Introduction
‘The world is too much with us’ was first published in the year 1807 in the collection ‘Poems, in two volumes’. It is among those poems of William Wordsworth in which the focus is on highlighting the issue of increasing involvement in the materialistic world instead of praising the beauty of nature or the past memories of the poet with nature.
Central Idea
The poem is focused on the times of the Industrial Revolution, when man was running after the materialistic world. Wordsworth writes ‘we lay waste our powers’ in involving too much in this world and not care much about nature. Beauty of sea, winds, flowers, etc., doesn’t move us anymore as ‘we have given our hearts away’ to the materialistic world. In such a scenario in the world, the Poet still chooses to remain amid nature to enjoy its company.
Themes
- Indulgence in materialism – As the title suggests, ‘The World is too much with us’, meaning we are too much engrossed in this world, is the new reality of the nineteenth-century world. It was due to increasing urbanization and industrialization. People were entrapped in the physical world.
- Indifference of man towards nature – It was the times of the Industrial Revolution when man became aloof of nature and shifted his focus on earning money. Man’s too much involvement in this world made him emotionally numb towards nature.
- Back to Nature – The poet decides for himself that “I’d rather be/ A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn.” He finds companionship in nature. In his opinion, he won’t be forlorn in nature. It means this physical materialistic world makes him forlorn. He chooses nature and wants to enjoy standing in the pleasant Lea and watch Triton and Proteus.
Figure of Speech
- Personification – ‘This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon’, has personification as the sea is being treated as a person who opens up his chest (heart) to welcome the moon. Similarly, in ‘sleeping flowers’, flowers are also being personified.
- Simile – Wind becomes silent or calm in the evening and being compared with sleeping flowers. Hence, it’s a case of simile.
- Consonance – ‘This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon’ has repetition of consonant sounds /s/. Similarly, in line ‘Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea’, there is a repetition of the consonant sound /s/.
- Alliteration – In the phrases ‘we lay waste’, ‘Great God’, there is repetition of consonant sounds of /v/ and /g/ at the start of words, hence these are cases of alliteration.
- Assonance – ‘The winds that will be howling’ has repetition of vowel sound /i/.
- Enjambment – The winds that will be howling at all hours,/And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers, has enjambment as the first line of the two has an incomplete sentence, hence it is continued into the second line.
- Allusion – There is a reference to the Greek gods Triton and Proteus in the last two lines of the poem.
- Oxymoron – ‘Sordid Boon’ has oxymoron as there is two opposite words used together as pair. Here sordid means something dirty and boon means a gift, a blessing, or something very helpful. Hence these two terms are opposite to each other and it’s a case of oxymoron.
Romanticism
The poem has elements of romanticism. It shows concern about the situation that is unfolding. Humans are detaching themselves from nature and getting involved in the physical and material world. Humans have stopped feeling for nature and its beauty. As the poem is, in a way, lamenting for losing touch with nature and cursing humans for forgetting it, it has romanticism. Romanticism focuses on feelings and emotions, natural beauty, the importance of nature, etc.
Structure and Rhyme Scheme
The poem is a sonnet, comprising fourteen lines. It’s a Petrarchan sonnet with the format of octave and sestet. Its rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDC DCD.
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