Page 155 - DENG103_English - I

English–I

Notes The author knows the potential of humanity’s “powers,” but fears it is clouded by the mentality
of “getting and spending.” The “sordid boon” we have “given our hearts” is the materialistic
progress of mankind. The detriment society has on the environment will proceed unchecked
and relentless like the “winds that will be howling at all hours”.
Unlike society, Wordsworth does not see nature as a commodity. The verse “Little we see in
Nature that is ours”, shows that coexisting is the relationship envisioned. This relationship
appears to be at the mercy of mankind because of the vulnerable way nature is described. The
verse “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon”, gives the vision of a feminine creature
opening herself to the heavens above. The phrase “sleeping flowers” might also describe how
nature is being overrun unknowingly and is helpless.

The verse “I, standing on this pleasant lea, have glimpses that would make me less forlorn”,
reveals Wordsworth’s perception of himself in society: a visionary romantic more in touch
with nature than his contemporaries.
The speaker complains that “the world” is too overwhelming for us to appreciate it. We’re so
concerned about time and money that we use up all our energy. People want to accumulate
stuff, so they see nothing in Nature that they can “own.” According to the speaker, we’ve sold
our souls.
We should be able to appreciate beautiful events like the moon shining over the ocean and the
blowing of strong winds, but it’s like we’re on a different wavelength from Nature. We’re kind
of like, “Eh.”
The speaker would rather be a pagan who worships an outdated religion so that when he
gazes out on the ocean (as he’s doing now), he might feel less sad. If he were a pagan, he’d
see wild mythological gods like Proteus, who can take many shapes, and Triton, who looks
like a mer-man.

Lines 1-2
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.

The poem opens with a complaint, saying that the world is out of whack and that people are
destroying themselves with consumerism (“getting and spending”).
“The world is too much with us” sounds odd, and could mean several things. It could mean
that the world – life in the city, contemporary society – is just too much, as in “This is too
much for me, and I can’t take it anymore.”
The “world” might refer to the natural world instead of the city, in which case it would mean
that humanity is so busy that they don’t have time for the natural world because “it’s too
much.”
It could also mean mankind or society is a burden on the world, as in “there’s not enough
space for both man and the earth” or “mankind has upset a delicate balance.”
“Late and soon” is a strange phrase. It could mean “sooner or later,” or it could mean we’ve
done this recently or in the past (“late”) and will do it in the future as well (“soon”).

Lines 3-4

Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

148 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY