"The World is Too Much with Us" by William Wordsworth is a Petrarchan sonnet. The rhyme scheme in this type of sonnet is ABBA ABBA CDCD. A Petrarchan sonnet is made up of an octave and a sestet. The octave usually poses a problem and the sestet offers a solution to this problem. "The World is Too Much with Us" is a sonnet that speaks about nature. The problem presented in the octave is that human beings have lost their appreciation for nature. Reverting to the lifestyle of the ancient Greeks is the solution suggested for the problem in the sestet.
             The poem begins by describing how humans abuse the earth. Lines two and three state "Getting and spending, we lay waste our power;/Little we see in Nature that is ours." These lines refer to the materialism of people. Because of trade and industry, people have lost track of the importance in nature; they have become too preoccupied with the acquisition of the objects they desire to pay attention to the natural world around them.
             People have grown cold to nature because of these objects as well. They do not appreciate nature and see it is as dirty. This can be seen in line 4, "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!" Somehow the act of giving one's heart away is seen as a dirty gift. Perhaps this is because people's hearts now lie in material objects rather in nature and beauty. "For this, for everything, we are out of tune;/It moves us not."
             (Line 8-9) Being out of tune refers to being out of sync or disharmonious; therefore, these two lines describe the discontinuity that exists between humans and nature.
             In order to escape from this mistreatment of nature, the speaker suggests adopting the lifestyle of Pagans. Lines nine through ten demonstrate this idea, "Great G-d! I'd rather be/A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn." The speaker is willing to lead a life without god in order to ...