The World is Too Much with Us Poem Summary & Analysis

About the Poet

William Wordsworth was born in 1770 and died in 1850. He is the most fortunate of the five great romantic poets with a long literary career and life. He was a great admirer of nature. Wordsworth and most other artists at the time were initially enthusiastic about all attempts to overthrow the old order until they realized that some very nice old things had disappeared. Too much dirty industry has destroyed nature. Money corrupts people and makes them work like slaves. Capitalist and business rules replace beauty and magic.

In later years, it is unsurprising that Wordsworth and some of his fellow poets have become very conservative. They wanted a simpler life and hoped things would be better in the past.

In his art, however, Wordsworth does something new. He was one of the first poets to say poetry was about emotions. Poetry of previous times referred to familiar situations that are common to everyone. Wordsworth described his experiences and how his feelings and thoughts shaped them. He also invented new poetic forms to do so. He often adapted to traditional or classical poetry and sometimes invented his forms. He used a lot of unrhymed verses.

About the Poem

In this poem, he complains that humans are increasingly attached to material things. He expressed deep concern about the growing love for the world. Man has become a slave to Mammon, the God of money. He appealed to all of us to give up Mammon worship and begin to love nature. At that time, industrialization had only begun demonstrating its influence on human thoughts.

Summary of the Poem

"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;?
Little we see in nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!"

In this verse, the poet strongly argues that we all love material things. We separated ourselves from nature (cut/separated). We are constantly busy with earning and spending money. We do not have a connection with nature. Nature was referred to using the possessive word "ours" in the poem. He is implying that God made nature for all living things on Earth. We are part of nature, and nature is part of us. Separating ourselves from it is not something we can afford. The harmful effects on the Earth will be felt and observed if this occurs. Our hearts were given to material things. Thus, we have started to love them. We lose time and energy because of our love for material possessions. "A sordid blessing" is how the poet describes material wealth. He explains what material objects are using paradoxes. Sordid is an ugly word that represents disgusting. The word "boon" describes something that is a blessing or especially beneficial to us. How can something be hurtful and cruel if it benefits us?

The poet used the phrase "too much" in the title of his poem, "The world is too much with us." We have an idea to explain the paradoxical "sordid blessing" meaning. The poet seems to have little objection to the limited love of material things. It will be a blessing to them. But it becomes disgusting when they cross the boundaries and become too involved in their love of material things. Consequently, the meaning of paradoxical "bad gifts" is clear.

"This Sea that bares her bosom to the Moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not."

The poet uses the personification of the sea and the Moon to paint a lovely word image in the verse above. The poet presents a simple illustration of the sea in feminine form exposed to the Moon. All of it is symbolic. The sea has been used as a symbol for Mother Nature. The second image in the poet's head is the wind gathered together like a sleeping flower. Usually, the wind blows strongly throughout the day. They cause so much discomfort for creatures on Earth. At night, however, they become calm and quiet. The poet uses a simile of a sleeping flower to represent the winds gathering together as if they were sleeping. Using the word "Howling" creates images of animals such as wolves and dogs. But the image of the "sleeping flowers" softens the impact of the violent wind in the reader's mind.

"For this, for everything, we are out of tune
It moves us not."

The poet says that people are not only moved by the beautiful scenes he describes in the previous lines but also by all the other beautiful scenes. They are now in contradiction with nature.

"Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn."

After presenting beautiful word images of rising sea waves that produce the image of Mother Nature to the view of the Moon and the winds that remain violent during the day and sleep peacefully at night, the poet continues to declare his choice. He stated that he preferred to be a pagan rather than be influenced by the growing materialism of the world at the beginning of England's industrialization. He would be prepared to give up his "Christianity" religion, which advocates only one God. He wants to follow a religion in which nature is worshipped. This verse reflects Wordsworth's deep love for nature. Thus the lines' Great God! I'd rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;' means that he would like to be a Pagan than to continue following the outdated religion in which he was brought up

The poet imagines that he will be able to see the mythical gods Proteus and Triton in ancient Greece and Rome in the open green land near the sea. Proteus could be seen coming out of the sea, and Triton would blow his conch like a horn. In this way, he would not feel lonely or sad, except with the gods of Rome and Greece.

Analysis of the Poem

Wordsworth's poem "The World is Too Much with Us" ( Kirszner and Mandell 855) was a heartfelt poetic reflection on the degradation of nature in industrial societies. This reflection on human self-absorption, written in iambic pentameters, draws readers' attention to a common depressing phenomenon that occurs daily: ignoring and abandoning the magnificent natural world for materialism. At one time or another, instincts make everyone absorbed in simple matters and, in turn, do not study and appreciate the landscape. William Wordsworth emphasizes nature's beauty by explaining why people worldwide waste the Earth's grace given by God. This Italian sonnet urges those listening to stand back from their materialistic lifestyle and appreciate the beauty of nature. William Wordsworth's fourteen-line, single-speaker, lyrical poem uses language, personification, and hyperbole to inform the audience and demonstrate his point of view about society's disregard for nature.

In his poem "The World Is Too Much With Us," author William Wordsworth makes some truly fascinating choices of words. The author intentionally uses terms that contradict one another to support his point of view and give readers a deeper understanding of his goal of enjoying the environment rather than ignoring it. Thus, his speaker highlights the neglected beauty of nature by expressing a tone of complaint toward readers through his intelligent and negative term choice. For example, William Wordsworth wrote the line "We waste our powers by acquiring and spending"(Woodsworth2 line) to associate a negative meaning with human beings who ignore the beauty of nature. Words like "getting" (line 2), "spending," and "waste" (line 2) have unfavorable meaning that connects with readers and helps in their quick understanding of the speaker's rejection of worldly people. After all, Wordsworth only has fourteen lines to make his point. Particularly, the terms effectively convey the actual scope of greed in modern and industrialized society. With only a few words, the author creates a vivid portrait of those who are part of society and are preoccupied with material possessions, employment, education, and riches but never take the time to go outdoors and take in the beauty of the open air. The speaker also criticizes individuals who abuse nature and harm the environment, such as cutting down trees for paper, with the short phrase "waste our powers" (line 2). The author also uses words like "forlorn" (line 12) to strengthen his argument for a negative representation of an industrial society. This sad phrase perfectly conveys the speaker's emotions. He expresses his depressing feelings about the ongoing disrespect towards nature in a straightforward manner that helps the reader understand the poetry. The speaker's sadness is expressed to those listening in a single word, proving Wordsworth's argument, shocking them, evoking emotion, and advancing the poem. Wordsworth often uses terms that highlight his points and support his arguments. The phrase "little we see in Nature" (line 3) is a clever use of language to express the idea that humans do not properly look at the beautiful qualities of the environment and instead find nothing important's beauty. This clever word choice explains the poem's essence in five words by highlighting how unappreciated nature is and that it should not be taken for granted. The poem's objective, which is to draw attention to the beauty of nature in industrial civilization, is thereby repeated and captured by the author's great selection of a strong language.

Personification is an important visual language device used frequently by the author William Wordsworth in his sonnet "The World is Too Much With Us." The author gives nature a life of its own via personification, forcing society to love and admire it. This engaging use of metaphorical language provokes respect from the listeners and encourages society's admiration for the beauty that nature possesses in all parts of the world. Wordsworth uses phrases to support his arguments, such as "This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon" (line 5), to make nature seem alive and deserving of admiration. William Wordsworth brilliantly beautifies nature and portrays it colorfully and transparently for the audience to understand his stunning representation of the environment by personifying the sea via her humanlike behavior. Wordsworth also uses other words, such as "The winds that will be howling at all hours" (line 6), to address all facets of nature and encourage respect for the scenery. The author expertly describes the wonderful attributes that nature has to be recognized by humanity by assigning "howling" (line 6) to the lifeless wind and generating vivid images in the readers' thoughts. The poem's effective use of personification only deepens the reader's understanding and adds to its significance. "Sleeping flowers" is another term Wordsworth used (line 7). This personification example gives readers an alive and distinct picture of the human behavior of sleeping with the dead flowers. This particular instance of personification is crucial because it describes people who do not value nature and who, in a way, are sleeping since they fail to grow in the non-materialistic world. Because of this, the author's views are successfully emphasized, and these vivid, inventive, and symbolic examples of personification effectively continue the concept of enjoying nature's beauty. One of the fascinating qualities of William Wordsworth's poetry is that he often uses hyperboles, or exaggerations, to help readers understand how much they neglect their environment in favor of materialist ideals. By elevating his thoughts to the highest levels and strategically placing them in the middle and the poem's last lines, the author makes his theme clearer and more memorable for those who read it. The speaker's bold claim that "We have given our hearts away" (line 4) shows society's uncaring attitude toward nature. It is the first exaggeration. Although it is exaggerated for the heart to literally "give itself away," Wordsworth makes a significant point about how, in an industrial world, people tend to take nature for granted. The decision to employ hyperbole rather than an understatement to describe this phenomenon has a greater impact on the readers because, as a result of the exaggeration, the readers are better able to appreciate and indulge in the natural world's splendors. However, the poem's most important and effective hyperbole is "It moves us not. Great God! I'd rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn" (lines 9-10). This emotion-filled exaggeration embodies the speaker's anger because he cries out that he would rather not believe in God than live in a society that does not value nature. The thought of not believing in God was unheard of when William Wordsworth wrote this poem since he was a faithful member of English society. The readers are forced to remember his intention to encourage an appreciation of nature by his decision to utilize such a dramatic exaggeration in this particular situation. Suppose the environment is not taken into account. In that case, the speaker will rely on paganism in a secular society, and he convinces readers of his argument and leads them to understand the magnitude of the negative impact of materialism on society. Consequently, the tactical use of hyperbole in poems resonates with readers and strengthens the author's goal of respecting nature and not overlooking nature. William Wordsworth, through his Petrarch sonnet, criticizes the materialist world and its tendency to ignore the beauty that nature offers. The World Is Too Much With Us is written in iambic pentameters and calls for not falling into the greed trap of society and taking the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the environment. William Wordsworth uses diction, personalization, and hyperbole to illuminate readers in fourteen lines of his single speaker, lyric poems, to prove his point and to reveal the neglect of nature in society. This Italian sonnet would not have had a lasting impact on society without Wordsworth's clever choices regarding diction, personalization, and hyperbole. Because of the strict structure and rhyme scheme, Wordsworth only assigns 14 lines and ten syllables to prove his point; the author has carefully chosen effective words and phrases that prove his point and make the poem alive before the eyes of the reader. Wordsworth's poem's strong and efficient structure educates readers about life beyond the material world, and by utilizing it, he encourages them to go outdoors, explore their surroundings, breathe in the fresh air, and appreciate the beauty that nature has to give.