1. 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. “ The world is too much with us” – William Wordsworth

2. Whitechapel High Street, ca. 1894 The romantic period 1785 - 1830

5. William Wordsworth Regarded as the founder and major voice of English Romanticism Appointed poet laureate in 1843 Central concern: the way in which people, of their own free will, cut themselves off from the creative powers of Nature – the truth of existence can be discovered by contemplating nature and the lives of people connected with nature , simple lifestyles of rural communities Poetry = “…spontaneous overflow of emotion recollected in tranquility…” written in the language of the common man Growth of human mind through individual’s relation to natural world Verges of pantheistic (God = Nature) beliefs at times

6. Central concerns in the sonnet Mankind has become obsessed with commercialism This distracts us from our relationship with Nature We are indifferent to cosmic forces that control the sea and the wind We no longer respond to the rhythms of Nature Wordsworth feels that as a pagan he might use his imagination more fully to perceive these cosmic forces through a more intimate communion with Nature Issues are still relevant today – destruction of environment as a result of our endless quest for material prosperity

7. 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! at all times Neglect our powers and destroy our own potential Waste our power to appreciate the natural world An immoral blessing, a cheap, squalid and foul gift – a low and despicable thing to be grateful for Inadequate interaction with and appreciation of Nature – we are no longer able to see our selves as part of the vast and mysterious natural universe Obsessed with quantity Have lost contact with the quality of natural, moral values PERSONIFICATION Worldliness and worldly goods – materialism and practicalities Pressures of time, pursuit of money, desire for material possessions Exclamation mark: disgust The colon introduces an explanation

8. 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. METAPHOR – musical instrument – “out of tune” with the melodies and harmonies of the natural world, we do not live in rhythm with the cosmos Sense of abundance, generosity, natural spontaneity and feeling PERSONIFICATION – beautiful woman baring her bosom to her “lover” We are unmoved by the wind and its changeability These are the forces (the sea, the moon, the wind) that should exercise our intellectual and emotional energy

9. 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. Would rather be a pagan than a Christian in a society that is spiritually dead - longing for closer contact with the world of nature and through nature, God Grassy meadow Intimate bond with nature and beliefs – a belief system that offers love and nurturing Would feel less unhappy and alone See visions of an ancient word filled with deities whose realms were natural Vehement (impassioned) outrage Desperate call to the Creator of the universe NOT A REJECTION OF CHRISTIANITY BUT THE REJECTION OF A CHRISTIAN SOCIETY WHICH HAS LOST SIGHT OF ITS VALUES AND MORALS