The World Is Too Much With Us

  William Wordsworth once wrote “Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher”. This bestows nature the power of being the ultimate guide in one’s life. In the poem The Word is Too Much with Us, Wordsworth experiments with this idea in the most subtle, yet concrete way possible. The speaker begins in criticism, by stating this world is full of individuals obsessed with money and wealth to the point where they become careless of nature and divinity. We are reckless in our actions, and are easily seduced by worldly possessions. Most importantly, the speaker places possession of the natural world, stating “nature that is ours” (line 3).  This leads us to believe that humans once appreciated it, but are now oblivious to it. Wordsworth then continues by saying “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; the winds that will be howling at all hours (…) for this, for everything, we are out of tune”  (line 8). In this case, he is sustaining that we are not in agreement with nature, even as he gives nature such human attributes.  All of these beautiful and incredible gifts that nature provides us with; gather up together and form a power that is not appreciated by mankind. Wordsworth floods the reader with images and historic references of God, myths and the constellation to remind us of this disconnect amongst ourselves and the natural world. In the early centuries, there was an accordance between man and nature – something lost as man progressed. This is an overarching theme we find in Romanticism; flirting with the idea of nature as the protagonist. In the last segment of the poem, Wordsworth separates himself from the carelessness humankind tends to have towards nature and religious spirituality. As mentioned in the poem, “Great God! I’d rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn” (line 9-10), he does not want to associate himself with what he seems to describe as an empty world. There is a sense of frustration and despair in the words of Wordsworth’s which I am sympathetic towards. This poem is not about escaping reality like in past readings but rather, it is about comprehending it and the unwillingness to accept it– for our society is in a similar state, but in far worse shape.