William+Wordsworth


 * __The World is Too Much with Us__**



William Wordsworth, one of the most recognized English Romantic writers, manifests in “The World Is Too Much With Us” human indifference and insensitivity to the magnificence o f Nature. The poet feels indignant of the lack of attention that is now given to nature— the provider of human life. Society along with materialism has corrupted individuals to the point of blinding them from the magical beauty of the natural world; in this way, “getting and spending” become life priorities in our lives, for that “We have given our hearts away”. Hence, Wordsworth criticiz es how people have lost the inextricable bond with nature that previous cultures shared with their surroundings. The poet, with a dreamy attitude, portrays his desire of returning to a natural state by l eaving Christianity behind and reaching paganism. Because the poet believes that closeness to nature is essential to reach a complete spiritual life, he is longing for pagans' coexistence with their natural environment. We all humans, seem to forget— even more now— that we owe our existence to nature.



I really like this photo because, for me, it pictures that no matter how greed and destructive the human being can be, nature is more powerful to transcend time. Pitifully, a majority of people have grown to believe that nature is only a means to achieve wealth, which reinforces the materialistic discourse that Wordsworth exactly criticizes in the poem. This same idea manifests that society, today in the 21st century, has not changed much since the 19th century; we believe ourselves owners of nature, but we tend to forget that its uncontrollable force can destroy in a couple of minutes all those materialistic creations that have taken a lifetime to build. What do you think?

Mayarí Pérez

__**London, 1802**__

The poem contrasts Milton´s life and wisdom with the lifestyle of England. Milton was a man who denounced what he thought to be incorrect, especially in the church and the government. Consequently, not only William Wordsworth but many other romantic poets admired him. They even used the blank verse, as Milton did in Paradise Lost, to write some of their poems. Similarly to Milton, William Wordsworth criticizes England; he compares it to a fen of stagnant waters. He refers to the corruption within different social groups: the church, the royalty, and scholars / writers (saw this in Poetry). Wordsworth also reflects about gaining inward happiness, instead of basing our happiness in banal objects (this type of happiness does not last long). The English people are portrayed as selfish, different from Milton who had virtue, freedom, and power. William Wordsworth claimed for individuality; it was true they lived in a society but that did not mean that they had to think and behave as everybody else; Milton made the difference (Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart). Milton´s soul escaped from corruption and that is a strong reason for admiring him. It seems to me that William Wordsworth was looking for the same freedom and determinism that he saw in Milton; more importantly, he encouraged people to follow an example of true freedom and wisdom (Milton).

Nidia Víquez