Poem Analysis - "The World Is Too Much With Us", William Wordsworth

"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 wreathèd horn.”

       “The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth, is about the writer attempting to send the message out to everyone that many people are no longer in touch with nature, do not spend enough time appreciating the beauty in it, as well as not caring at all when the world is being damaged.

    What first caught my interest in this poem was the interesting, meaningful title. Although short, the unique way the title of the poem is worded is very powerful and intriguing.

In the poem, there is a harsh, brutally honest tone, as if the writer is frustrated with most of the world for not understanding him and changing their ways to enjoy nature and to stop harming it. The way the poet worded the poem also leads you to believe that he is not only angry, but saddened by the harm being done to our world.

The poem connects very similarly to what is being taught in Socials currently, and to the unit that was recently completed. In Socials, we were told of the effects the Industrial Revolution caused on the world and environment. We were also told in Socials of many recent events in place that will inflict grave damage the earth, such as an unnecessary dam that may soon be built  that would flood  83 kilometres of land. The harms being done both in the past and present all connect to the poem.