Question

Read the following poem by William Wordsworth.

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not-Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

Plea: a grassland
What phrases in this poem make elements of nature seem big and powerful, or sweet and beautiful?
a. The world is too much with us
b. The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon
c. The winds that will be howling at all hours
d. Sleeping flowers

Answer 1

The poem by Wordsworth reflects on our disconnection from nature due to industrialization. Phrases portraying nature as magnificent and beautiful include 'The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,' 'The winds that will be howling at all hours,' and 'Sleeping flowers.' The capitalization of 'Nature' and 'Sea' signifies their grandeur and the speaker's yearning for the mythic connection with nature.

Step-by-step explanation:

William Wordsworth's poem, "The World Is Too Much with Us," expresses a longing to reconnect with nature and laments how industrialization occupies our lives. The phrases in the poem that make elements of nature seem big and powerful, or sweet and beautiful, include b. The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon, c. The winds that will be howling at all hours, and d. Sleeping flowers. These phrases personify nature with great power and gentle beauty, in contrast to the overwhelming and consuming human world.

Wordsworth utilizes the capitalization of 'Nature' and 'Sea' to indicate their importance and grandeur, elevating them to almost divine status, reflecting their significant role in the poem's thematic contrasts between the natural world and human concerns. This reverence for nature also extends to his wish to see mythical figures such as Proteus and Triton, embodying a time when nature and divinity were intertwined in human consciousness.