug
• snide
• defiance

Techniques used:

• hyperbole
• list of three