The World Is Too Much for Us
In William Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With Us," this poem heeds warning to his generation. This warning is that they are losing sight of what is actually important in this world: nature and God. To some people both of these are the same thing "...as if lacking appreciation for the natural gifts of God is not sin enough, we add to it the insult of pride for our rape of His land" (Wordsworth). With his words, Wordsworth makes this message perpetual and everlasting. William Wordsworth loved nature and based many of his poems on it. He uses very strong diction to get his point and feelings across. This poem expresses Wordsworth's feeling about nature and religion containing a melodic rhythm (Wordsworth). Each line and each word were chosen very carefully to express his thoughts and feelings. His references to God and Greek Gods catch the reader's eye to find out why he connects God to nature (Gill). His soft tones and harsh words make the reader feel and see what the speaker does.
This relatively simple poem angrily states that human beings are too preoccupied with the material and have lost touch with the spiritual and with nature. The first part, the octave, of "The World Is Too Much with Us" begins with Wordsworth accusing the modern age of having lost its connection to nature and everything meaningful: "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" (Nicholas)! The idea that Wordsworth is trying to make clear, is that human beings (adults) are too preoccupied in the material value of things ("The world getting and spending" (1-2)) and have lost their spiritual connection with Mother Nature (childhood). "Little we see in Nature that is ours;" (3) Wordsworth is expressing that nature is not a commodity to be exploited by humans, but should coexist with humanity, and "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon" (4)! he pronounces that in our materialistic
This relatively simple poem angrily states that human beings are too preoccupied with the material and have lost touch with the spiritual and with nature. The first part, the octave, of "The World Is Too Much with Us" begins with Wordsworth accusing the modern age of having lost its connection to nature and everything meaningful: "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" (Nicholas)! The idea that Wordsworth is trying to make clear, is that human beings (adults) are too preoccupied in the material value of things ("The world getting and spending" (1-2)) and have lost their spiritual connection with Mother Nature (childhood). "Little we see in Nature that is ours;" (3) Wordsworth is expressing that nature is not a commodity to be exploited by humans, but should coexist with humanity, and "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon" (4)! he pronounces that in our materialistic
Cited: Gill, Stephen. William Wordsworth: A Life (Oxford Lives S.). New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Nicholas, Karen S. "The World is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth. Spring 2005 . Wordsworth, William. William Wordsworth: The Major Works (Oxford World 's Classics). New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.