"the world is too much with us" is a petrarchan sonnet written by william wordsworth. its first eight lines (the octet) pose a question or problem, and its last six lines (the sestet) give a response or solution. the problem in this sonnet's octet is that humanity has lost its respect for and connection with nature. in the sestet, how does wordsworth propose to address this problem?
the world is too much with us
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! 1
this 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 lea2,
have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
have sight of proteus3 rising from the sea;
or hear old triton4 blow his wreathed horn.
1 favor
2 meadow
3 greek sea -god who could change his appearance at will
4 greek sea -god with the head and upper body of a man and the tail of a fish
a. he wishes for proteus and triton to destroy the current world so that a new one can be built.
b. he wishes that he had been born a pagan so that he would have learned a different way of seeing nature.
c. he wishes to be a painter so he could paint greek gods to ease his sadness.
d. he wishes to be a child again so that he could turn to the mythological heroes of his youth.
e. he wishes that proteus and titan would make him a pagan and show him the sights of paradise.