“The World is Too Much With Us” is a Petrarchan/Italian Sonnet condemning our modern society for its obsession with materialism and its lack of appreciation for the nature. William Wordsworth incorporates a plethora of allusions to the Greek Mythology in order to juxtapose our sad state of society with the love of nature that the Greeks displayed. Wordsworth is clearly disconcerted with the materialistic culture of the 19th century and shows his passionate feelings for the natural world in this poem.
The poem begins with the speaker condemning the current society’s habits of “getting and spending” on material items. The speaker believes that material items have become too important in people’s lives. The title of the poem, “The World is Too Much With Us," refers to human beings too concerned with material items, allowing them become an overly significant part of the world. The speaker also displays his belief that our obsession with material things forces us to “waste our powers.” By being concerned with material items, people throw away their potential to do great things that actually have significance in the world. Furthermore, the speaker points out that our materialism blinds us to the beauty and importance of nature. Because people are overly concerned with material items, they fail to see the benefits that nature has to offer. The speaker is angry at society for ignoring the beauty of nature in favor of living for material items. The people of society have given their hearts to materialism instead of nature. The material world has set a blockade between humans and nature.
The speaker next goes on to personify the sea in order to display the beauty that nature has to offer. I believe the speaker is standing in front of a moonlit body of water as he is speaking the exquisite words of this poem. In describing the “Sea that bares her bosom to the moon”, the speaker means the sea is reflecting the moon. “Bosom” is the key word in this line because it connotates the image of mother nature sustaining the world. In this sense, the sea is mother nature and is nurturing the natural world, including the moon. This image brings the connotation that nature has a healing and nurturing power like a mother that humans are missing out upon. Also in this scene, the winds have stopped and are now “like sleeping flowers.” This image of a peaceful, calm sea with the healing powers of a mother is what humans are missing out on due to our obsession with the material world. Because of this, we are like a trumpet that is “out of tune.”
The speaker is so fed up with the lack of appreciation for nature that current society feels, he explains that he would rather be nurtured by Paganism because a Pagan would see aliveness and power at the sea scene he is at. The Pagan religion has a plethora of gods and mythology stories related to nature. The speaker believes that having gods related to nature shows that the Pagans had a true appreciation for the natural world. Being a Pagan, therefore, would make the speaker have a deeper relationship with nature because of the gods associated with it. He would feel less lost in this materialistic world if he has the comfort of the nature gods of the Pagans. For those of you who need a brushing up of your Greek mythology, Proteus was an early sea god and son of Poseidon who is able to change form when need be. Triton is another Greek god and son of Poseidon. Like Derek Zoolander, Triton is sometimes represented as a merman. The “wreathed horn” refers to the conch shell which Triton use to make musical noise from. The speaker wishes experience these Pagan ideas because he believes they represent the deep relationship that Pagans have with nature. This deep relationship with nature is what the speaker truly longs for. The speaker would rather be a Pagan than be a member of modern society who is too concerned with material items to have a true relationship with nature.
By means of extensive allusions to Greek mythology, Wordsworth effectively contrasts the Pagan connection to nature with modern society’s distance from the natural world. The materialistic outburst of the 19th century may have cast a dark shadow on society as a whole, but it did inspire the beautiful poetry of “The World is Too Much With Us.” (743)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Kerouac's Carefully Constructed Characters
Jack Kerouac continues to amaze me with the intriguing and unique characters that never stop appearing throughout On the Road. I am about midway through the novel and I am in awe at how many distinctive characters Mr. Kerouac constructs. All of the characters in On the Road seem to have their own distinctive qualities that make them interesting, and they become sorts of people that I would like to encounter in real life. Although some of the characters are similar to one another, I find that they all have their own unique qualities that set them apart from each other and make them all have distinctive personalities that keep me on my heels as a reader, eagerly awaiting the next encounter that Sal will have.
One of these such characters is friendly Ed Dunkel. Ed seemed to me like an affable fellow. He appeared to be somebody whom it would be nice to take a road trip with, like Sal does. I liked Ed’s indifference and passiveness toward some of life’s minor and major twists and turns. Ed seemed only to care a small bit about his ill-fated marriage, although this incident seems like it would be much more significant for the typical young adult. Ed took the approach of crossing the bridge when he got to it when it came to the marriage. I liked how he decided to continue the trip with Dean, Sal, and Marylou, and to work out things with his wife when they met in New Orleans. Ed seems to be one of those guys who is just along for the ride, a character trait that I admire.
Another new character who grabbed my attention was Old Bull Lee. Bull Lee seemed to be somewhat cynical character who was both easily excited and easily disturbed. It was interesting how Bull Lee often expressed hostility toward Dean, a character for whom Sal had the utmost admiration for. Bull Lee seems that he would be an interesting fellow to meet due to his many hobbies and talents, from writing, to traveling, to knife throwing. The incident where he and Sal go the horse races was one of the more humorous aspects of novel. It was comical how Bull Lee totally ignored Sal’s suggestion on which horse to pick, then completely changed his stance towards Sal’s inclination after Sal’s selection ended up winning the race. It is also intriguing that Bull Lee is a drug abuser. I am curious to guess what substance he was addicted to because Kerouac never mentioned an specifics, but always said Bull would go to the bathroom to get his “fix.”
The most hysterical incident in the thus far in the novel in my opinion came a bit earlier when Sal is in San Francisco staying with Remi Boncouer. I found myself laughing out loud when Remi got Sal excited to go on an adventure to the see “The Banana King.” I was as shocked as Sal to find that the hyped-up “Banana King” was merely an old man by the side of the road selling bananas. I found it humorous that Remi was so astounded by this old man and seemed to immortalize in his own mind.
Kerouac’s characters constantly have controlled my cranium thus far in my reading experience and I look forward to meeting new ones as a progress further in the novel. (565 words).
·
o "Jazz America": Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" "Jazz America": Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road"
The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's On The Road
The Logic of Spontaneity: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's "Spontaneous Prose Method"
·
o The American Tramp: A Version of the Picaresque The American Tramp: A Version of the Picaresque
These are four sources I plan to use in my paper.
One of these such characters is friendly Ed Dunkel. Ed seemed to me like an affable fellow. He appeared to be somebody whom it would be nice to take a road trip with, like Sal does. I liked Ed’s indifference and passiveness toward some of life’s minor and major twists and turns. Ed seemed only to care a small bit about his ill-fated marriage, although this incident seems like it would be much more significant for the typical young adult. Ed took the approach of crossing the bridge when he got to it when it came to the marriage. I liked how he decided to continue the trip with Dean, Sal, and Marylou, and to work out things with his wife when they met in New Orleans. Ed seems to be one of those guys who is just along for the ride, a character trait that I admire.
Another new character who grabbed my attention was Old Bull Lee. Bull Lee seemed to be somewhat cynical character who was both easily excited and easily disturbed. It was interesting how Bull Lee often expressed hostility toward Dean, a character for whom Sal had the utmost admiration for. Bull Lee seems that he would be an interesting fellow to meet due to his many hobbies and talents, from writing, to traveling, to knife throwing. The incident where he and Sal go the horse races was one of the more humorous aspects of novel. It was comical how Bull Lee totally ignored Sal’s suggestion on which horse to pick, then completely changed his stance towards Sal’s inclination after Sal’s selection ended up winning the race. It is also intriguing that Bull Lee is a drug abuser. I am curious to guess what substance he was addicted to because Kerouac never mentioned an specifics, but always said Bull would go to the bathroom to get his “fix.”
The most hysterical incident in the thus far in the novel in my opinion came a bit earlier when Sal is in San Francisco staying with Remi Boncouer. I found myself laughing out loud when Remi got Sal excited to go on an adventure to the see “The Banana King.” I was as shocked as Sal to find that the hyped-up “Banana King” was merely an old man by the side of the road selling bananas. I found it humorous that Remi was so astounded by this old man and seemed to immortalize in his own mind.
Kerouac’s characters constantly have controlled my cranium thus far in my reading experience and I look forward to meeting new ones as a progress further in the novel. (565 words).
·
o "Jazz America": Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" "Jazz America": Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road"
The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's On The Road
The Logic of Spontaneity: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's "Spontaneous Prose Method"
·
o The American Tramp: A Version of the Picaresque The American Tramp: A Version of the Picaresque
These are four sources I plan to use in my paper.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
My First Impressions of On the Road
My recent decision to switch novels and embark on a journey On the Road appears to be a beneficial choice thus far in my reading expericence. I have enjoyed the first fifty or so pages of this novel because of the connection I feel towards the characters and because of Jack Kerouac’s unique and intriguing writing style.
My favorite part about Keruoac’s writing thus far is his seemingly random observations that are kind of like side notes to the story going on in the novel. The narrarating character, Sal Paradise, always notices little details that he discusses out of the context of the main story. His little observances, such as “the nights in the Denver are cool. I slept like a log,” make the novel interesting for me because I, like Sal, enjoy paying attention to the unimportant details going on around me. I like how Sal tells the reader the about the little things he notices, even if it has no significance to anything going on. Sal also notifies the reader about minor details regarding his observances about other characters. This allows the reader to get a good impression about the personalities of the other characters.
This brings me to the next reason I have enjoyed reading On the Road thus far: the characters. The main focus of this novel does not appear to be the plot. It appears that Kerouac’s main focus was creating an interesting and insightful group of characters. And he did this very well. As I am reading On the Road, I am itching to know more and more about the intriguing characters that Kerouac depicts. I find myself feeling a connection to Sal, a character who is bored with the everday scenery of his hometown and wants to venture somewhere far away to experience the unkown. I, like Sal, would enjoy living life in constant motion in order to experience something new, at least for a short period of life. Dean, is also a curious character. I admire his wide-eyed and liberated approach to life. I like how Dean is passionate about his life goals. I am interested to learn more about Dean’s troubled childhood and why he went to jail. However, it is a little alarming that Dean, the most admirable charavter so far, appears to be somewhat of a womanizer. I am interested to learn more about this problem.
My favorite part of On of Road thus far is the scene when Sal describes Dean and Carlo’s ritual of sitting down and telling each other exactly what they are thinking with blatant honesty. I find this exercise really awesome and I am surpirsed that it is not more common. Throughout a significant part of every day, we as humans restrain what we are really thinking and are not honest with each other. We say and do things that we think will appeal to other people for their approval. Sitting and talking with somebody with complete honesty would bring out a certain type of freedom of thought that I think can teach us a lot, and it would be beneficial for us to get out our honest thoughts. Dean and Carlo’s ritual of speaking to each other with total honesty for an entire night is a really cool and innovative idea that Keruouac has tied into his novel.
I am excited to continue reading On the Road to learn more about the interesting characters and to see how they develop with one another. 580 words
My favorite part about Keruoac’s writing thus far is his seemingly random observations that are kind of like side notes to the story going on in the novel. The narrarating character, Sal Paradise, always notices little details that he discusses out of the context of the main story. His little observances, such as “the nights in the Denver are cool. I slept like a log,” make the novel interesting for me because I, like Sal, enjoy paying attention to the unimportant details going on around me. I like how Sal tells the reader the about the little things he notices, even if it has no significance to anything going on. Sal also notifies the reader about minor details regarding his observances about other characters. This allows the reader to get a good impression about the personalities of the other characters.
This brings me to the next reason I have enjoyed reading On the Road thus far: the characters. The main focus of this novel does not appear to be the plot. It appears that Kerouac’s main focus was creating an interesting and insightful group of characters. And he did this very well. As I am reading On the Road, I am itching to know more and more about the intriguing characters that Kerouac depicts. I find myself feeling a connection to Sal, a character who is bored with the everday scenery of his hometown and wants to venture somewhere far away to experience the unkown. I, like Sal, would enjoy living life in constant motion in order to experience something new, at least for a short period of life. Dean, is also a curious character. I admire his wide-eyed and liberated approach to life. I like how Dean is passionate about his life goals. I am interested to learn more about Dean’s troubled childhood and why he went to jail. However, it is a little alarming that Dean, the most admirable charavter so far, appears to be somewhat of a womanizer. I am interested to learn more about this problem.
My favorite part of On of Road thus far is the scene when Sal describes Dean and Carlo’s ritual of sitting down and telling each other exactly what they are thinking with blatant honesty. I find this exercise really awesome and I am surpirsed that it is not more common. Throughout a significant part of every day, we as humans restrain what we are really thinking and are not honest with each other. We say and do things that we think will appeal to other people for their approval. Sitting and talking with somebody with complete honesty would bring out a certain type of freedom of thought that I think can teach us a lot, and it would be beneficial for us to get out our honest thoughts. Dean and Carlo’s ritual of speaking to each other with total honesty for an entire night is a really cool and innovative idea that Keruouac has tied into his novel.
I am excited to continue reading On the Road to learn more about the interesting characters and to see how they develop with one another. 580 words
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