The World is Too Much With Us - William Wordsworth

1. Introduction to the Poem

• Title: The World Is Too Much With Us

• Poet: William Wordsworth

• Published: Around 1807

• Theme:

  • Criticism of how people have become disconnected from nature.

  • Condemnation of materialism and industrialization.

  • Desire to reconnect with the natural and spiritual world.

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2. Summary

• Humans are obsessed with money, business, and material wealth.

• They have lost their connection to nature and spiritual values.

• Wordsworth feels sorrowful and angry about this loss.

• He wishes he could be a pagan (someone who worships nature gods) because at least then he would feel closer to nature.

• He imagines seeing powerful sea gods like Proteus and Triton, reminding us how alive nature once felt.

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3. Structure: Form and Meter

• Form:

  • This poem is a Petrarchan sonnet (Italian sonnet).

  • A sonnet is a 14-line poem.

  • In a Petrarchan sonnet, the first 8 lines (the octave) present a problem, and the next 6 lines (the sestet) provide a response or solution.

• Rhyme Scheme:

  • Octave (first 8 lines): ABBAABBA

  • Sestet (last 6 lines): It varies, but here it is roughly CDCDCD.

• Meter:

  • The poem is written in iambic pentameter.

    • Iambic: each foot has two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed (da-DUM).

    • Pentameter: there are five feet per line.

  • Example (listen to the beat):

    The WORLD | is TOO | much WITH | us; LATE | and SOON,

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4. Important Poetic Devices

• Personification:

  • Nature is given human qualities.

    "This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon"
    (The sea is shown as a woman exposing herself to the moon.)

• Allusion:

  • References to Greek mythology: Proteus and Triton.

• Imagery:

  • Strong visual images of nature: sea, winds, flowers.

• Apostrophe:

  • Poet speaks directly to nature and ancient beliefs.

• Enjambment:

  • Sentences flow over more than one line without a full stop.

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5. Tone and Mood

• Tone:

  • Sad, angry, disappointed, and nostalgic.

• Mood:

  • Reflective, critical, and longing for a deeper connection with nature.

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6. Themes

• Materialism vs. Nature:
  People are too busy with "getting and spending" and have forgotten how to appreciate nature.

• Spiritual Emptiness:
  Losing connection with nature means losing spiritual depth.

• Admiration for Paganism:
  Wordsworth feels that even ancient pagan beliefs were better because they respected natural forces.

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7. Important Quotes

• "The world is too much with us; late and soon,"
  (We are too involved in worldly affairs at all times.)

• "Little we see in Nature that is ours;"
  (We do not feel that we belong to nature anymore.)

• "I'd rather be / A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;"
  (He wishes he could believe in old religions if it meant feeling closer to nature.)

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Awesome! Here's a simple, line-by-line explanation of
"The World Is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth:

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Line-by-Line Explanation

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Lines 1–2

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;

• People are too busy with worldly activities — now and in the future ("late and soon").

• We waste our energy on earning and spending money, instead of using it wisely.

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Lines 3–4

Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

• We hardly feel any connection to nature anymore.

• We have given up our hearts (feelings and emotions) in exchange for something dirty ("sordid") — materialism.

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Lines 5–7

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;

• Nature is alive and beautiful:

  • The sea shows itself freely to the moon (romantic, natural image).

  • The winds are wild and howl constantly but right now are quiet ("sleeping flowers" — gentle and calm).

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Line 8

For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

• We are "out of tune" with the beauty and music of nature — we cannot appreciate it anymore.

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Line 9

It moves us not.—Great God! I’d rather be

• These natural wonders don’t touch our hearts anymore.

• Wordsworth cries out emotionally ("Great God!") and says he'd rather be something else.

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Lines 10–11

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

• He wishes he were a Pagan (someone believing in ancient nature gods), even if those beliefs are old and outdated ("creed outworn").

• That way, standing on a grassy field ("pleasant lea"), he would feel spiritually connected to nature.

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Lines 12–14

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

• If he were a Pagan, he might catch glimpses of Proteus (a sea god who can change shapes) rising from the sea.

• He might hear Triton (another sea god) blowing his horn.

• Seeing or hearing such powerful natural beings would make him less lonely and sad ("less forlorn").

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Summary in One Sentence

Wordsworth says modern people are too busy with money and have lost their deep connection with nature; he wishes he could go back to a time when people saw the divine in the natural world.

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