Natural Beauty

In "The World Is Too Much with Us", William Wordsworth criticizes his materialistic society and its disregard towards the beauty and importance of nature. Wordsworth explains that people no longer appreciate the raw materials nature provides. Instead, they exchange among each other, "getting and giving" goods instead of making them. "We lay waste our powers" and contribute nothing to the world. Wordsworth even goes so far as to say "we have given our hearts away". He argues that our neglect to remember the importance of nature could cost us our souls. Wordsworth continues his poem describing different aspects of nature concluding that his society is "out of tune" with them. Everything in nature has a rhythm and works together, except humans. Humans have drifted from this pattern and thus are "out of tune" and off kilter. Wordsworth embraces another aspect of romanticism when he shows favor towards archaic ways and skepticism towards the modern world. He feels that his society's way of thinking is so off-kilter that he would rather be "a pagan suckled in a creed outworn". He is glorifying the old pagan ways, turning away from his modern society, and emphasizing the importance of nature.