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Contradictory Diction

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In the poem “The World Is Too Much with Us”, William Wordsworth seems to be expressing his discontentment with the path society is taking away from the beautiful necessities of nature as it veers into an industrial era. Through the use of specially crafted structure, precise diction, and various allusions, Wordsworth displays his moral disagreement with the new path based on the tragedy of ignoring the tranquil state of humanity present when one is in association with nature. The use of contradictory diction by Wordsworth helps display the extreme variation he sees between the enemy of industry and the ally of nature (Marrero). The phrases “late and soon” and “getting and spending” make it seem as though humanity has been living its life amiss for some time as the focus is on self- indulgence through goods (Wordsworth line 2). The days, which were once spent in the serene of the outdoors, are now filled with “getting” the material things that only make the hearts of man grow more selfish. The money as well as youth of people is being “spent” away on items that ultimately will not bring true pleasure to the soul. The materialism that Wordsworth encounters is not much different from that which can be seen in society today. Throughout the poem, diction is also used to explicitly show how the shift to materialism was a cognizant decision made by the society as a whole. These growing material desires did not …show more content…

Although his work received heavy criticism for conspiring against the industrial progress, he made a valid point concerning the mistakes humanity was making by turning away from nature. From beginning to end, Wordsworth used meticulous details to convey meaning and argue his point. At this time, it may be crucial for society to wonder, is the world too much with us or are we not enough with the

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