The World is too Much with Us by: William Wordsworth

1. The World is too Much with Usby: William Wordsworth "William Wordsworth - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. <http://www.online-literature.com/wordsworth/>. William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland. He was a British poet, credited with ushering in the English Romantic Movement with the publication of Lyrical Ballads(1798) in collaboration with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Wordsworth died on April 23, 1850.

2. 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 beA 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.

3. Paraphrase • The world is too great for us; in the present and the future (The world is much greater then we realize)We use and squander the world's gifts,We don't see much in nature that is a part of us; (Because of all the worlds gifts given to us daily we don’t see how great and important the nature of our world is to us)We are no longer in touch with nature, what a horrid gift! (We are now so caught up in technology and our new world that nature is no longer as important)And the ocean, exposed to the moon, And winds which do not cease to blow Which die down like flowers at night We are out of sync with this and everything else in nature,(because we are so out of sync with the nature of our world we don’t realize how beautiful our nature is to us anymore)

4. Our emotions are not invoked by it (enough). God, I'd prefer to beA Pagan, brought up in an outdated religion,(The author is saying how he would rather be brought up in an outdated religion instead of brought up with modern ways, so he could learn to appreciate it) • So that when I stand in this meadowI would see things in nature that would make me feel less lonely,( If people were brought up this way, he thinks just as simple as standing in a meadow and enjoying the beauty of our nature would help with our problems.) • Like seeing [sea god] Proteus rising out of the oceanOr [Proteus' son, a god] Triton blowing on his adorned conch shell. • (Seeing sea gods and sons of good would be a beauty to us) • CITATIONS: • Linder. "The World Is Too Much with Us." Wikispaces.com. Tangient LLC, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. <http://mslinder.wikispaces.com/>.

5. Diction of the Poem • Wordsworth uses very strong diction to get his point and feelings across. This poem expresses Wordsworth's feeling about nature and religion. It contains a melodic rhythm. Each line and each word were chosen very carefully to express his thoughts and feelings. • The poem is written in more of a plain language, rather than an emphatic language like the rest of his poems. The sonnet also enacts the poetics of Romanticism. • The poem creates vivid expressions by explaining to readers how abandoned natures has become. Wordsworth's "The World Is Too Much With Us": The Poetics of Romanticism." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://www.suite101.com/content/wordsworths-the-world-is-too-much-with-us-a112624>.

6. Tone & Mood • The author in this poems mood is irritated at the fact that people over look the beauty of nature due to the fact that our society today has been taken over by technology and the usage of cities. The purpose of nature is to enjoy the beauty of it. Wordsworth believes that a good relationship with nature helps individuals connect to both the spiritual and the social worlds. He is trying to get to the reader with a serious note, to make the reader sit back and realize what they look past everyday. He makes the reader believe that all Christians must have faith by witnessing god’s creations. The author uses irony when written, "Great God! I'd rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn". Irony is used because he says he would rather be a pagan just to appreciate nature. He says this trying to convey the seriousness of his meanings, although he would never let go of his faith in order to appreciate nature because nature is gods creation. What is said is meant to be understood in a sarcastic tone. • Pic-Lits, Pic-Lits. "PicLits.com - Lesson Plan." PicLits.com - Create a PicLit. Aug. 07-08. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.piclits.com/lessonplans/irony.aspx>.

7. Rhetorical Situation • William Wordsworth is speaking to his readers as an informer. He is explaining how we take our world for granted and don’t appreciate the beauties of nature. He’s speaking to society and everyone who has forgot about nature, he’s disappointed and ashamed of us. • The purpose for this poem is to show readers what they’re missing out on, and what they have forgotten about. He wants us to realize what were doing and change. In a way, Wordsworth’s poem is a way of persuading people. "PDF Search Result For New Moon Scaricare Gratis." Top Free PDF Search Engine - PDF EBooks Search,Preview,Download. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.pdf-engine.net/new-moon-scaricare-gratis-0.html>.

8. Figurative Language Line 4: The act of giving away our hearts is a metaphor for our alienation from nature. Line 5: The speaker describes "this sea" as something that should move us but doesn't. He compares the sea to someone taking off their shirt, this is a metaphor. "Bares her bosom" is an example of alliteration. This is also an example of personification. Line 6: The speaker compares the winds to a wolf or any other animal that "howls." The "howling" animal is a metaphor for the winds. This also uses personification. Line 7: The winds aren't "howling" at this moment, and the speaker compares them to "sleeping flowers" that are "up-gathered”, this is a simile. Line 8: The speaker says we are "out of tune" for the sea and wind. Here, a musical instrument is a metaphor for humanity. Line 9: Nature never literally "moves" us, so "move" is here a metaphor for a change in one's emotions. Line 10: The speaker expresses his desire to be a pagan "suckled in a creed outworn." Here, nursing is a metaphor for one's relationship to religion. This also uses personification. Shmoop University, Inc. "The World Is Too Much with Us Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. <http://www.shmoop.com/world-is-too-much-with-us/symbolism-imagery.html>.

9. IMAGERY • In a poem concerned with our inability to be moved by nature, it is no surprise that the senses are invoked on several occasions. The speaker suggests that our obsession with "getting and spending" has altered, or even destroyed, our ability to see anything of value in nature. As if to compensate for this sad state of affairs, this figurative blindness, the speaker says he would rather be a pagan, because then he would at least see and hear something a little more inspiring. • Wordsworth makes us fell as if we were there with his thoughts. He describes and uses imagery very well throughout the poem. "The World Is Too Much with Us Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.shmoop.com/world-is-too-much-with-us/symbolism-imagery.html>.

10. SOUND • Rhyme: is presented in the poem, but not every other line.The rhyme scheme in this type of sonnet is ABBA ABBA CDCD. • Repetition: • -initial sounds (alliteration): • So fair, so sweet, withal so sensitive • -repetition of final sounds (rhyme): • Today, in every way, I say, I may. • The poem uses both Cacophony and Euphony sounds, because he shows a positive way of using sounds when speaking about the world. He uses a harsh use of sounds when explaining how the humans treat and look at our world. • Shmoop University, Inc. "The World Is Too Much with Us Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. <http://www.shmoop.com/world-is-too-much-with-us/symbolism-imagery.html>.

11. Structure • The World is too Much with Us" is a sonnet written in iambic pentameter. A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem, the origins of which are attributed to the great Italian poet Petrarch. • There are two main types of sonnets. The Petrarchan sonnet is structured in eight lines and a sestet, in six. Wordsworth's sonnet is of the Petrarchan variety; its rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDCDCD "The World Is Too Much with Us Rhyme, Form & Meter." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. <http://www.shmoop.com/world-is-too-much-with-us/rhyme-form-meter.html>.

12. Conclusion/ Evaluation • Wordsworth did a good job at making his point in the poem. Although he was very straight forward in telling us how we should look at our earth, and not everyone may agree with him. He did do a good job at making the mood serious, so people would read on. Some metaphors were more affective then others such as, “The act of giving away our hearts”,meaningwe have become an alienation from nature. Also, "Great God! I'd rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn", meaning that his passion is so great for god although he would rather not be with god then not appreciate nature. The Rhyme scheme did not relate to the poem, because he wanted to make it a serious writing and not one to enjoy he was trying to make a point. I think he shouldn’t of been so straight forward and telling everyone how they should look at nature, because everyone looks at nature in different ways.

13. Personal Reactions I liked the poem because it related to everyone in the fact that we may not notice it but, we all look over the true beauty of earth. Although the author was very straight forward in telling the reader how we should be towards the world. Everyone should see the beauty of our world, but on the other hand our world as progressed so greatly that we can’t always take the time to put or everyday lives away with technology and the cities we live in and view the beauty of our world. Although we may all want too we can’t always do so. The author makes a good point about what we should do, but he needs to sit back and realize what our world has become. Even though we tend to look past the beauty, we should always respect our earth by keeping up with its natural ways. It did give me a new perspective and way of looking at how beautiful our earth truly is.