Please read the following sonnets, three by William Wordsworth and one by Boey Kim Cheng and write the following short essay. (Note that Boey's family name comes first as is the convention in much of east Asia, so we may refer to "Boey" as we would to "Wordsworth".)
Paragraph 1
Summary of what you believe "London 1802" is about.
Paragraph 2
Summary of what you believe "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is about.
Paragraph 3
Summary of what you believe "The world is too much with us" is about.
Paragraph 4
Discussion of similarities between "Report to Wordsworth" and the Wordsworth sonnets.
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1.
"London 1802" by William Wordsworth
Milton! thou should'st be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.
2.
"Composed upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
3.
"The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth
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!
The 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 lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
4.
"Report to Wordsworth" by Boey Kim Cheng
You should be here, Nature has need of you.
she has been laid waste. Smothered by the smog.
the flowers are mute, and the birds are few
in a sky like a dying clock.
All hopes of Proteus rising from the sea
have sunk; he is entombed in the waste
we dump. Triton's notes struggle to be free,
his famous horns are choked, his eyes are dazed,
and Neptune lies helpless as a beached whale,
while insatiate man moves in for the kill.
Poetry and piety have begun to fail,
as Natures mighty heart is lying still.
O see the wound widening in the sky,
God is labouring to utter his last cry.
Wordsworth is telling the poet Milton that he should be there. He is telling him to “raise up, return to us again” so that he can give them freedom and power. He seems to be saying that England needs him there, probably because things are changing and people aren’t appreciating poetry as much as they should be.
ReplyDeleteI think that in this poem he is talking about England. He is surely talking about somewhere, and he is English so it makes some sort of sense. He says that “The Earth has not anything to show more fair”. He seems to be saying how beautiful England is where he was from Westminster Bridge, and it seems to be during the night as he says “The houses seem asleep”
In this poem he is talking about nature. He talks about how little of nature is actually ours and that we’ve given our hearts away. He then talks about some gods, and some things that these gods do.
Report to Wordsworth seems to have most in common with “the world is too much with us” and “London 1802”. Boey seems to be saying, in the same way Wordsworth said it to Milton, that he should be here. This is probably because more things are changing as I said before. Also, “the world is too much with us” is very similar to “Report to Wordsworth” as “Report to Wordsworth” is written as a response to these. He is bringing up many things mentioned in “The World is too much with us”
“London 1802” William Wordsworth.
ReplyDeleteIn London 1802 William Wordsworth is trying to explain that Milton who was a Poet 150 years ago should be here now as England has need of him. He is also is trying to tell us that certain things are being lost such as their inward of happiness, “forfeited their ancient English dower Of inward happiness.” And he also says how they have become selfish men and is begging Milton to come back.
“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” William Wordsworth.
This poem seems to be about England like the first one, and it seems like he is telling about the beauty of England at the time; “This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare” is an example of how Wordsworth saw the beauty of England. It also talks about how calm he is and how he has never been so calm before, there is also a mention of God in the last 2 lines of the poem.
“The World is too much With Us” William Wordsworth.
Wordsworth is explaining that the people of the world are taking their powers for granted and wasting them on needless things and how we are not seeing the things in Nature that are ours. It also seems like he is saying that the Earth is becoming barren as the wind is howling at all hours, the sea now serves the moon and everything is out of tune, and he does not wish to live on this world when all this is happening.
“Report to Wordsworth” has a good link in “The World is too much With Us” as it is saying how we are not seeing what is ours in Nature where in “Report to Wordsworth” it is saying how Nature has need of us, on this topic all of the poems have something to do with Nature and Religion (or rather God or some sort of God) another thing that “Report to Wordsworth” has in common with “The World is too much With Us” is that they both mention the god Proteus rising from the sea.
London 1802 by William Wordsworth
ReplyDeleteBasically I think that William is very upset that John Milton is dead and he hopes that he would still be alive whenever William wrote this story. I believe that William is annoyed at how Britain is not doing too well as a country and plus that John Milton is not alive just frustrates him. In the poem he goes on about how he wishes his soul would return to earth “Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart.
Composed upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth
I think this poem was written out of the blue I think that he just woke up one day and decided to write a poem, hence the name composed upon Westminster Bridge. The title itself gives you the impression that he was actually on the bride or looking upon the bridge. Had it been a nice day then I think he would have written about the bridge on a nice day instead about a rainy day but still I don’t think it would have the same effect.
The world is too much with us by William Wordsworth
I think William wrote this poem with anger “We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” It gives me the impression that he is somewhat upset with what England is becoming. I think he does not like the new industrial England as he describes them as “sleeping flowers” and “less forlorn “which definitely suggest that he preferred England as it was before this quote shows his feelings about the new England. “Pagan suckled in a creed outworn”. It was written in 1806 which is when England started Industrializing so I think it was because of this.
Report to Wordsworth by Boey Kim Cheng
I think this poem is about nature. It is similar to “the world is too much with us” because in both the writers are describing a world that is changing and in both they are very upset with the results or human activity “Smothered by the smog”. In this poem I think that the writer is trying to tell us that we are the one messing it all up and that we are the ones that have to fix it which is why I think he wrote the first line “You should be here, Nature has need of you.”
I believe that this poem is mostly about the people of England and how they could change themselves.
ReplyDeleteThere was a metaphor mentioned in the first stanza of the poem. It was a marsh which gave a bad smell all the time. By this I mean that the water in this become quite marshy.
England rife with evil was an area which was full of marshy or swamps so this country lost its heritage.
He wished Milton had turn back from his die, but Milton was not a solution.
He claimed that Milton was the only one who could be able to change.
The stagnant water does not give a bad smell or unpleasant smell.
The Alter used to be the place where marriages were done.
This poem is mostly about describing the beauty of the morning scene at Westminster Bridge, since this used to be pretty unusual, the poet described it in a very descriptive and touchy way. The poet describes the scene in a way that nothing more is beautiful than that. He has been so beautifully touched by the early morning. The basic beauty of the city was that it used to be sleeping. There were no people bustling about, there is no smoke or any harmful substances.
This poem is a statement about conflict between nature and humanity mostly. It compares how humans react to the nature and how the nature reacts with the people. It clearly shows us that the poet who wrote this did not like certain weathers and decided to share them with us. He describes how strong the wind touches the people and so on. This is a very interesting poem.
The similarities are that both the poem and the sonnet have more or less the idea. However not exactly the same. It is interesting to compare them because then we see how they differ from each other. However, they have religious ideas in common as with the word ‘god’.
Christina Lomakina
“London 1802” seems to be about how Milton (another poet) had passed away or hasn’t been writing for a while, and how William Wordsworth wishes he would be writing more, or wishes he were alive. The poem says things like “Oh! Raise us up, return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.” Which means that the words that Milton wrote actually reached his readers, and that the readers sort of listened to him. The poem could also be about how people do not appreciate what they have, always wanting more, but “so didst thou travel on life’s common way,’ says that life goes on, you can’t always hold on to something forever. “The lowliest duties on herself did lay” could mean that England isn’t what it used to be.
ReplyDelete“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” looks like it’s about how beautiful the earth/nature is. It describes how beautiful nature is, how calming it can be, and how it is a very beautiful view to look at. There’s a river under the bridge William Wordsworth seems to be writing on, and his view is that the city is asleep whereas the beauties of the earth are more prominent. So basically, this poem is about how beautiful and amazing nature and the earth is, and how what we build can sometimes seem like nothing compared to the earth and nature itself.
The poem “The World Is Too Much With Us” talks about how people are taking the earth/nature for granted, and that we just allows it to ‘help’ us while we do nothing to help her in return. We take everything given for granted, and only see the beauties at times when, really, the magnificence of the earth is always surrounding us. The poem gives the message that we don’t care much for it, therefore taking it for granted, and there are few who would see the small beauties and protect it.
The poem “Report To Wordsworth” by Boey Kim Cheng is about how Wordworth’s poems were all about nature, and how it told people that nature was beautiful, but that now no one cares because he’s gone. In “The World Is Too Much With Us” it talks about how ‘Proteus rising from the sea’ while in Reports to Wordsworth says how Proteus can’t rise from the sea because of all the trash we’ve put in it. It’s the same thing with how Triton blowing his wreathed horn, in Report to Wordsworth ‘Triton’s notes struggle to be free’. “Report to Wordsworth” talks about how people don’t care that the earth is dying, since they are the causes of it, and how poetry is no longer working. When you look at the poems by Wordsworth, he describes the beauties of the earth, and how it’s a pleasant site to look at, whereas Boey says the world is being laid waste, not treated right by everyone.
--Tatiana T. 9A
Poetry by William Wordsworth
ReplyDeleteLondon 1802
The speaker is telling the soul of the dead poet John Milton; saying that he should be alive at this time in history, for England needs him. England, the speaker says, is stagnant and selfish, and Milton could raise her up again. The speaker says that Milton could give England “manners, virtue, freedom, power,” for his soul was like a star, his voice had a sound as pure as the sea, and he moved through the world with “cheerful godliness,” laying upon him the “lowest duties.”
Composed upon Westminster Bridge
In lines 1 through 8, which together compose a single sentence, the speaker describes what he sees as he stands on Westminster Bridge looking out at the city. He begins by saying that there is nothing "more fair" on Earth than the sight he sees, and that anyone who could pass the spot without stopping to look has a "dull" soul. The poem takes place in the "beauty of the morning," which lies like a blanket over the silent city. He then lists what he sees in the city and mentions that the city seems to have no pollution and lies "Open unto the fields, and to the sky." In lines 9 through 14, the speaker tells the reader that the sun has never shown more beautifully, even on nature ("valley , rock, or hill"), and that he has never seen or felt such deep calm. He goes on to describe the way that the river (which he personifies) glides along at the slow pace it chooses. The poem ends with an exclamation, saying that "the houses seem asleep" and the heart of the city is still.
The World is too much with us
The speaker begins this poem by saying that the world is too full of humans who are losing their connection to religion and, even more importantly, to nature. Humans, the speaker says, have given their hearts away, and the gift is a morally degraded one. In the second part the speaker tells the reader that everything in nature, including the sea and the winds, is gathered up in a powerful connection with which humanity is "out of tune." In other words, humans are not experiencing nature as they should. The speaker ends the poem by saying that he would rather be a pagan attached to a worn-out system of beliefs than be out of tune with nature. At least if he were a pagan he might be able to see things that would make him less unhappy, like the sea gods Proteus and Triton
Report to Wordsworth by Boey Kim Cheng
I believe this poem is about nature. It is like to “the world is too much with us” because in both the writers are telling a world that is changing and in both they are very upset with the results or human action “Smothered by the smog”. In this poem I think that the poet is trying to tell us that we are the ones messing it all up and that we are the ones that have to repair it which is why I assume he wrote the first line “You should be here, Nature has need of you.”
Wordsworth and Boey
ReplyDeleteI think the poem ‘London 1802’ is about the people of London wanting a person to return, and the person they want to return is the Ruler or something because it says ‘Oh! Raise us up, return to us again; and give us manners, virtue, freedom, power. He also explains how their current life is not very good and this is why they want him to return.
The poem ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ is about the view from a bridge that the poet is describing and how amazing the city is. He includes the buildings and the sunset. This poem is very patriotic because the author is English and i think that bridge is in England.
The poem ‘The world is too much with us’ is about how humans are destroying the earth using up all the fuels and building ugly buildings. He also describes the seperate beauties of nature and how humans do not know how they are connected to it.
The only similarity I can find between these poems and ‘Report to Wordsworth’ is his style of writing, and also he used the phrase ‘lay waste’ twice.
First poem
ReplyDeleteLondon 1802
by William Wordsworth
The poem seems to be about how Milton should be in England and see how the situation is. That it is horrible and there is no happiness. The people are selfish. The poet is asking Milton to rise England up so they have “manners, virtue, freedom” and “power”. The poet then goes on to compliment Milton by saying his soul is like a “star”, his voice was like the “sea” and it was “pure as the naked heavens”.
Second Poem
Composed upon Westminster Bridge
by William Wordsworth
The poem is about the earth and the poet is talking to god and telling him the earth is so nice the air is pure the city is beautiful. It is silent and you can see the sky and the fields. He tell god that the earth is “A sight so touching in its majesty it is a calm place and the writer then says “the very houses asleep and all that mighty heart is lying still!” It seems like no one is around to see this beautiful view.
Third Poem
ReplyDeleteThe world is too much with us
by William Wordsworth
The poet is telling us off for not seeing how important nature and the earth is. And saying he would rather be a pagan so he can stand on pleasant open ground and see Proteus rise from the lea and triton blow his wreathed horn.
Paragraph 4
Comparing
The “Report to Wordsworth” by Boey Kim Cheng is like a response to ‘London 1802’how the poet is telling Milton you should be living her at this time, Boey Kim Cheng is replying that William should be here at this time and see all the sorrow there is around. It is like at William’s time in 1802 England need Milton so power and manners could be restored and to fix the earth from being a sorrowful place and at this time Boey Kim Cheng tells William Nature needs him because she is dying.
‘Report to Wordsworth’ and ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ both tell us that natures hart is lying still. ‘In Report to Wordsworth’the poet says the earth is slowing like a clock there are not birds and no flowers where as in Composed upon Westminster Bridge says the world is peaceful and it is a lovely site. The morning is nice and silent the sun is wonderful but it’s like everyone is asleep.
‘Report to Wordsworth’ and ‘The world is too much with us’ both say man is killing the world and taking it for granted. Boey then goes on to tell William that it is no better to be a Pagan and watch Proteus rise out of the see because all hope of him rising is gone and that is ‘entombed in the waste we dump’. Boey tells William that triton cannot blow his horn because it is chocked and his eyes are red he is out of breath and his notes can come out. He then adds an extra by saying Neptune is ‘helpless like a beached whale’ and cannot do anything. He tells his ‘god is laboring to utter his last cry’ showing William that even god is struggling and he can’t hear him and cannot help.
by evita
Wordsworth And Boey
ReplyDeleteIn ‘London 1802’ it is talking about someone who has left a family, and they would want him to go back home. They also describe someone as having a voice so beautiful that it sounded like the waves of the sea, someone who was free with no command or sin at all. It also talks about power, freedom, and justice in the world and that we somehow control the future of the earth and how we develop/gain power by time.
I think that ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ sonnet relates to things such as what God has provided for us in this world. It is also speaking about the beauties of the world, and how in the morning you wake up and look at beautiful fields which towers and domes lay on it. It is about the beauties of the earth like the sky, and how it glitters in the cleansing, smokeless air. Another beauty about the earth is a river. He describes a river as very calm one, streaming at its own will with a calm flow.
I think that ‘The world is too much with us’ is about how we are spoilt with all the technology and we don’t appreciate the forces and beauties of nature as we should. It also talks about the other things in nature like the sea, sky and winds and how we should appreciate everything about nature.
All four sonnets relate to each other somehow. I think one similarity between them can be that they all relate to the power and forces of nature, and how we should appreciate it and how we dwell with it on
"London 1802" by William Wordsworth was written in 1802. It is talking about a man named Milton a poet who lived 150 years ago who should be there to save England. He is saying that he should rise from the dead and come back to save England. It is also saying that people do not really like poetry as people should and they should respect what they say. The poem also compliments Milton about how smart he was. It’s also saying his soul is like a star. He is saying he is pure and majestic like the heavens. He is also concerned about the nature and the future of the earth.
ReplyDelete“Composed upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth was written in 1806. It talks about how earth has nothing more beautiful. It also shows how he talks about how beautiful the world looked form the Westminster Bridge. It also seems like night as he says, ‘the houses seem asleep. Also he shows that he thinks the world is wonderful as he is seeing the view from a hight.
ReplyDeleteLondon 1802 By William Wordsworth.
ReplyDeleteThis poem ‘London’ I think is about how William is Writing a poem to Another poet called Milton, and is asking him to come back to London. He is explaining to him how London has lost its manners, virtue, power and freedom. He also says ‘We are selfish men’ and he is showing this man how low London has fallen since he obviously left. I think this poem was originally written as a letter but then altered to be shown as a poem.
Composed upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth.
This poem is similar to the first poem because it is about London too. It does go around the world too but it starts off in England. Basically I think in this poem the poet is trying to share with us the beauties of the world and also some of the creations that humans have made. The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie’ this line shows us how we loves seeing and hearing the silence and the splendid beauties like towers, theatres and temples.
The World is too much for us By William Wordsworth.
This poem is similar to the first poem, it is still talking about the earth too, but in this poem I think the poet is showing us the beauty of the world and how we don’t appreciate it properly. ‘For this, for everything, we are out of tune’ this line just proves that we are out of sight of the actual beauty of the world. The poet is also showing us how blind we are, we look at things in a different way than they actually are and also it shows how we take them for granted.
Comparison of all 4 poems.
All four poems are basically about the earth. The last poem ‘Report to Wordsworth’ is probably the most similar one to the first poem. They are both about how we abuse the earth and take advantage of it. But it is also like the second and third because it is generally about the earth and not based on London. Also in the first and last one the poet is using Greek gods to show anger and frustration. He also includes god, he tells us how god is just sitting, watching us ruin our beautiful earth. So it shows, they are all connected.
By Rosie
“London 1802” William Wordsworth.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem London 1802 William Wordsworth seems to be writing about the poet ‘John Milton’. He tells Milton to come back to “raise us up, return to us again” this is showing that Wordsworth really needs Milton at that time, and wishes he wasn’t dead. He explains how England has fallen and says “And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power” showing that England seems to have become a worse place, and Wordsworth believes that if Milton came back, England would be alright again.
“Composed upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth
The poem ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge” was written in England on Westminster Bridge. The poet is writing about how beautiful and peaceful the city looks at night time when no one seems to be around, as the Earth seems untouched in a way. He describes how the houses, domes, theatres and all the buildings look peaceful, and that the fields and sky are ‘Glittering in the smokeless air’.
"The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth
In this poem Wordsworth seems to be talking about the Earth, but probably in England. He seems to be upset and annoyed at the fact that England is moving into the Industrial Revolution, or something to that effect. He doesn’t like how the nature around England has been destroyed, or taken for granted, how it’s becoming a waste and he doesn’t want to have anything to do with a World like that.
"Report to Wordsworth" by Boey Kim Cheng
I can instantly see a resemblance in both ‘Report to Wordsworth’ and ‘The world is too much with us’. Both poems are about the earth and what a waste its becoming, how nature is ‘crying’ for help. God is mentioned in 3 of the poems and it is mainly for help, so with that we can see that with these poems, help is wanted. Mainly about the Earth, and to stop it from becoming a wasteland and to stop Humans taking advantage of it and ruining its beauty. Also in ‘Report To Wordsworth’ and ‘The world is too much with us’ they both mention “Proteus rising from the sea”.
London 1802
ReplyDeleteHe starts by saying “Milton!” Wordsworth is referring to the poet John Milton. He is asking Milton to comeback as England need him. The English have lost their “manners, freedom, virtue, power” and Milton must come and restore these to them. Wordsworth wishes that Milton’s soul would come back; “They soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart.”
Composed Upon Westminster Bridge
In the being of the poem up to the eight line is one complete sentence in this sentence he describes what he sees as he looks off Westminster’s Bridge. He looks off at what he sees and says there is nothing “more fair”. He thinks that anyone who passes the spot without stopping to admire it has an inspired soul. The poem’s setting is in early morning. Throughout the poem he talks about what he sees on this beautiful morning.
The World is too much With Us
The poem is mostly saying that the world is too full of humans who have no more faith, who are forgetting who they are and where they come from and don’t appreciate nature. He believes that humans have no conscience and no hear. The writer says that nature has a connection which humans are not in sync with. The writer wants us to know that we are not letting ourselves experience nature as should be. He thinks that he wants to be pagan as he might be happier even though their faiths are out of date.
Report to Wordsworth
This poem is clearly centered on nature. It’s about how humans are abusing the world and that we are damaging it. The writer is trying to send us a warming that we should care that the world is not what it used to be. The poem uses a lot of references from other poems by Wordsworth.
Valentina Spiteri
“The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth was written in 1807. It talks about nature and how nature is ours and that we are giving it away I guess. It shows about how we are abusing our powers. It also shows how the earth is dying and we are destroying it. It also mentions the gods of the Greek mythology. This would show that they are partially religious.
ReplyDelete“London 1802” By William Wordsworth.
ReplyDeleteIn The Poem London 1802, it shows how the author, William Wordsworth, thinks that London/England is in trouble and they need him there to help. He thinks all the trouble happened because of the people and how they have changed. He also seems very furious and angered that John Milton was dead and he was saying that he should be alive, that he had power, and wanted him to rise from the dead.
"Composed upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth.
In The Poem Composed upon Westminster Bridge, It is written like it was written over a day, from dawn till dusk, as he peered upon a bridge in Westminster, hence the title. I think he also is talking about England’s Cities and England’s Countryside and how different it was. In the Cities there were lots of things, like when he lists “Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie.” I also believe that the morning was rather dull and then it lightened up and was a sunny day.
"The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth
I Think that the author, William Wordsworth, doesn’t like the way people are changing and how they abuse the natural things from the world. “We have given our hearts away” is an interesting comment as it says that people are doing anything for these natural resources and want money for them. He also says we are different to the rest of the world as we don’t move with the world, we are stronger than it and take control.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe the sonnet “London 1802” by William Wordsworth is about a dead man named ‘Milton’ who was apparently a very ‘majestic’ guy that did many things to England. The poet in this sonnet is saying that they and England are of great need of him since they are in deep trouble, perhaps at war, and need his help to come to peace with the help of his ‘cheerful godliness’. But the problem is, he is dead, so they can’t get much help from him. The poet/narrator also wants him to teach them ‘selfish’ men, to give them better ‘manners, virtue, freedom, and power’.
ReplyDeleteThe sonnet “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” also written by William Wordsworth, is mainly about the Earth and its beauties. He describes throughout the sonnet how fascinating and full of wonder our planet is and, in the first line, how ‘dull a soul’ is to just pass by such a majestic place. Some examples of his descriptions of the earth are that the sky is ‘all bright and glittering in the smokeless air’ and ‘how the river glideth at his own sweet will’ and how the city is ‘on the beauty of the morning’. All of these describe the nature and pure beauty of it in Earth.
I think that the sonnet “The world is too much with us” which is as well written by William Wordsworth is about pretty much what the title is, how the world is too much with us. This meaning that we are wasting all its worthiness away, Mother Nature and all the beauties in the earth. The idea of the sonnet is how the world is giving so much to us but we are returning nothing back. We are just taking and wasting, and never repaying to the world. But this poet is saying that he wants to stop the people from doing this and that he would rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn, I am guessing this being a bad thing at Wordsworth’s time.
The similarities of the Wordsworth poems from “Report to Wordsworth” by Boey Kim Cheng are of many lines of report to wordsworth extracted from these three poems; “Composed upon Westminister Bridge”, “London 1802”, and “The world is too much with us”. They also all have a similar theme, it being mainly of Earth and its beauties but also what bad things we are doing to it. They all four also have beautiful descriptions leading to the message of it.
Caroline Schiller
ReplyDeleteParagraph 1:
The poem "London 1802" is written by William Wordsworth. The author is talking to the poet Milton who was already dead. Wordsworth says that England needs him (Milton). Then he describes England and later he says, that Milton should “raise us up, return to us again”, so he is saying that Milton should come back from the dead to make England and the English people better who in his eyes, are selfish, and don’t have a lot of manner, virtue, freedom and power.
Paragraph 2:
"Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is written by William Wordsworth. In this poem, he is talking about Earth. He mentions a city, which is most likely London. Then he talks about the beauty there. He uses good words and expressions like “smokeless air”, “beautifully steep”. He seems to be touched by the sight he has around him. It is like he was there while he wrote this poem and described the environment as it was at the moment, sometime on a silent morning. The atmosphere is very calm. So it is about the beauties in the morning on the Westminster Bridge and the view.
Paragraph 3:
“The world is too much with us" is written by William Wordsworth. He talks about the world. He says that only a little bit of Nature belongs to us. People take earth for granted. He thinks that we don’t care about what nature could give us and that we don’t see the beauties clearly enough. Then he talks about Gods. He talks to one god, the “Great God” and then mentions Proteus and Triton.
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“Report to Wordsworth" is written by Boey Kim Cheng. The author is talking to the poet Wordsowrth. He tells him, that the world needs him. He describes how awful the world is right now, what terrible things happen and how much waste there is. The poem "London 1802" is also talking to a poem, just like this one. And "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is also about nature a lot, but in that one, nature is described as nice. “The world is too much with us" is also about Nature. There are many sentences, that are copied from the poems and then are in the poem “report to wordsworth” like “And all that mighty heart is lying still!” or “Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;” / “All hopes of Proteus rising from the sea”.
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ReplyDelete“London 1802” is a sonnet written by William Wordsworth that is mainly addressed to John Milton who was a poet a hundred and fifty years before Wordsworth’s time. I believe the poem is a ‘plea’ from Wordsworth, although a plea that he probably realized was in vain, for John Milton to come back to life and start writing poems again. Wordsworth describes England as a place that had changed for the worse since Milton died, ‘she is a fen of stagnant waters’ and that he wants Milton to come back and start writing his poems again. He praises Milton a lot in the second half of the poem, ‘Thy soul was like a Star’ which means he admired his work. I think Milton wrote ‘London 1802’ to show how he thought that Milton’s works would lift the spirits of people
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“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” is a poem written by William Wordsworth that was inspired by a journey he was making which paused on the Westminster Bridge. This sonnet is somewhat of a contradiction to “London 1802”; it talks about the beauty of London rather than the lack thereof. I think that Wordsworth is trying to show how the beautiful glimpse he got during that inspiring pause on the bridge, ‘Earth has not anything to show more fair’, surprised him. This sonnet is about the beauty that Wordsworth wondered at and how it made him feel. He finds the power and majesty of London amazing.
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“The world is too much with us”, again by Wordsworth, is about how we as humans take nature for granted and try to take control over it. Wordsworth finds the sight of the reckless usage of nature’s resources disgusting, and he wishes for the Greek Gods of Proteus and Triton to come and show their might Natural powers to prove that nature needs to be taken care of.
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The Three poems by William Wordsworth are very similar, but at the same time they also have their differences. ‘London 1802’ and ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ are very different for example. ‘London 1802’ is about how Wordsworth thinks that England is a dirty place that isn’t beautiful, whereas ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ talks about the sheer beauty of London and how it shines in Wordsworth’s mind. Then ‘The world is too much with us’ is more similar to ‘London 1802’ in its connotation but instead of focusing on the lack of beauty or a place, it talks about how we as a people disrespect nature and take it for granted, laying waste to it. A common theme throughout the three poems is that of the environment, all of them are about Earth or a place on Earth and how they look/ are being treated.
“London 1802” was written by Wordsworth. He mentions a poet from the 17th century John Milton. We believe that Wordsworth wants Milton to return from the dead back to London. He also implies that Milton is needed. Milton can give the earth ‘manners, virtue, freedom and power.’ He often compliments Milton for his poetry by saying that ‘Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,’
ReplyDelete“Composed Upon Westminster” was also written by Wordsworth,it is an early 19th Century poem. He says how calm the atmosphere is. He even mentions how clean the air is. This is because he is alone in the city at night. There is a lot of mention about the environment around him.
In "The world is too much with us" Wordsworth believes that people take things for granted. Wordsworth again mentions a lot of nature. It also talks about looking at the inner beauty in things. He wishes for Preoteus and Triton (both Greek Gods) to come down and show their powers.
'London 1802' and 'Composed upon Westminster' have differnent attitudes about London. 'London 1802' often mentions how London needs to be saved presumably because it was a horrible place. But in 'Composed Upon Westminster', Wordsworth talks about how pleasant the atmosphere is. He is writing the sonnet in Westminster at the time which is in Central London.' The World is too much with us' has some similarities with London 1802 because someone from somewhere else, is asked to come to Earth. 'Report to Wordsworth' clearly has resemblance to 'The world is too much with us' as it talks about 'Proteus rising from the Sea'. They both also talk about waste and dirtiness, this shows a link to 'London 1802'.
“London 1802” written by William Wordsworth in 1802 tells us that he wished that John Milton was present in London at the time, and the poem refers to London as a ‘fen, of stagnant waters: altar, sword and pen’. John Milton was a poet who was around 150 years previously prior to Wordsworth. Wordsworth wanted Milton to return, to show him what has become of England, referring to the modern man being a selfish man, “Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower, have forfeited their ancient English dower Of inward happiness. We are selfish men; Oh! Raise us up, return to us again; and give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.” This gives the sense that Wordsworth felt that Milton was necessary at the time. He describes Milton as being the ‘savior’ of the modern world, and so this is why he begs him to come back.
ReplyDelete“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” written by William Wordsworth in 1806 is telling us also about England, and he is speaking about how beautiful his country is. “This City now doth, like a garment, wear the beauty of the morning; silent, bare”. “Earth has not anything to show fairer: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty”. He speaks of how proud he is of his country, and how good a sight it is. It also talks about how he has never been this calm before, and how his country has made him this calm.
“The World is too much with us” written also by William Wordsworth in 1807 is about people laying waste to our ‘power’, and that we have given our hearts away. It tells of humans as a whole taking things for granted in life, and turning our backs on nature. “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!” he explains how the Earth is suffering too, and becoming ‘barren’, and ‘bear’.
“Report to Wordsworth” written by Boey Kim Cheng in recent years is very similar to these poems by William Wordsworth, probably most similar to “London 1802” and “The World is too much for us”. The poem is very similar to “London 1802” in many ways, firstly, it starts in the same way, telling us that the writter is requesting that a famous poet, living many years previously, should be here now, and should see what is on the world, and also about how we are unaware of what is happening to nature. “The World is too much for us” and “Report to Wordsworth” both mention the rising of the god ‘Proteus’, and also how we are taking things for granted.
"Composed upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth
ReplyDeleteFirst lines author describes the view from the Westminster Bridge. He describes all beauty of the Nature and says that the person who could pass that bridge without noticing and stopping to admire has a “dull” soul . “ Dull would he be of soul who could pass by”. Then We can see that Nature isn’t polluted by these sentences: “Open unto the fields, and to the sky”, “smokeless air”. he says that there is so peaceful and he feels so calm like he never did before. “Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!”. The author is giving life to the sun, the river, the houses and the whole city which symbolic heart. By using a personification the author gives a spirit to the city. “And all that mighty heart is lying still”by this sentence he repeat how peaceful and calm there Nature and the Town.
"London 1802" by William Wordsworth
At the beginning of the sonnet the author calling for a dead poet Milton and telling him that England needs him now and that he should be alive. He says that England had changed and not in a good way. People become selfish and that why Milton needs to come and teach them manners. William Wordsworth says that Milton wasn’t like anyone he was special “Thy soul was like a Star” he was man with a good soul and kind heart. “Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea” maybe it means that Milton could understand Nature more that anyone. Author says that Milton always was in “cheerful godliness” even if he did “The lowliest duties”. I think that William Wordsworth trying to say that just Milton with his pure soul can save the Nature in England.
"The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth says that Nature isn’t the same like it was before that people destroy everything without noticing it. “we lay waste” The author says that we no longer care about Nature. We don’t see anything in it. “Little we see in Nature that is ours” We just using Nature for ourselves and not helping her. I think that William Wordsworth was angry when he was writing this sonnet, he was disappointed in people and industry who pollute our Nature.
"Report to Wordsworth" by Boey Kim Cheng It is about Nature like all previous sonnets. I think that “Report to Wordsworth”is more similar to “London 1802” because both authors Boey Kim Cheng and William Wordsworth are calling for someone to help the Nature “YOU should be here”, “Milton! thou should'st be living at this hour”. In both sonnets nature is being destroyed by “Insatiate” or “Selfish” men. However Boey Kim Cheng used the same words sentences like in "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" was “mighty heart is lying still”and in "The world is too much with us" was“Proteus rising from the sea” and also they both wrote about Triton. We can notice that in “Report to wordsworth”, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge” and “The world is too much with us”both authors are talking about or calling God “Great God!”, “Dear God!” and “God is labouring to utter his last cry”. I think that all four sonnets have something in common but the main topic what they all telling is Nature.
Polina ( I couldnt post it for a long time. Had problems with this blog)
"London 1802" by William Wordsworth was written in 1802. It is talking about a man named Milton a poet who lived 150 years ago who should be there to save England. He is saying that he should rise from the dead and come back to save England. It is also saying that people do not really like poetry as people should and they should respect what they say. The poem also compliments Milton about how smart he was. It’s also saying his soul is like a star. He is saying he is pure and majestic like the heavens. He is also concerned about the nature and the future of the earth.
ReplyDelete“Composed upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth was written in 1806. It talks about how earth has nothing more beautiful. It also shows how he talks about how beautiful the world looked form the Westminster Bridge. It also seems like night as he says, ‘the houses seem asleep. Also he shows that he thinks the world is wonderful as he is seeing the view from a hight.
“The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth was written in 1807. It talks about nature and how nature is ours and that we are giving it away I guess. It shows about how we are abusing our powers. It also shows how the earth is dying and we are destroying it. It also mentions the gods of the Greek mythology. This would show that they are partially religious.
“Report to Wordsworth” written by Boey Kim Cheng is extremely similar to these poems by William Wordsworth. It is probably most similar to “London 1802” and “The World is too much for us”. This is because it is telling the writer that he is requesting a famous poet, also that many living years previously, should be here now, and should see what is on the world. It could be also because he was very unaware what had happened to the world and nature itself.... “The World is too much for us” and “Report to Wordsworth” both mention gods rising and ‘Proteus’...
I think that “London 1802”, by William Wordsworth also like a report. In this poem, William Wordsworth is addressing his poem to Milton, who was also a poet, but he lives in 17th century, whereas Wordsworth lives later. Wordsworth is telling Milton that he should be here, at this time in England. I think that this poem is generally about changes that happened at that time, such as the industrial revolution. So really Wordsworth was very used to nature like life, probably living in rural area, and so he is speaking about England as if something horrific(industrial revolution) happened. He also mentioned that the people changed, they became selfish. So this poem is about changes made in the beginning of 19th century, and that he just wants everything to go back as it was.
ReplyDelete"Composed upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth is addressed to God. In this poem, Wordsworth, unusually describes how beautiful man-made city is, he is not writing anything bad about the city, such as it is dirty or destroying, he only says that it is beautiful, and he is also comparing it to the nature. And also this poem is about calmness, unworried kind of feeling. He is saying that he never had that kind of feeling, which is pretty interesting too.
I believe that "The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth is again about nature and city theme. Wordsworth seems to dislike the modern world, and in this poem he expresses his anger I would say. He is again saying that people don’t seem to care much about nature. Because of all this anger he wishes he could be pagan, in order to look at nature in a different, more loving way.
“Report to Wordsworth” by Boey Kim Cheng is similar to each of the three sonnets by Wordsworth, sometimes it is similar to all of the above, but sometimes it is not. For example, “Report to Wordsworth” is similar to “London 1802” on the first line, both poems call out the name, and then give a command that that person should be present now. With “The world is too much with us” both authors compare to Greek mythology gods, Triton and Proteus. And of course all of them are similar because all of them compare the “new” world with new technologies and progress to “old” world which is full of nature and primitive appearances.