William Wordsworth's The World is Too Much With Us

621 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How human activities have led to depletion of natural resources

The World is Too Much With Us Poem

William Wordsworth’s poem is a statement about conflict between nature and humanity. The symbolism in his poem gives the reader a sense of the conviction and deep feelings Wordsworth had. Wordsworth longs for a much simpler time when the progress of humanity was tempered by the restrictions nature imposed.

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 for humanity, but the mentality of “getting and spending” clouds the perspective of humanity. Wordsworth does not see us as incapable, in fact he describes our abilities as “powers”. “We lay waste our powers” is blamed on the earlier mentioned attitude of “getting and spending”. The appetite mankind has for devouring all that is around clouds our perspective as to what is being sacrificed for the progress. The “sordid boon” we have “given are hearts” is the materialistic progress of mankind. Humanity has become self-absorbed and can no longer think clearly. The destructiveness society has on the environment will proceed unchecked and relentless like the “winds that will be howling at all hours”.

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. This relationship 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 woman exposed to the heavens. The phrase “sleeping flowers” might also describe how nature is being overrun unknowingly and is helpless.

Wordsworth seems to be the only enlightened one who is able to foresee the inevitable. He sees himself as one with the environment. The verse “I, standing on this pleasant lea, have glimpses that would make me less forlorn”, show Wordsworth as a visionary who is not responsible for the destruction of nature. This destruction is not seen stopping as a result of any act by mankind. The change Wordsworth is hoping for will come in the form of a mighty revolt by nature. Wordsworth reaches back into ancient Greece for their gods who symbolize nature and strength to make the change. Proteus is seen rising from the sea, facing the injustices inflicted upon nature, placing the cycle of life back in balance.

Show More
Related

  • Fort Laramie Treaty

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Calloway, C. G. (2012). First peoples A documentary survey of American Indian history (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

    Read More

  • Minimally Adequate Education

    1430 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Abbeville et al. versus the state of South Carolina case, Abbeville demanded more funding from the state for the school districts that were not being provided with extra money through their property taxes. Abbeville argued for more state funding by proposing that their students were not acquiring an adequate education compared to that of students in wealthier districts (Abbeville 4). Abbeville et al. claimed the state violated “the South Carolina Constitution's education clause (art. XI, § 3), the state and federal equal protection clauses, and a violation of the Education Finance Act (EFA)” (Abbevi...

    Read More

  • Analysis of William Wordsworth's Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wordsworth desires nature only because of his separateness, and the more isolated he feels the mor...

    Read More

  • The world is too much with us

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the industrial revolution of England, humans engaged in monotonous work and lost harmonious unity with nature. In the nineteenth century, when the poet William Wordsworth wrote his sonnet “The world is too much with us,” the aspects of industrialized society had changed a factory worker’s life, leaving no time or the desire to enjoy and take part in nature. In his Petrarchan sonnet, Wordsworth criticizes humans for losing their hearts to materialism and longs for a world where nature is divine.

    Read More

  • Theories of Motivation

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mullins (2002) classifies motivation into Intrinsic and Extrinsic types. Intrinsic motivation involves psychological rewards to enhance job satisfaction, such as the opportunity to use one's ability, a sense of achievement, receiving appreciation and positive recognition or being treated in a considerate manner (Mullins, 2002:P490). Such methods ensure employees are constantly motivated while being engaged in activities that are enjoyable and rewarding.

    Read More

  • I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wordsworth and Hopkins both present the reader with a poem conveying the theme of nature. Nature in its variety be it from something as simple as streaked or multicolored skies, long fields and valleys, to things more complex like animals, are all gifts we take for granted. Some never realize the truth of what they are missing by keeping themselves indoors fixating on the loneliness and vacancy of their lives and not on what beauty currently surrounds them. Others tend to relate themselves more to the fact that these lovely gifts are from God and should be praised because of the way his gifts have uplifted our human spirit. Each writer gives us their own ideals as how to find and appreciate nature’s true gifts.

    Read More

  • Sustainable Design

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whilst sustainability did not become a noticeable issue in design until the 1970’s, we can see the evolution over time. The American Indian back in the 1800’s would hunt buffalo, however they knew this was their main resource for survival so they greatly respected it. The way they hunted and utilized the whole animal meant there was no waste and never a threat of extinction. The hide was used for clothing, blankets and smeared with smashed buffalo brains as waterproofing and then used to make teepee’s (History Learning Site, 2014). Native people (first designers) of our planet knew that...

    Read More

  • Nokia Case Study

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    "While practically everybody today is a potential mobile phone customer, everybody is simultaneously different in terms of usage, needs, lifestyles, and individual preferences," explains Nokia's Media Relations Manager, Keith Nowak. Understanding those differences requires that Nokia conduct ongoing research among different consumer groups throughout the world. The approach is reflected in the company's business strategy:

    Read More

  • 18th and 19th century view on nature

    359 Words  | 1 Pages

    Through the poems of Blake and Wordsworth, the meaning of nature expands far beyond the earlier century's definition of nature. "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." The passion and imagination portrayal manifest this period unquestionably, as the Romantic Era. Nature is a place of solace where the imagination is free to roam. Wordsworth contrasts the material world to the innocent beauty of nature that is easily forgotten, or overlooked due to our insensitivities by our complete devotion to the trivial world. “But yet I know, where’er I go, that there hath passed away a glory from the earth.

    Read More

  • Motivational Theories

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are numerous motivational theories that attempt to explain how motivation works, but the challenge is applying these theories to actual situations or individuals. Many experts believe utilizing a combination of several motivational theories is more effective than selecting a single theory and applying it all-inclusively. To further explore the practical application of motivational theories, we will attempt to apply different theories to an organization that includes several types of employees, including salespeople, production workers, and administrative staff.

    Read More

  • Nature in American Poetry

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    All in all, throughout all the history of American poetry, we can easily find numerous poems concerning nature from different angles, for nature will never betray a nature-loving heart just as William Wordsworth says.

    Read More

  • Introduction Of Microsoft Company

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... smartphone. The company has improved increasingly because the combination with the Nokia company. Away to insure that the company can stay on top is to increase the innovations to their devices. Nokia was once a mobile telephone powerhouse, but has struggled since smartphones hit the market. As part of Microsoft, it will have better footing to compete there, however Ballmer noted that Nokia remains a leader in non-smart with phones sold in developing regions. The company’s ultimate goal is growth for the platform. After years trying to regain relevance in the mobile industry, Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system narrowly nudged ahead of theird-place BlackBerry in global smartphone shipments, now sitting somewhere in the neighborhood of five percent globally. In the end Microsoft has accomplished their goal as a company and plans to stay there for a while.

    Read More

  • Nature in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    To conclude, William Wordsworth uses form and syntax and figurative language to stress on his mental journey, and to symbolize the importance of the beauty and peace of nature. In my opinion, the poet might have written this poem to show his appreciation towards nature. The poem has a happy mood especially when the poet is discussing the daffodils. In this poem the daffodils are characterized as more than flowers, but as humans “fluttering and dancing in the breeze” (line 6). In addition, the poet mentioned himself to be part of nature since nature inspires him to write and think. Therefore, the reason that the poet wrote this poem was to express the feeling of happiness in his mental journey in nature.

    Read More

  • Comparison of the Use of Nature by Shelley and Wordsworth

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    He is writing the poem as if he were an object of the earth, and what it is like to once live and then die only to be reborn. On the other hand, Wordsworth takes images of meadows, fields, and birds and uses them to show what gives him life. Life being whatever a person needs to move on, and without those objects, they can't have life. Wordsworth does not compare himself to these things like Shelley, but instead uses them as an example of how he feels about the stages of living. Starting from an infant to a young boy into a man, a man who knows death is coming and can do nothing about it because it's part of life.

    Read More

  • The Role of Nature in the poetry of William Wordsworth

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    In William Wordsworth’s poems, the role of nature plays a more reassuring and pivotal r ole within them. To Wordsworth’s poetry, interacting with nature represents the forces of the natural world. Throughout the three poems, Resolution and Independence, Tintern Abbey, and Michael, which will be discussed in this essay, nature is seen prominently as an everlasting- individual figure, which gives his audience as well as Wordsworth, himself, a sense of console. In all three poems, Wordsworth views nature and human beings as complementary elements of a sum of a whole, recognizing that humans are a sum of nature. Therefore, looking at the world as a soothing being of which he is a part of, Wordsworth looks at nature and sees the benevolence of the divinity aspects behind them.

    Read More

More about William Wordsworth's The World is Too Much With Us

Open Document