The world is too Much with us - wikipedia The world is too Much with us The World Is Too Much with Us 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 ! 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. -- 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 wreathèd horn. `` The World Is Too Much with Us '' is a sonnet by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. In it, Wordsworth criticises the world of the First Industrial Revolution for being absorbed in materialism and distancing itself from nature. Composed circa 1802, the poem was first published in Poems, in Two Volumes ( 1807 ). Like most Italian sonnets, its 14 lines are written in iambic pentameter. Contents 1 Theme 2 Summary 3 Critical analysis 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading Theme In the early 19th century, Wordsworth wrote several sonnets blasting what he perceived as `` the decadent material cynicism of the time. '' `` The World Is Too Much with Us '' is one of those works. It reflects his view that humanity must get in touch with nature to progress spiritually. The rhyme scheme of this poem is a-b-b-a, a-b-b-a, c-d-c-d, c-d. This Italian or Petrarchan sonnet uses the last six lines ( sestet ) to answer the first eight lines ( octave ). The first eight lines ( octave ) are the problems and the next six ( sestet ) are the solution. Summary This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( March 2015 ) Wordsworth gives a fatalistic view of the world, past and future. The words `` late and soon '' in the opening verse describe how the past and future are included in his characterization of mankind. The author knows the potential of humanity 's `` powers '', but fears it is clouded by the mentality of `` getting and spending. '' The `` sordid boon '' we have `` given our hearts '' is the materialistic progress of mankind. The detriment society has on the environment will proceed unchecked and relentless like the `` winds that will be howling at all hours ''. The speaker complains that `` the world '' is too overwhelming for us to appreciate it, and that people are so concerned about time and money that they use up all their energy. These people want to accumulate material goods, so they see nothing in Nature that they can `` own '', and have sold their souls. Unlike / society, Wordsworth does not see nature as a commodity. The verse `` Little we see in Nature that is ours '', shows that coexisting is the relationship envisioned. We should be able to appreciate beautiful events like the moon shining over the ocean and the blowing of strong winds, but it is almost as if humans are on a different wavelength from Nature. The `` little we see in Nature that is ours '' exemplifies the removed sentiment man has for nature, being obsessed with materialism and other worldly objects. Wordsworth 's Romanticism is best shown through his appreciation of nature in these lines and his woes for man and its opposition to nature. The relationship between Nature and man appears to be at the mercy of mankind because of the vulnerable way nature is described. The verse `` This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon '', gives the vision of a feminine creature opening herself to the heavens above. The phrase `` sleeping flowers '' might also describe how nature is being overrun unknowingly and is helpless. The verse `` I, standing on this pleasant lea, have glimpses that would make me less forlorn '', reveals Wordsworth 's perception of himself in society : a visionary romantic more in touch with nature than his contemporaries. The speaker would rather be a pagan who worships an outdated religion so that when he gazes out on the ocean ( as he 's doing now ), he might feel less sad. If he were a pagan, he would have glimpses of the great green meadows that would make him less dejected. He 'd see wild mythological gods like Proteus, who can take many shapes, and Triton, who can soothe the howling sea waves. ( INCORRECT : Here too you have misunderstood. This entire poem is about Wordsworth 's view of Collerage and his ilk who are reactionary and self obsessed with the importance of their current view of the world. The reference to an ancient religion are simply Wardsworth answering Collerage 's criticism of his `` Outdated '' more conservative view of the world being at balance vs. being on the brink of downfall at the hands of man. Wardsworth is stating that he 'd rather be an outdated pagan than like Collerage and his contemporaries. In this way, like a pagan worshiping ( and respecting ) nature as a wonder beyond our control, at least he is not like Collerage, removed from nature by the arogance of believing man is god - like and believing that over zealously obsessing with the matters of the current time shall bring a dramatic change to the nature of the world. Wardsworth was calling for balance and reason in a time when many like Collerage felt was the end of civilization. ) Critical analysis This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( March 2016 ) Metaphor The metaphor `` we have given our hearts away, a sordid boon '' is also an oxymoron. Sordid suggests the worst aspects of human nature such as immorality, selfishness and greed, while a boon is something that functions as a blessing or benefit. The contradiction between the meanings of the words suggests that materialism is a destructive and corrupt blessing which the industrial revolution has produced. It emphasises the tension between the good exterior and the sordid truth behind materialism. On an exterior level, material goods bring pleasure and are a symbol of man 's progress ; however, in truth, they feed the worst aspects of humanity : thus a `` sordid boon. '' Sonnet fobrm Wordsworth employs a strictly structured form, the Italian sonnet, which conforms to a set of strict conventions. As in many sonnets by the Romantic poets, he creates a tension between the emotional, natural, and fluid themes explored in the poem and the structured form of the sonnet. This tension reflects what was occurring during the Romantic Era, in which artists and poets were rebelling in the structured world of the neoclassical period. Employing the familiar with the new and revolutionary - Wordsworth uses the familiar structure of the sonnet as well as referring to familiar ancient Gods ( in the authors context they would have been familiar ) to persuade the reader to engage in a positive way to the concepts addressed. The unfamiliar or unknown is always feared and suppressed thus by incorporating the familiar with the revolutionary the reader in the 19th century is more likely to engage positively with Wordsworth 's message. Repetition and rhyming scheme The repetitive rhyme scheme ABBAABBA, and the use of word pairs such as `` getting and spending '' and `` late and soon '' emphasises the monotonous nature of modern life and materialism. Getting and spending is a cluster of longer emphasised words with many consonants, also possibly emphasising this view. In essence, materialism is just that getting and spending : it is devoid of emotion or a true fulfilling purpose. In many ways the stereotypes of man and woman mirror the difference between the neoclassical and romantic period between civilised and nature. Men in this context are associated with rationality, strength, order and power, whereas women are associated with emotion and the imagination. Music and harmony The line, `` For this, for everything we are out of tune '' implies that man is out of tune with nature, unable to live in harmony with the world around him. By describing the harmonious relationship of man and nature as a tune, Wordsworth evokes a sensuous experience of nature. Collective pronouns Wordsworth uses the words `` we '' and `` us. '' This includes the reader, once again positioning the reader to engage with the poem. Imagery In the simile `` and are up gathered now like sleeping flowers, '' sleeping flowers suggest that man is numb and unaware of the beauty and power of the natural world. At the same time, however, there is also a certain optimism : the image of sleeping flowers implies that humans are only dormant, and that there is some hope we will wake up and realise the power of nature. Punctuation The poem 's many commas and semicolons create pauses that instill reflection in the reader. In each pause the reader is given space to contemplate and engage with the message. See also Appraisal References Wikisource has original text related to this article : The World Is Too Much With Us ^ Jump up to : Phillips Brian ( 17 August 2007 ). `` SparkNotes on Wordsworth 's Poetry `` The world is too much with us ''. SparkNotes. Further reading Kroeber, Karl ( 1963 ). `` A New Reading of ' The World Is Too Much with Us ' ''. Studies in Romanticism. 2 ( 3 ) : 183 -- 188. doi : 10.2307 / 25599587. Ma, Tianyu ( 2017 ). `` Boons, authority, and imagination : A reading of ' The World Is Too Much with Us ' ''. ANQ : A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews. doi : 10.1080 / 0895769X. 2017.1385377. William Wordsworth Topics Early life Lake Poets Lyrical Ballads Preface to the Lyrical Ballads `` Anecdote for Fathers '' `` The Idiot Boy '' `` Lucy Gray '' The Lucy poems `` She dwelt among the untrodden ways '' `` A slumber did my spirit seal '' `` Strange fits of passion have I known '' `` Three years she grew in sun and shower '' The Matthew poems `` Michael, a Pastoral '' `` Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey '' `` We Are Seven '' Later poetry Poems, in Two Volumes Peter Bell The White Doe of Rylstone `` Composed upon Westminster Bridge '' `` Elegiac Stanzas '' `` I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud '' The Lucy poems `` I travelled among unknown men '' `` London, 1802 '' `` Ode : Intimations of Immortality '' `` Resolution and Independence '' `` The Solitary Reaper '' `` The World Is Too Much with Us '' `` Character of the Happy Warrior '' The Recluse The Excursion The Prelude Prose Guide to the Lakes People Samuel Taylor Coleridge Robert Southey Dora Wordsworth ( daughter ) Dorothy Wordsworth ( sister ) Places Alfoxton House Allan Bank Dove Cottage Rydal Mount Wordsworth House Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_World_Is_Too_Much_with_Us&oldid=856612285 '' Categories : Poetry by William Wordsworth 1802 poems 1807 poems Sonnets British poetry Hidden categories : EngvarB from September 2013 Use dmy dates from September 2013 Articles that may contain original research from March 2015 All articles that may contain original research All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2016 Articles that may contain original research from March 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikisource Add links This page was last edited on 26 August 2018, at 13 : 04 ( UTC ). 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Question: main theme of the poem the world is too much with us
Answer: "the decadent material cynicism of the time."