📖 The World is Too Much With Us – William Wordsworth
About the Poem
Author: William Wordsworth (1770–1850), one of the founders of English Romanticism.
Form: A Petrarchan sonnet (14 lines, with octave + sestet structure).
Context: Written around 1802, during the Industrial Revolution. People were increasingly materialistic, disconnected from nature, and obsessed with money and possessions. Wordsworth criticizes this loss of spiritual connection with nature.
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🔎 Line-by-Line Explanation
Line 1: “The world is too much with us; late and soon,”
→ People are overly involved with worldly (material) affairs, both now (late) and in the future (soon). Humanity has become consumed by greed.
Line 2: “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:”
→ Our energy is wasted on making money (getting) and using it to buy things (spending), rather than appreciating life and nature.
Line 3: “Little we see in Nature that is ours;”
→ We hardly notice or connect with nature anymore; it feels like nothing in it belongs to us.
Line 4: “We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!”
→ By chasing material wealth, we have given away our emotions and spirituality for something sordid (dirty, corrupt), which is ironically called a boon (gift).
Line 5: “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;”
→ The sea, personified as a woman, reveals her chest to the moon. Nature is beautiful, intimate, and eternal.
Line 6: “The winds that will be howling at all hours,”
→ The winds are wild, constant, and alive, full of natural energy.
Line 7: “And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;”
→ But at times, the winds rest quietly, like flowers closing at night.
Line 8: “For this, for everything, we are out of tune;”
→ Despite such wonders, humans are out of tune with nature—unable to connect with its rhythm and harmony.
Line 9: “It moves us not. —Great God! I’d rather be”
→ These natural miracles do not move modern humans. Wordsworth cries out in frustration, saying he’d rather not be part of this corrupted world.
Line 10: “A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;”
→ He would rather be an ancient Pagan, raised in an old religion, who believed in multiple gods of nature. At least then he could feel wonder and connection with the natural world.
Line 11–12: “So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, / Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;”
→ If he were a Pagan, standing on a meadow (lea), he might glimpse divine figures in nature, which would give him comfort instead of sadness.
Line 13–14: “Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; / Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.”
→ He imagines seeing Proteus (a sea-god who could change shape) rising from the ocean, or Triton (the sea god with a conch shell trumpet) blowing his horn. Such mythological visions would bring him joy and restore a sense of wonder.
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📝 Summary
Wordsworth laments that humans are overly materialistic and disconnected from nature. Instead of appreciating the sea, winds, and natural beauty, people waste their energy on money and possessions. The poet wishes he were a Pagan, for then he could at least believe in gods like Proteus and Triton and feel spiritually connected to the natural world.
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🎭 Themes
1. Materialism vs. Nature – Humanity is obsessed with wealth and possessions, neglecting the spiritual bond with nature.
2. Loss of Spirituality – The modern world has lost its harmony with nature.
3. Romantic Love for Nature – Wordsworth emphasizes the beauty and vitality of the natural world.
4. Mythology as Escape – Pagan gods symbolize a time when humans respected nature.
5. Alienation – Humanity is “out of tune” with the natural rhythms of the universe.
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🔍 Poetic Devices
Sonnet Form – Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet with octave (problem) + sestet (wish/solution).
Personification – Sea as a woman, Winds as wild beings, Flowers as sleeping.
Alliteration – “Getting and spending” / “sight of Proteus.”
Metaphor – “Lay waste our powers” (wasting human potential).
Mythological Allusion – Proteus and Triton.
Contrast – Materialism vs. spirituality, Christian vs. Pagan beliefs.
Enjambment – Thoughts flowing over lines (typical of Wordsworth’s natural style).
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🧐 Analysis
This sonnet is a strong critique of Industrial Age materialism. Wordsworth suggests that humans are spiritually deadened by wealth and consumerism, blind to nature’s beauty. His radical statement—that he’d rather be a Pagan than a modern Christian—shows his frustration with a society cut off from nature’s divine power. The poem reflects the Romantic Movement’s ideals: valuing nature, emotion, and imagination over reason, industry, and materialism.
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✅ 50 MCQs with Answers
1. “The world is too much with us; late and soon,” — What does the poet mean by this?
a) The world is very kind to us
b) People are too attached to materialism
c) The world is a dangerous place
d) Nature is always present
Answer: b) People are too attached to materialism
2. “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers” suggests that humans waste their:
a) Wealth
b) Physical strength
c) Energy and potential
d) Religious faith
Answer: c) Energy and potential
3. What do “getting and spending” represent in line 2?
a) Trade and commerce
b) Joy and celebration
c) Prayer and meditation
d) Music and poetry
Answer: a) Trade and commerce
4. In “Little we see in Nature that is ours,” the tone is one of:
a) Celebration
b) Regret
c) Joy
d) Pride
Answer: b) Regret
5. “We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” — What figure of speech is in “sordid boon”?
a) Oxymoron
b) Simile
c) Metaphor
d) Personification
Answer: a) Oxymoron
6. The word sordid in line 4 means:
a) Beautiful
b) Noble
c) Dirty, corrupt
d) Pleasant
Answer: c) Dirty, corrupt
7. “This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon” — what literary device is used?
a) Simile
b) Personification
c) Hyperbole
d) Alliteration
Answer: b) Personification
8. In line 5, the sea is compared to:
a) A sleeping child
b) A woman revealing herself
c) A storm
d) A calm river
Answer: b) A woman revealing herself
9. “The winds that will be howling at all hours” suggests winds are:
a) Calm
b) Dangerous
c) Lively and restless
d) Weak
Answer: c) Lively and restless
10. “And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers” is an example of:
a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Irony
d) Onomatopoeia
Answer: a) Simile
11. What does “For this, for everything, we are out of tune” imply?
a) Humans are musical
b) Humans are disconnected from nature
c) Nature is dangerous
d) Humans are harmonious with nature
Answer: b) Humans are disconnected from nature
12. “It moves us not” — What does “it” refer to?
a) The city
b) Wealth
c) Natural beauty
d) Pagan gods
Answer: c) Natural beauty
13. “Great God! I’d rather be / A Pagan…” — What emotion is shown here?
a) Joy
b) Anger and frustration
c) Fear
d) Surprise
Answer: b) Anger and frustration
14. Paganism is described as a “creed outworn.” What does this mean?
a) A new belief
b) An outdated faith
c) A scientific theory
d) A Christian doctrine
Answer: b) An outdated faith
15. Why does Wordsworth wish to be a Pagan?
a) To escape reality
b) To see gods in nature
c) To become rich
d) To avoid Christianity
Answer: b) To see gods in nature
16. “Standing on this pleasant lea” — what is a lea?
a) A city
b) A mountain
c) A meadow/grassland
d) A desert
Answer: c) A meadow/grassland
17. What would make Wordsworth “less forlorn”?
a) Earning wealth
b) Pagan visions of nature gods
c) Christian worship
d) Fame as a poet
Answer: b) Pagan visions of nature gods
18. “Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea” — Who is Proteus?
a) A Christian saint
b) A Greek sea-god
c) A Roman soldier
d) A prophet
Answer: b) A Greek sea-god
19. Proteus was known for:
a) Changing shapes
b) Controlling storms
c) Playing the harp
d) Guiding sailors with stars
Answer: a) Changing shapes
20. “Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn” — Who is Triton?
a) A Roman poet
b) A sea-god with a conch shell
c) A fisherman
d) A king
Answer: b) A sea-god with a conch shell
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Vocabulary & Devices
21. “Out of tune” is a metaphor for:
a) Music lessons
b) Spiritual disharmony
c) Anger
d) Silence
Answer: b) Spiritual disharmony
22. The rhyme scheme of the poem is:
a) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
b) ABBA ABBA CDC DCD
c) AABB CCDD EEFF GG
d) ABAB ABAB CDCD EE
Answer: b) ABBA ABBA CDC DCD
23. The sonnet type is:
a) Shakespearean
b) Petrarchan
c) Spenserian
d) Modern free verse
Answer: b) Petrarchan
24. The octave (first 8 lines) presents:
a) Solution
b) Problem (materialism vs. nature)
c) Mythological figures
d) Celebration of wealth
Answer: b) Problem (materialism vs. nature)
25. The sestet (last 6 lines) presents:
a) Nature’s anger
b) Poet’s wish for Paganism
c) Industrial progress
d) Christian beliefs
Answer: b) Poet’s wish for Paganism
26. “We lay waste our powers” contains what poetic device?
a) Alliteration
b) Hyperbole
c) Metaphor
d) Oxymoron
Answer: c) Metaphor
27. The poem contrasts:
a) City vs. village
b) Materialism vs. Nature
c) Youth vs. age
d) Love vs. hate
Answer: b) Materialism vs. Nature
28. The sea is described using:
a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Personification
d) Irony
Answer: c) Personification
29. “Howling winds” is an example of:
a) Onomatopoeia
b) Alliteration
c) Oxymoron
d) Simile
Answer: a) Onomatopoeia
30. “Wreathed horn” refers to:
a) A crown
b) A conch shell
c) A flute
d) A lyre
Answer: b) A conch shell
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Themes & Ideas
31. The central theme of the poem is:
a) Love for Christianity
b) Disconnection from nature due to materialism
c) Joy of city life
d) Industrial success
Answer: b) Disconnection from nature due to materialism
32. Wordsworth belonged to which literary movement?
a) Romanticism
b) Neoclassicism
c) Modernism
d) Realism
Answer: a) Romanticism
33. Romantic poetry values:
a) Money and science
b) Nature and imagination
c) War and politics
d) Industry and machines
Answer: b) Nature and imagination
34. The poem was written around:
a) 1600
b) 1700
c) 1802
d) 1905
Answer: c) 1802
35. Wordsworth criticizes which age?
a) Medieval
b) Industrial
c) Elizabethan
d) Modernist
Answer: b) Industrial
36. The tone of the poem is:
a) Joyful and celebratory
b) Angry and regretful
c) Sarcastic
d) Neutral
Answer: b) Angry and regretful
37. “Great God! I’d rather be / A Pagan” shows Wordsworth’s:
a) Love of Christianity
b) Desire for connection with nature
c) Hatred of poetry
d) Political views
Answer: b) Desire for connection with nature
38. Proteus and Triton symbolize:
a) Industrial progress
b) Nature’s divinity
c) Political power
d) Scientific reason
Answer: b) Nature’s divinity
39. Which poetic device dominates the poem?
a) Imagery
b) Irony
c) Satire
d) Epigram
Answer: a) Imagery
40. The phrase “creed outworn” suggests:
a) Modern science
b) Ancient religion (Paganism)
c) Christianity
d) Superstition
Answer: b) Ancient religion (Paganism)
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Higher-level / Critical Thinking
41. Wordsworth prefers Paganism over modern life because:
a) Paganism is wealthier
b) Paganism allows mythological imagination of nature
c) Paganism rejects poetry
d) Paganism is Christian
Answer: b) Paganism allows mythological imagination of nature
42. The poem criticizes society’s focus on:
a) Music
b) Materialism
c) War
d) Family
Answer: b) Materialism
43. The phrase “sordid boon” is best understood as:
a) A dirty blessing
b) A joyful gift
c) A poetic rhythm
d) A mythological symbol
Answer: a) A dirty blessing
44. The imagery of sea, winds, and flowers emphasizes:
a) City life
b) Harmony in nature
c) Chaos in politics
d) War and peace
Answer: b) Harmony in nature
45. Why does Wordsworth mention Proteus and Triton?
a) To criticize them
b) To show mythological wonder in nature
c) To praise Christianity
d) To explain science
Answer: b) To show mythological wonder in nature
46. The sonnet shows a shift (volta) after which line?
a) Line 4
b) Line 8
c) Line 10
d) Line 12
Answer: b) Line 8
47. The poem suggests that industrial society:
a) Enriches spirituality
b) Weakens connection with nature
c) Makes people happy
d) Creates peace
Answer: b) Weakens connection with nature
48. Wordsworth’s solution to the problem is:
a) Earn more money
b) Return to Pagan-like reverence for nature
c) Abandon poetry
d) Build cities
Answer: b) Return to Pagan-like reverence for nature
49. The poem is an example of:
a) Pastoral elegy
b) Romantic sonnet
c) Mock-epic
d) Dramatic monologue
Answer: b) Romantic sonnet
50. The best summary of the poem is:
a) Humans are happy in materialism
b) Nature is dangerous and must be avoided
c) People are spiritually empty without nature
d) Christianity is superior to Paganism
Answer: c) People are spiritually empty without nature
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