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The World Is Too Much With Us

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The World Is Too Much With Us
Decaying Elegance
William Wordsworth’s “The World is Too Much With us,” displays Wordsworth’s confusion and sorrow in humanities growing appeal towards owning materials with high value, rather than viewing the great beauty within nature. The poem’s tone and recurring use of imagery and diction develop Wordsworth’s sadness in seeing what the world around him is turning into. This ultimately illustrates the main theme of the poem that indulging yourself in the materialism of the world will distract you from the beauty and peace in life obtained through admiring nature.
There are many instances within the poem where Wordsworth shows his growing disappointment and disgust with the world around him with diction being a main tactic. “We lay waste …show more content…
Wordsworth attempts a final time to show the beauty, and happiness he finds when within nature, and the difference in life it brings to …show more content…
The initial tone is somber, as Wordsworth analyzes the people he is surrounded by, and the choices they make with their lives (Jones). the second quatrain shifts into a jubilant, calm mood as Wordsworth is displaying his happiness brought on from viewing nature. Never could the value of goods outweigh the emotion felt from seeing the world and everything it brings. The tone revolving around the lines withholding criticisms towards his fellow man is sorrowful and dejected as Wordsworth cannot understand what could bring these people towards something in his eyes so meaningless (Overview). Although initially saddened, Wordsworth grows optimistic in his tone when describing nature, as he feels it is a way to persuade and show the reader nature’s true, breathtaking beauty. The loss of morality is not worth the life of desire, and to stay on this path is to choose to waste away the gift of life. Wordsworth wishes his attempts are not in vain, for he hopes to share the happiness he has found in life with those that read his poem (Jones). Unphased, we sit by and allow the true value of our lives to fly by our eyes without even the smallest gratitude or amazement, due to our shift in character. The tone revolving the poem underlines Wordsworth’s idea on the perfect life and what it holds. “We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon (4),” shows the trade humanity has began to make for the
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