The World Is Too Much With Us

1. The World Is Too Much With Us By: DalynnaQuach and Cherise Washington

2. William Wordsworth • Wordsworth was born on April 7, 1770 in Cockermouth, England. • His father was law agent and rent collector for Lord Lonsdale, and the family was fairly well off. • Wordsworth’s style is to show the relationship between man and nature, and he strongly favors conservatism • He had an affair with Annette Vallon, who bore him an illegitimate daughter, Caroline, in 1792. Having run out of money, Wordsworth returned to England the following year, and the Anglo-French war, following the Reign of Terror, prevented his return for nine years.

3. 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 wreathed horn. A B B A A B B A C D C D C D

4. What is the literal sense of the poem? • In the first sentences, he is saying that we have become too involved with consumerism. Then he says that we are being detached from nature, and we have given our hearts away. Next, he gives example of how of how he is more out of tune with nature. He is saying he rather be a Pagan, and saying that is like doing something old fashion. In the next couple of lines he explain that he would rather be pagan so he can look at something beautiful and not feel sad. In the last two lines he talks about what he see. Proteus ( Greek God) can see into the future, and Triton (son of Proteus) blew the conch to excite or calm the wave. • The world is to much, later or sooner, consumerism will destroy us. We are not apart of nature, it is good that we have given our hearts away… not. The sea is not affected by the moon, the winds are at rest, sleeping flowers will howl when they wake up. We are not compatible for nature. It does not move us. Great God! I’d rather be a Pagan who believes in old fashion religion. So I, standing in this pleasant meadow, might look at something that is not sad. That I may see Proteus coming out of the ocean or Triton blowing his horn.

5. What is the diction of the poem? • What sort of language does the poem use: It use concrete words to talk about nature. • Semantics: Sordid is morally ignoble or base; vile. Boon is something to be thankful for; blessing; benefit. Pagan is one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks. • Proteus and Triton are Greek Gods. Proteus can see into the future, and Triton, who is the son of Proteus, blew the conch to excite or calm the wave. • Etymology: Sordid (1590-1600) is from Latin sordidus. Boon (1125–75); Middle English bone  < Old Norse bōn  prayer; cognate with Old English bēn.

6. What are the tone and mood of the poem? • The poem is sad because we are giving our hearts away in this consumerism world. • The poem is serious. • There is no irony in this poem. • The poet wants us to feel a sense of urgency about the problem of “getting and spending”.

7. What is the rhetorical situation implied by the poem? • The speaker is the poet talking to the people about how they have become absorbed by consumerism, and how they are out of touch with nature. • The speaker is trying to inform me about being in touch with nature. He is speaking to me directly about this subject.

8. Does the poem use figurative language? • Simile: “The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers” • Metaphor: “We have given our hearts away” “suckled in a creed outworn ” • Personification: “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon, The winds that will be howling at all hours” • Hyperbole: “We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” Oxymoron: “sordid boon”

9. What kind of imagery does the poem use? • Imagery: “Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.” can help us imagine scenes in our heads. • See:“Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea” Hear: “Winds howling at all hours; Hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn” Taste:None Smell: None Touch: None • Symbolism: “Hearts” is a symbol because it is really just an organ, but it represents feelings.

10. How does sound contribute to the effect of the poem? • Rhyme: There is rhyme at the end of the line with the last word on each line. Words like soon, boon, moon, and tune all have the same ending sound. Powers, ours, hours, and flowers also rhyme. • Repetition: The only repetition found in the poem is in the rhyming sounds the words make. • Alliteration: “bares her bosom” • Assonance: None • Onomatopoeia: Howling describes the sound that wind sometimes makes. • How the poem rhymes creates an effect of euphony.

11. How is the poem structured? • Standard form? Yes. Rhyme scheme? Yes This poem is considered a sonnet • First stanza: Octave Second stanza: Sestet • Rhyme pattern: abbaabba cd cdcd (last word of the line); there is also an iambic pentameter

12. Works Cited • http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/ww/bio.html • http://www.biography.com/people/william-wordsworth-9537033 • http://www.shmoop.com/world-is-too-much-with-us/