Wordsworth Sonnet
William Wordsworth's romantic worldview is conveyed in "The world is toomuch with us," a sonnet which expresses Wordsworth's dissatisfaction withmaterialism. As it is an Italian-style sonnet, "The world is too much withus" contains fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter with an ABBAABBACDCDCD rhyme scheme. Within this structure, Wordsworth demonstratespassionate sentiments, urging an appreciation for nature. Like all sonnetsthat are true to the form, "The world is too much with us" is divided intotwo distinct thematic parts. The first eight lines, called the octave,convey the poet's core feelings and thoughts. In this sonnet, Wordsworthlaments the "sordid boon" of the heartless pursuit of worldly pleasures(4). In fact, the title and first line of the poem refers to thepervasiveness of materialism in modern society: we are too focused onconsumption to recognize the beauty and bounty of nature. The last sixlines of the sonnet, called the sestet, resolve and add thematic contrastto the octave. There, Wordsworth contrasts overt materialism
Wordsworth uses the medium of the sonnet, which isoften used in love poetry, to display his appreciation and reverence fornature. Tobecome inured to the pagan ways, moreover, would make the poet "lessforlorn," (12). The watery imagery carries the mood ofthe sonnet, which is full of emotionality and passion. Wordsworth refersto Proteus and Triton, using multi-sensory imagery: he envisions Proteus"rising from the sea," and hears Triton "blow his wreathed horn," (13-14). The imagery of the sea baring her bosom to the moon parallels theimagery in the sestet later of pagans suckling a "creed outworn," (10). The poetconcludes the sonnet by declaring that nature worship is preferable to anobsession with wealth. The octave of the sonnetpresents the problem of materialism that is later solved by a return topaganism and nature-worship. The imagery Wordsworth employs corresponds to his subject matterthroughout the poem. The octave portion of the sonnet lambastes materialism: "the world istoo much with us," (1). Invoking pagan gods is also a means by which Wordsworth criticizes Westernculture and Christianity, which have both strayed from their earlier, paganroots and favor a materialistic, industrial society. with the waysof ancient pagan people, who worshipped and reveled in nature. The tone of Wordsworth's poem encourages the reader to rediscover aromantic vision of nature like the ones that pagan people celebrated intheir rituals. Moreover, Wordsworth selects watery imagery, referring to the sea in linefive and later to pagan sea gods. Moreover, in the octave Wordsworth shows thatmaterialism saps spiritual energy and clouds the truth of existence:"Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers," (2).
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