The sonnet, The World Is Too Much With Us written by William Wordsworth vehemently admonishes the decadent material pursuit of the civilisation of the time. The poet here appears to be extremely disillusioned with modern people of his time as they focused more on the worldly things rather than on the beauty of Nature. Here is the detailed analysis of summary theme questions answers from The World Is Too Much With Us.
The World Is Too Much With Us Poem Text:
The World Is Too Much With Us
William Wordsworth
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.
Summary of The World Is Too Much With Us:
We, modern people remain obsessed with our mundane affairs – making money and spending it always. Our foolish pursuits for such affairs weaken our ability to perceive what really matters, our ability to appreciate the beauty of Nature and our spiritual power. We have given away our souls in order to reap a material blessing. We are not willing to be gifted with spiritual blessings.
Such is our shameful gain or tarnished blessing. In our quest for material gain or blessing, we don’t care to notice the beauty of the sea or fury of the winds – both the calm and tranquil and stormy aspects of Nature. Octopus-like materialism has won over us. Nothing in Nature stimulates us. We have deadened our feelings for enjoying charming aspects of Nature.
The sight of moonlight falling on the sea does not at all appeal to us. The tumultuous sound produced by the winds is also ignored by us. His thunderous “Great God!” indicates the extremity of his fervent wish to become a Pagan. In Christian populated England, one can not naturally wish to be a Pagan.
The speaker fervently desires to be nurtured in paganism, an outdated religion which worshipped the natural objects and which had a close attachment for them. Then his lacerated soul would be pacified and thus the worshipping of natural objects would impart solace to him. Then the poet would be inclined to stand in a meadow and appreciate Nature around him. Then he would spot Proteus rising from the sea or listen to Triton blowing his conch shell.
The World Is Too Much With Us Theme:
The central idea of the poem “The World Is Too Much With Us” is that whenever we severe out bond of love with Nature and whenever we have no eye or ear for nature’s beauty and grandeur, we have no spiritual life. The people of the time of the poet in England were exceedingly enmeshed in mundane affairs and the grossly soulless materialism of the time.
Lust and luxury made them slave to money and wealth. They were no longer enthralled by the beauty and charms of Nature. The poet unhesitatingly expresses his utter disenchantment with and disgust at the artificial materialistic civilization devoid of spirituality and sweet affections and love for Nature. The central theme of the poem is that when we once lose touch with Nature, and we have no eye or ear for her beauty or grandeur, we have no spiritual life, and our religion is but a shame.
Style of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us:
The World Is Too Much With Us is a lyric in the form of a sonnet. This is written in the Petrarchan model. It follows the materical scheme of the Petrarchan sonnet: abba, abba, cd, cd, cd. It is written in Iambic Pentameter with a few variations which add to the emotional fervour of it and to draw the quick attention of the reader.
It has a volta in the eighth line. The octave presents a theme or problem and the sestet develops the theme or suggests a solution to the problem. In this sonnet, the octave represents the poet’s disenchantment with and disgust at the people’s being enmeshed in ‘Getting and Spending’ money and the people’s alienation from the aegis of bountiful and benevolent Nature. The sestet represents the poet’s deep love for Nature and a solution – man must be in close contact with Nature.Â
The World Is Too Much With Us Questions Answers
1. What does the line The World Is Too Much With Us mean?
Ans: This line expresses the poet’s complaint against disenchantment with and disgust at the people’s excessive need and greed for worldly things such as money, worldly pleasures. This line pivots on the dichotomy of ‘world’ as opposed to ‘earth’. The word ‘world’ means mundane things and affairs. The poet laments that the people of his time became so much interested in soulless materialism. They ceased to think that they were part of nature. They lost their power of appreciating the beauty and grandeur of nature. Their sense to appreciate, love and admire was morally dead.
2. What is the main idea and central theme of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us?
Ans: The main idea or central theme of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us is that when we once lose touch with Nature, and have no eye or ear to appreciate the beauty and bounty of nature, we have no spiritual life. The poem represents the poet’s deep love for nature and provides the message that man must be in close contact with nature.
3. What is the message of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us?
Ans: The poem conveys the message that man is the most valuable creature which God has created. Their life is not meant for only enjoying worldly pleasures and mad pursuit of material wealth which is at the root of evil. The poet tries to convey the message that man’s powers and inherent faculties should be used for creative purposes and for doing something noble and being in close contact with nature. Wordsworth boldly asserts that material joys cannot impart permanent happiness to man because the happiness which such joys give is “the morning’s silver melting dew” which too short lived.
4. What does ‘sordid boon’ in the poem suggest?
Ans: The word ‘sordid’ means mean Or low and ‘boon’ means blessing. A boon can be sordid only when it becomes curse, it imparts displeasure instead of imparting pleasures. A ‘sordid boon’ is a boon in disguise. Owing to the industrial revolution, the people were gifted with many kinds of material blessings. But the people’s attainment of money and wealth, though apparently a boon, is a curse in disguise. It was a boon in the sense that as a result of attaining the material blessings, the people’s life was made better materially. But it was a curse in the sense that such attainment was detrimental to their soul, heart and society.
5. Who is Proteus and what does he represent in the poem?
Ans: Proteus, according to the Greek mythology, was twin-brother of Acrisius. He was the son of Abas and Ocalea. As a result of his dispute with his brother for the kingdom of Argos, he was expelled. He is a sea God. He rises from the sea and basks in the sun. In the poem, his rising from the sea perhaps suggest to wreak vengeance on humanity engaged in the material pursuit. His rising suggests a beautiful sight of nature. He is the force of the one Divine Being, God. Through the mention of the sea-god, the poet reminds us of the sole duty of the Christians to return to nature without delay.
6. What is Triton and what does he represent in the poem?
Ans: Triton was the son of Neptune or Poseidon and Amphitrite. He dwelt with his father in a golden palace at the bottom of the sea. He is described as riding over the sea on seahorse or other monsters. The blowing of Triton would represent a sound of nature. He was half-human and half-fish, representing the combination of man and nature. Here nature itself is symbolised by Proteus and Triton.
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