Sample Essay (Scored 9): The Death of a Toad by Richard Wilbur

Read the following poem, “The Death of a Toad” by Richard Wilbur, carefully. Then
write a well-organized essay in which you explain how formal elements such as structure,
syntax, diction, and imagery reveal the speaker’s response to the death of a toad.
Sample Essay 1: Excellent (score of 9)
Richard Wilbur’s “Death of a Toad” reflects on the appearance and thoughts that even a
toad might have at the approach of death. Through careful structure, diction, and vivid
imagery, Wilbur slowly reveals the feelings of the contemplative speaker. To the speaker,
the toad’s death begins as a simple cessation of breathing; but it turns into a mystical
journey.
The sequence and division of events follows the thoughts and changes that the speaker’s
attitude undergoes. The poem opens bluntly with the speaker’s rather callous observation,
“A toad the power mower caught.” The initial lack of sympathy is evident in the
objective description given in the next few lines about the toad’s injury and movements.
However, when the toad hides itself in the cineraria leaves, the speaker seizes on the
symbolism and begins to exhibit some interest. He at least concludes that the toad will die
in this “final glade” (6). In the second stanza, the physical death of the toad is depicted by
the now curious speaker, who observes the flow of blood and the glazing eyes. Watching
the stillness of the toad makes the speaker think that the toad is “attending…towards
some deep monotone” (11). Impressed by this, the speaker reflects in the third stanza on
the life that the toad is losing, “Amphibia’s empires” (14) which is as precious to it as life
is to the speaker. Finally, all light dies out of the toad’s eyes, leaving the speaker alone on
the lawn in “haggard daylight.” The transformation from neutral observer to melancholy
philosopher is complete.
Wilbur’s word choice grows from nothing to complex as the speaker’s feelings expand
from nothing to poetic heights. The opening two lines, about the accident, are as simple
and clear as casual conversation. However, the speaker’s use of “sanctuaried” shows his
realization of the toad’s plight, and words such as “cineraria,” “ashen” and “final” convey
a deathly atmosphere. Realizing that any creature, even a toad, can die a tragic death, the
speaker watches the “rare original bloodshed” flow out; he now sees the importance and
uniqueness of this blood. All the descriptive adjectives in stanza two (i.e. wizenings,
banked, staring) shows that the speaker is paying close attention to the toad. This new
caring and sympathy leads him to wax eloquent on the “misted and ebullient seas” (13)
that the toad is leaving, and to watch with regret the “drowning” of light in the toad’s
“antique eyes.” The chief importance of such word choices is that the speaker sees the
toad as something precious. Once it does, it leaves the “castrate lawn” and “haggard
daylight”–without the toad, the light is bleak and the lawn was foolishly cut at such a
price. These critical words demonstrate the formidable change that the speaker’s attitude
has passed through.
The images that the speaker conjures up are important in impressing upon the reader
precisely what passes through his mind. First, a toad’s leg is cut off by a lawnmower. The
harshness and clearness of the image betray his lack of sympathy, but the next picture is
softened because of his pity. Here the toad is under a dim glade of heart shaped leaves;
the name which (cineraria) is reminiscent of the Greeks and the perfection of their lives.
The detailed and tragic image given in the second stanza evokes pity and sorrow, but also
wonderment. Where does the toad die towards? The speaker answers with an image of
“cooling shores,” a veritable empire for a toad. Suddenly, the image dies as the speaker’s
attention is snapped back to the dimming eyes of the toad. His depiction of the bleak
landscape left when the toad dies fully shows the reader what he experiences emotionally
and adds to the sense of loss already felt.
The combined force of Wilbur’s vivid imagery, excellent diction, and logical structure
give the reader a strong sense of empathy with the poem’s speaker. Beginning with his
careless sighting of the toad and ending with his mourning, “Death of a Toad” serves as a
reminder of the lack of appreciation that people often exhibit when it comes to the
creatures less intelligent than we.
Sample Essay 2: Excellent (score of 9)
Richard Wilbur’s poem “The Death of a Toad” carries with it all the majesty and heroism
of an Arthurian legend. If “soldier” had been substituted for “toad” on the title and first
line, and if “cannon” had been used in place of “power mower,” one would be humbled
by an awe-inspiring tale of an honorable death on the battlefield. Wilbur makes
spectacular use of structure, syntax, diction, imagery, and other formal literary elements
to reveal his respect for the fallen toad, an otherwise uninspiring figure.
The choppiness of the stanzas and the lack of any visible form of meter contribute to the
image of the mortally wounded frog’s staggering into the shade and dying. Wilbur uses
structure to his advantage, centering the first line of each stanza and then shifting the
second line violently to the left; this parallels the composed, poised toad’s sudden
demise. Thus, we are left with an unorthodox, ungraceful view of death–an image
deliberately used to show that a tiny toad can die a violent death with the same courage
and dignity as a war hero, a theme that continues to develop to the end.
Wilbur’s syntax is also well-placed and helps promote his ironic thesis of amphibian
pride under mortal conflict. He uses powerful verbs throughout the poem that capture the
gruesome death well. In line (2), the lawnmower has “chewed” the toads leg off, a
suggestion of the “sinister” nature of an otherwise morally neutral tool. “Sanctuaried,” a
creative verb used in line (3), shows the realistic nobility in the toad’s death. As the toad
dies he begins to see fantastic visions of “misted and ebullient seas,” (line 13); the syntax
of the third stanza thus reveals Wilbur’s attitude. The first line of the first stanza
described a power mower; by the third stanza, we have graduated to exotic images of
distant places. The “Amphibian” empire in line (14) lends a sense of grandeur and
importance to the toads of the world; and the dying hero’s “wide and antique eyes” (line
16) show a quixotic romanticism in his death.
Wilbur’s tone and diction are clear throughout the poem and capture his admiration for
the toad and his dignified death. The use of “sanctuaried” and “heartshaped” in the
description of the toad’s final resting place create a reverent tone that lasts throughout the
poem. Although the reader is hearing an account of a toad’s death from a power mower,
we are left with a sense of quiet insistence on sanctifying the toad’s manner and place of
dying.
Finally, Wilbur is able to conjure up many strong images that lead to an understanding of
his response to the toad’s death. The “cineraria leaves” (line 4) under which the toad dies
suggest a place for keeping the ashes of a cremated body. Human burial–a sacred rite–is
then linked in, and the images of ashes and urns makes us respect the toad even more. As
the “day dwindles” at the poem’s end so does the toad; the parallel gives a worldly
dimension to a tiny creature. Even the use of “hobbling hop” in line (2) draws an image
of a crippled soldier limping off to die.
By using very human, very noble terms, tones, and images in “The Death of a Toad”
Richard Wilbur reveals quite well to his audience that the toad’s death was a sacred and
heroic event–even though it was brought on by a power mower, the most unglamorous of
all murder weapons.