The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth
Questions-Answers-The
World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth
Very Short Answer-type Qs
(one word-a phrase-a sentence)
Q1. According to the poet,
what is man's attitude to nature?
Ans. Man’s attitude to
nature is indifference (lack of interest).
Q2. Who were Proteus and
Triton?
Ans. They were Greek and
Roman gods of Nature.
Q3.Why does the poet want
to become a Pagan?
Ans. He wants to become a
Pagan to worship the gods of Nature.
Q4. What does the poet
mean by stating ‘the world is too much with us?
Ans. It means that man has
become too attached to the material world.
Q5. What are we ‘out of
tune with?
Ans. We are ‘out of tune' with Nature.
Q6. What is the ‘sordid
boon’?
Ans.
Lust (extreme greed) for possessing material things is a sordid boon.
Q7. Who is the Pagan
according to the poet?
Ans. A non-Christian is a
Pagan according to the poet.
Q8. What does the poet
glimpse and what is its effect on him?
Ans. The poet has glimpses
of the gods of Nature, Proteus, and Triton and it makes him happy.
Q9.What does the poet mean
by “the world’ in the first line?
Ans. It means worldly
possessions.
Q10. Identify the rhyme
scheme used in this Sonnet?
Ans. The poet has used the
following rhyme scheme in this poem: abba, abba, cdcdcd.
Q11. How has materialism
affected us?
Ans. It has made us slaves
to material possessions.
Q12. ‘It moves us not’.
What moves us not?
Ans. The beauties of Nature
do not move us.
Q13.How do we waste our
powers according to Wordsworth?
Ans. We waste our power
in getting and spending money on material things.
Q14. What does Wordsworth
say he could do if he were a Pagan?
Ans. In that case, he
would have a glimpse of the gods of nature.
Q15. Why can't we make
nature a part of our life?
Ans. As we are all the
time busy with material pursuits, we cannot make nature a part of our life.
Q16. How, according to the
poet, is ‘the world’ too much with us?
Ans. We are all the time
busy with material pursuits; earning and spending money on material things.
Q17.Sonnet is of two
types. Out of these two, which type of Sonnet is Wordsworth’s poem ‘The World is Too Much
with Us’?
Ans. This poem is based on
the Petrarchan sonnet.
Q18. How many lines are
there in a Petrarchan Sonnet?
Ans. It has fourteen
lines.
Comprehension Exercises:
Answer the following
questions in 20-30 words each:
Q1. According to the poet,
what is man's attitude to nature?
Ans. Man’s attitude to
Nature is indifference. We have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated)
from Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no
communion with Nature. We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens,
harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen.
Q2. Who were Proteus and
Triton?
Ans. The poet
mentions the ancient Greek and Roman mythical gods Proteus and Triton in
this poem. Proteus would be seen emerging from the sea and Triton would be
blowing his curled conch-like horn. In this way, he would not feel lonely and
sad at all in the company of Roman and Greek gods.
Q3.Why does the poet want
to become a Pagan?
Ans. The poet
declares that he would prefer to be a Pagan rather than be affected by the
growing materialism in the world due to the first phase of industrialization in
England. He would be ready to renounce his religion ‘Christianity’ which
advocates for only one God. He would like to follow the religion in which
Nature is worshipped. This stanza reflects Wordsworth’s deep love for Nature.
This is the reason why the poet wants to become a pagan.
Q4. What does the poet
mean by stating ‘the world is too much with us’?
Ans. The poet means
to say that human beings have become more attached to material things. He
expresses his deep concern over people’s growing love for worldly things. Man
has become a slave to the god of money, Mammon. He appeals to all of us to give
up Mammon worship and start loving Nature. At that time, industrialization had
just started showing its impact on human minds.
Q5. What are we ‘out of
tune with?
Ans. The poet says
that people are out of tune with nature. He says that people do not feel
attracted by the beauties of nature. The poet quotes examples of some beautiful
scenes of Nature. It all shows that Man has become very much indifferent to the
beauties of Nature. They are in disharmony with the world of Nature.
Q6. What is the ‘sordid
boon’?
Ans. Actually, the poet
has used ‘too much in the title of the poem ‘The World is too much With Us’. We
have a clue here to explain the meaning of the paradox ‘sordid boon’. It seems
that the poet does not have much objection to people’s limited love for
material things. Then it is a boon for them. But when they have crossed limits
and got too much involved in their love for material things, then it becomes
sordid. Hence, the meaning of the paradox is ‘a sordid boon’.
Q7. Who is the Pagan
according to the poet?
Ans. A pagan is a
worshipper of nature. Ans. He believes in many gods and goddesses of nature.
But this word was also used as a ‘non-believer of God’ or a non-Christian
person. This is because a Christian believes only in one God.
Q8. What does the poet
glimpse and what is its effect on him?
Ans. The poet
has glimpses of the ancient Greek and Roman mythical gods Proteus and Triton.
Proteus would be seen emerging from the sea and Triton would be blowing his
curled conch-like horn. In this way, he would not feel lonely and sad at all in
the company of Roman and Greek gods.
Q9.What does the poet mean
by “the world’ in the first line?
Ans. In this poem ‘the
world’ means the greed for material things. The people of the world have become
too much involved in possessing material things. They do so by earning lots and
lots of money. In this process, they have become indifferent to Nature. They
worship only the god of money, that is, Mammon.
Q10. Identify the rhyme
scheme used in this Sonnet?
Ans. The poet has used the
following rhyme scheme in this poem: abba, abba, cdcdcd.
It means the first line
rhymes with the fourth line, the second line rhymes with the third; the fifth
line rhymes with the eighth while the sixth one with the seventh; the ninth
line rhymes with the eleventh and thirteenth; the tenth line rhymes with the
twelfth and the fourteenth.
Answer the following questions in
about 150 words each
Q1. What does the poet think about the
way a man treats nature? How does he express his thoughts and feelings on this
topic in the poem?
Or Summary of the poem ‘The World Is Too Much
with Us’
Ans. The
poet thinks that we have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from
Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no
communion with Nature. He means to say that God has created Nature for all the
creatures on the earth. So Nature belongs to us and we also belong to Nature.
We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the
earth can be felt or seen. We have given our hearts to material things. It
means we have started loving them. He expresses his deep concern over
people’s growing love for worldly things. Man has become a slave to the god of
money, Mammon. All the diseases and mental discomforts are due to our love for
material things. As a great worshipper of Nature, the poet appeals to all of us
to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature.
To prove his love for nature, the poet
declares that the Pagans in ancient times lived healthier life. It is
because they were always connected to nature. They were nourished in the lap of
nature. So, all qualities of head and heart, like patience, love, peace, hard
work, etc. automatically got imbibed into their personality. This is the reason
why the poet wishes to become a pagan and have the glimpses of gods of nature.
Q2.The sonnet is a criticism of life
in this modern mechanized milieu. Comment on the assessment of this fine.
Ans. The
sonnet is really a criticism of life because William Wordsworth makes a strong
case of criticism against life the people had started living in the nineteenth
century under the effect of industrialization and scientific progress. The case
is still applicable in this modern mechanised world today also. We don’t
have any time to ‘stand and stare at a beautiful object of nature. The love
for material things has made us blind to natural beauty.
We
have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from Nature. We are every time
busy earning and spending money. We have no communion with Nature. He means
to say that God has created Nature for all the creatures on the earth. So
Nature belongs to us and we also belong to Nature. We cannot afford separation
from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen.
Man has become a slave to the god of money,
Mammon. All the diseases and mental discomforts are due to our love for
material things. As a great worshipper of Nature, the poet appeals to all of us
to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature.
To prove his love for nature, the poet
declares that the Pagans in ancient times lived healthier life. It is
because they were always connected to nature. They were nourished in the lap of
nature. So, all qualities of head and heart, like patience, love, peace, hard
work, etc. automatically got imbibed into their personality. This is the reason
why the poet wishes to become a pagan and have the glimpses of gods of nature.
Q3.How does Wordsworth employ Greek
mythology and other devices to portray the materialistic mind of modern man?
Ans.
After reading and understanding the poem, we all come to know how William
Wordsworth feels hurt to see his fellow Christians getting too attached to
materialism. They have started wasting much of their time and energy in earning
and spending money. In this way, money has become a curse for them. It is the
root cause of all of their ailments.
To
depict the materialistic mind of modern man, the poet uses Greek mythology.
He tells us how in ancient times the Greeks used to believe in Pagan gods. They
believed in and loved every object in nature. They used to have glimpses of Pagan
gods like Proteus and Triton rising from the sea. He uses beautiful imagery
from Nature to make the readers feel and think about how nature blesses every human
heart.
The
poet creates a very beautiful word picture using personification of the sea and
the moon. The poet uses a straightforward image of the sea in female form
exposed to the view of the moon. The second image that emerges in the poet’s
mind is that of the winds huddled together like sleeping flowers. The poet uses
a simile of sleeping flowers for the winds that have now huddled up together as
if in the position of sleeping.
In the end, the poet declares that he would
prefer to be a Pagan rather than be affected by the growing materialism in the
world. He would be ready to renounce his religion ‘Christianity’ that advocates
for only one God. He would like to follow the religion in which Nature is
worshipped.
Q4. The poet prefers paganism to
worldliness. Discuss.
Ans.
William Wordsworth’s love for Nature is known to all of us. He wrote so many
poems to show his great love for nature.
In
this poem, his immense love for Nature makes him announce that he would prefer
to be a pagan rather than a believer in a religion that restricts (stops)
him from loving gods of nature, like Proteus and Triton.
In
ancient Greece and Rome, people believed in so many gods and goddesses. So they
were called Pagans. But in Christianity, only one God is worshipped. Nature is also blessed with them in so many ways.
The
poet further says that people of his times have become slaves to materialism.
They have stopped loving nature. They have detached themselves from the
beauties of nature.
The poet does not want to become too lost in materialism. The poet also declares that he would like to be a Pagan
than continue following the outdated religion in which he was brought up. He
would not stop loving nature even if his religion forces him to do so.
