Remember that this famous sonnet was written in 1806. Think about what Monsieur Coyle spoke about yesterday in terms of the historical context of the time and thoughts that were heavy on the minds of European artists like Wordsworth. It seems, according to Wordsworth, that man's relation to nature at this time is off kilter. Please comment on the historical context of this poem: to what is Wordsworth referring? What is wrong? Next, consider what is applicable to us today: how/why would it behoove us to take a look at ourselves, our lifestyle choices, our relation to nature? Is the turn of this century anything like the turn of Wordsworth century?
I feel like, because wordsworth is such a natural poet, who mostly writes about striking moments in nature and simplicity, he hates the widespread revolution and man-made conflict. of course he hates this, because it goes against his grain so much. and he is so powerless to stop this, as he watches his peers get "gathered up like sleeping flowers" in the wind.
ReplyDeleteTrue, true. Interesting how he chooses "us" "we" "ours"and includes himself in all this. Any thoughts on why he does that? What is he including himself in?
DeleteHe is including himself in the human race, a part of the sweeping change across the world, no matter how much he wants to avoid it.
DeleteSurely every poem ever written will have a different impression on each person who reads it. This having been said, I see the poetry of Wordsworth to speak of a irrevocable connection between humans and the earth, one that has been fading in importance in recent centuries. Wordsworth takes refuge from the harsh modern world, the world of industry, merchandise, and hurry when he writes about the peaceful treasures that exist alongside modern life, the treasures that so little people to care and pay attention to.
ReplyDeleteI agree, yet there is more than just taking refuge here. There is a longing, a passion, almost an anger about his statements in the final sestet. Do you see that? Can you appreciate his feelings there?
DeleteWordsworth is referring to the current state of man and nature. It has become off kilter because of the malicious intention of man. Wordsworth does not enjoy conflict, and has become torn because of the fact that there is nothing he can do about it. All he can do is sit back and reflect on the current state of man, which at that time was not very good, and is still not today. He also delves into the idea that man's thought is clouded by greed. Nature, the world's greatest gift to man, unseen to all, because of the world we have manufactured.
ReplyDeleteGreat insights, DP! I am intrigued by your sentence, "Wordsworth does not enjoy conflict, and has become torn because of the fact that there is nothing he can do about it." I wonder what he is the source of conflict in this reflection of his. Is it within him? between others? man vs nature?
DeleteI believe that Wordsworth is referring to man appreciating nature at a higher level then one normally would. He is trying to say that we basically ignore nature and jut accept te fact that fact that it is surrounding us all the time. What is wrong with this is that we are taking avatar of what the world has to offer. I believe that the turn of the century in any case will be related no matter what century it may be turning. I do think that it is similar to the global warming we are going through right now, and the way we treat our environment. It really relates to this poem.
ReplyDeleteSo, I need to remind you to check over your comments before posting. This one has several typos that reduce the validity of your posting. I wonder if you can clarify what you mean by, "I believe that the turn of the century in any case will be related no matter what century it may be turning." How so? I wonder if there is something inherently unique that occurs during the turn of a century? I'm thinking of the monumental significance or symbolism of leaving one century and entering a new one.
DeleteIt seems as though Wordsworth is referring to people selling their souls to the revolution from the line "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!" I think there are many different ways the historical context of this poem can be interpreted, but it is clear to me that Wordsworth has a more negative view on this time period.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you entirely. Now, please elaborate on your comment. For example, in what ways can the historical context of this poem be interpreted? Go further; I'm interested in hearing what you are thinking.
DeleteIn the poem I think Wordsworth is seeing the world revolution in a negative way. I feel like he is a person who prefers events to happen naturally and honor the beauty of mother nature. However, he feels that human kind are trying to destroy and bring complexity by fighting the nature and trying to develop a revolution with man made kinds. "we are out of tune" could be a phrase in the poem that displays an example of how Wordsworth feels towards the revolution. He also states that this is wasting power.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, Wordsworth explained how we are not nearly as connected with nature as we once were. When he said, "Little did we see in nature that is ours," he meant that there are so many things in life that we pass by without thinking about how beautiful they truly are. The best things in life are the things that we barely notice and sometimes take for granted. The problem is that we are out of tune with nature, meaning that we do not see nature in the way that it is supposed to be viewed. It is always good to take a step back and look at the world with a different eye. Now-a-days, less and less people are doing so, which is why there are so many problems. Global warming is taking place because we are not paying attention to little things like when we shut the lights off or how long our showers are. We are capable of making changes, but we are too busy living our lives to give a care. It was the same back then, although not as extreme as it is now. The turn of Wordsworth's century was much like ours because people became more out of sync with nature as the years continued on. Unless we do something about it, the same thing will continue to happen.
ReplyDeleteThe Industrial Revolution led poets to touch on certain topics like the co-evolution of man, beast, and nature. For example, in the first part of the poem Wordsworth is lamenting about how people are viewing nature as a source of material wealth - the once revered elements are being gathered up like wildflowers. The second half of the poem is talking about how the Pagan's, unlike the men during Wordsworth's and our time, did not exploit nature and all that it has to offer. There was an unspoken and understood harmonious balance of give & take. Much like today, the economy takes precedence over the environment, no matter how dire the situation is. We do not have cares for the environment for any other reason than to harvest what finite resources are still available, no matter the cost.
ReplyDeleteI think that Wordsworth is saying that most people take nature for granted. Everyone knows that nature is there because it is always surrounding us, but not a lot of people take the time to pay attention to it. I also think he is talking about how the some of the best things in life are things we dont notice everyday. I think he is saying that people should really take the time and look at nature the way you are suppose to, istead of just ignoring it. It is there for a reason and people should really start to see the beauty of it. Most people are not aware what is going on around them, for example Global warming. If people took the time to notice this problem then they could take steps to improve it. Where i think a lot of people dont believe in global warming because they havent taken the insentive to look at the environment around them to see the signs.
ReplyDeleteWordsworth is saying that no one is in tune with nature anymore. That everyone simply passes by the beauty of it and takes it for granted. That he wishes it went back to the way things were back in the older times, when they were gods that worshiped flowers and the sea, and nature was a big part of life. Our turn of the century, is exactly the same as Wordsworth, Forests are being chopped down for fuel. We no longer care about our land as much. I live in the country, as country as one can get. The closest gas station is 30 minutes away. though many say the city kills the country, will all of it's buildings and people, that is actually a very hard statement to identify. Think of it, we are putting so much gas in the air having to drive everywhere. Half the people in the city do not even own cars, and many carpool on public transportation. With everything in one spot in the city, you do not have to go far. We are wasting gas just driving to get more gas. The city can recycle and share their resources, and although they have to sacrifice forestation, wildlife, and most nature, they may be in fact helping the planet. I live in the county and I barley notice the nature that always surrounds me. Everyone is turning away from nature these days, and that's exactly like the turn of the century Wordsworth describes.
ReplyDelete-Keeley
In this poem, I feel that Wordsworth is really trying to connect to his audience in attempting to describe to them how important nature is, and how much it truly is underapprectiated. He says that men simply dont take time to absorb the wonders of nature, yet we allow the man made materials of the world to completely consume our brains. Wordsworth is seeing an abundance of people around him who have lost the significance of what is important in life during this Industrial age, full of things that will come and go. In our world today, i think that Wordsworths message is still both important and applicable to the way we live our daily lives. We must look inside of ourselves and ask what it is that has meaning and importance in our lives. And i believe that Wordsworth is saying that one thing that should hold value in everyones lives is the beauty of nature.
ReplyDeleteWhat Wordsworth is trying to portray in this sonnet is that the modern world has lost touch with its connection to nature. It becomes evident when reading his writing that he is referring to the condition the world was in during the Industrial Revolution. Because Wordsworth was such a romantic, he completely opposed the destruction of the natural state of Earth. The underlying message that he lays within this poem is that we must all take a step back and look at where our future is headed if we continue to take nature for granted. I believe that this turn of the century resembles Wordsworth’s. Now more than ever it is eminent that our generation concentrate on reversing the damage we have caused in the past century; before our actions cause irreversible consequences.
ReplyDeleteIn his sonnet, Wordsworth is speaking about how the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries are all about the industrial revolution, the uprising of cities, and that man is beginning to drift from nature. He feels that everyone is so concerned on winning a war, building a factory, or somehow getting ahead that no one cares about the most simple things in life, such as nature, and how they should be enjoyed instead of taken advantage of. Today, some people are so busy with their lives- getting to work, picking up their kids, finding time for friends- that no one has really stopped to take a look at how beautiful the world we live in really is and how instead of just walking by and not thinking twice about it, we should stop and enjoy the beauty we live in. The turn of this century is much like the turn of Wordsworth’s century because as people are very busy with their own lives, there is a war going on with our country, people are still trying to find ways they can get ahead and people still needs to take a step back for a moment and appreciate the simple things they have in their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn Wordsworth's poem the world is with us, Wordsworth is referring to how people in his time were pushing nature away. he wrote this poem during the industrial revolution, and during that time, factories and mills were being produced, and with their production, the atmosphere and environment were dwindling. Looking at ourselves now, obviously the world would be very different if the industrial revolution didn't happen, frankly i probably wouldn't be writing this blog, and be stuck in a mill or factory if that happened, but it didn't. Though, when Wordsworth did write this, he was one of the first people to actually put awareness to the matter.
ReplyDeleteIn Wordsworth’s poem, he is speaking about how society has lost its appreciation for nature. He describes how mankind is too concerned with material goods and no longer the beauty of nature. He wrote this poem when the Industrial Revolution was at its peak, and the focus of peoples lives were making money. He believes that the industrialization altered people’s sense of humility and spirituality. Wordsworth wishes people would come back to the realization of the beauty that surrounds them and acknowledge the impact that nature plays in people’s everyday lives. Like Wordsworth’s era, our present day society cares little about nature. We are absorbed in the consumption of material goods on a day to day basis. Mankind today could not live without modern technology and sustain the same type of lifestyle. -Laura
ReplyDeleteThe World Is Too Much With Us is a poem about the conflict of nature and the industrial revolution. Wordsworth expresses his opinion of the issues that arise during this time. He feels that the idea of technology and industry do not cooperate with his view of nature. Nature is losing itself to the development of technology: the sea, the air, the ocean, everything beautiful that he sees in Nature is being tainted by the effects of the Industrial revolution. In the turn of our century, there are most definitely the same problems. It is a struggle for nature to succeed in this world presently, and Wordsworth saw this problem involving the environment in his own life time.
ReplyDeleteBecause we benefit so much from the technology today, we ignore the issues that Wordsworth exposed so it is difficult to express the issues of our time the same way he did. However, maybe if we did pay more attention and put more effort into fixing the problem of nature being ruined, we could have the same effect for future generations that Wordsworth has towards us.