William Wordsworth's sonnet, "The World Is Too Much With Us" was first published in Poems, in two volumes in 1807, a collection characterized by its romantic exaltation of nature. Although the sonnet has often been read primarily as a critique of nineteenth-century society's disagreement with the natural world, this essay will argue that, in fact, the poem is a hymn to the imagination that nature inspires. The crumbling creative union between man and nature, historically diverse interpretations, as well as the value Wordsworth placed on divine experience will be examined. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Initially, Wordsworth identifies the union between man and nature, which traditionally facilitates the imaginative capacity as endangered. Conventionally, the Petrarchan sonnet features a speaker extolling the virtues of his beloved. However, in the sonnet Wordsworth subverts such conventions, lamenting humanity's ignorance of the romantic feelings that its "beloved" nature is capable of generating. This is evident in the octave where Wordsworth uses a fractured line to highlight humanity's self-indulgent concerns: "Getting and spending, let us destroy our powers." Here, through the use of caesura, Wordsworth structurally introduces the poem's parallel themes of humanity's materialism and resulting loss of imaginative power. Through the use of the present participle combined with the plurality of the speaker's rhetoric, Wordsworth suggests that the incessant nature of consumerism is undermining our figurative creative powers. Succeeding in this, in a direct demonstration of such imaginative ability, Wordsworth draws on his poetic powers in a hat-trick of natural vignettes: “This sea that bares its bosom to the moon; /The winds that will howl at all hours, /And now they are gathered like sleeping flowers.” The alliterative and assonant elemental motif demonstrates the extent of nature's imaginative potential. Personifying nature in three contrasting states: sexual, powerful and peaceful, man's ability to find inspiration in nature's extremes is evident, underscoring the creative loss if nature's beauty is overlooked in favor of materialism. This is reinforced in the exclamatory turn, "it does not move us - Great God" which marks a turning point in both rhyme and voice. Through the combined change in rhyme scheme and the shift from plural to personal voice, “so might I” Wordsworth represents the speaker as his ideal. Having achieved imaginative freedom through the sextet, free from social decadence, the speaker is no longer part of the majority who are “out of tune.” In comparison, Wordsworth not only criticizes worldly materialism through the structure of the Italian sonnet, but may be claimed to also condemn modern Christianity, contributing to the decline of natural inspiration. This criticism is evident at the beginning of the poem, through the different interpretations of the emphatic metaphor: "We gave away our hearts, a sordid advantage!". At first glance, as Tianyu Ma understands, the oxymoron “sordid advantage” can simply be interpreted as an immoral gift with “benefit” defined as “A gift […]; a benefit enjoyed, a blessing, an advantage” (OED). In this sense, man demonstrates that he wastes his imaginative capacity, freely renouncing his innate appreciation for nature: “From the 17th century onwards […] “benefit” could refer to any gift that is offered, even if it is not been actively sought by the recipient." However, upon closer examination, it is evident that the “benefit” is rooted in one.”.