William Wordsworth's The World Is Too Much With Us
William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” bring attention to man’s alienation from nature. Wordsworth grew up in an environmentally focused community, so he has appreciation for nature, whereas others do not. In the poem, he brings up a problem within our society: people worry too much about materialistic things. Because nature is non-materialistic, we apparently overlook it. The use of diction and word play amplify Wordsworth’s message. He writes with an angry and disappointed tone and sprinkles in some irony when saying, “Great God! I’d rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn”. He is saying that faith can be renewed by witnessing God’s creation, but instead we ignore it. The use of juxtaposition was also implemented to get
his point across. “We give our hearts away, a sordid boon” (line 4). With sordid meaning something degraded and boon meaning something beneficial, a sordid boon would be something both helpful and detrimental, like the industrial revolution going on at the time. With a message as serious as the neglect of nature, Wordsworth felt the need to alleviate the severity by throwing in minor comedy and verbal irony. Although Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” is a poem, it serves as a public service announcement. He is bringing to light the issue of people letting money rule their lives. People lost their sense of nature and became accustomed to industrial, city life. He believes we need to remember our roots, literally.
his point across. “We give our hearts away, a sordid boon” (line 4). With sordid meaning something degraded and boon meaning something beneficial, a sordid boon would be something both helpful and detrimental, like the industrial revolution going on at the time. With a message as serious as the neglect of nature, Wordsworth felt the need to alleviate the severity by throwing in minor comedy and verbal irony. Although Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” is a poem, it serves as a public service announcement. He is bringing to light the issue of people letting money rule their lives. People lost their sense of nature and became accustomed to industrial, city life. He believes we need to remember our roots, literally.