Essay Wordsworth’s Sonnets and Technology

“As cities grow and technology takes over the world, belief and imagination fade away, and so do we”(Julie Kagawa). While technology spreads and completely takes over one’s life, the electronic wave cannot be tamed. Once society fails to take control of their lives over technology, they lose contact with our loved ones and reality, as well as the ability to think for one’s self. In the dystopian world from Fahrenheit 451 technology is found everywhere, and the people highly depend on it to do hard work for them or for entertainment purposes. Bradbury illustrates a society that has lost the ability to enjoy life without technology through a variety of characters that rely on unnatural and modern objects to fill the void of an emotionless society.

William Wordsworth existed in a time when society and its functions were beginning to rapidly pick up. The poem that he 'Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye', gave him a chance to reflect upon his quick paced life by taking a moment to slow down and absorb the beauty of nature that allows one to 'see into the life of things'; (line 49). Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey'; takes you on a series of emotional states by trying to sway 'readers and himself, that the loss of innocence and intensity over time is compensated by an accumulation of knowledge and insight.'; Wordsworth accomplishes to prove that although time was lost along with his innocence, he

The world today has lost touch from nature because of being too distracted by technology. The amount of hours an average person spends using technology everyday is growing and growing. In the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the characters in this novel show what the world can become with the overuse of technology. The overwhelming use of cellphones, tablets, and televisions in this book has led to many problems, although people may consider technology a major advancement to the future. However, the criticism from Fahrenheit 451 that would make the largest impact on the world today if used correctly is by not using or relying on technology because it creates loneliness and too much control over the people.

William Wordsworth uses different groups of words in this poem to connect nature with human beings: the pattern of their

In William Wordsworth's sonnet "The World Is Too Much with Us" the speaker conveys his frustration about the state in which he sees the world. Throughout the poem the speaker emphatically states his dissatisfaction with how out of touch the world has become with nature. Typical of Italian sonnets, the first eight lines of the poem establish the problems the speaker is experiencing such discontent about. Subsequently, the next line reveals a change in tone where the speaker angrily responds to the cynicism and decadence of society. Finally, the speaker offers an impossible solution to the troubles he has identified. Through each line, the tone elevates from dissatisfaction to anger in an effort to make the reader sense the significance of

William Wordsworth: Artistic Reaction to the Industrial Revolution. (Fed 14, 2000). New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, c 1936.

The fact that the poet chooses to write about London, England in the form of an Italian sonnet is an indication that the speaker is making fun of England. The speakers word choice reveals that speaker is actually making fun of England instead of showing sympathy for it when the speaker states that England has “forfeited [its] ancient English dower/ of inward happiness” (5-6). This shows that the speaker feels as if England had an opportunity to have happiness, but they gave it up or “forfeited’ it. The speaker the uses a disrespectful tone when they say,” We are selfish men… (6)/ Give us manners, virtue, freedom, power” (8). In these lines the speaker continues to make fun of England by calling it citizens’ selfish people who lack manners, virtue, freedom, and power. This explains why the speaker is calling for Milton, who is known for his defense on political freedom, at the beginning of the poem to aid England in its time of need. In the sestet at the end of the sonnet, the speaker uses imagery along with simile to transition from the present, to the past. This translation allows the speaker to describe how England used to be. The speaker states that, “thy soul was like a star, and dwelt apart” (9). The speaker also uses personification when he states that “[England’s voice was] pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free” (11). These compliments about how

In the world of modern technology there are many ways to keep one entertained and informed. Two of the best ways are through the reading of books, and the watching of movies: both are eternal works of art designed for those who would wish to momentarily leave the existent of reality and dive into a world unknown or to question the known world through stories of factual relevance. Both take the entertained on a journey that has been created in the minds of a genius, but, it is the way they take the entertained into their imagery worlds that are different. Books, for example require the reader to use there imagination to mentally visualize the image the author is trying to perceive. Movies, on the other hand, will have the audience mesmerized as the picture comes to life right before their eyes. Both books and movies are great evening actives

Thoreau, an opinionated and respected author, made the assertion that our technological society is an indication of our materialistic values. Modern society is heavily dependent on technology and comfortable with their adapted materialism. In many cases, the dependency on material items is unhealthy or is an obstacle. However, many technological advancements, such as the cell phone, are useful in emergencies and in communication. Numerous technological inventions allow people to do beautiful things, such as take pictures or share their knowledge publically with the world. There does come a point where cell phones should be put down, conversation should be made, and people should remember to remain humble.

People live with inherent problems; the choices they make define their identity. William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” and John Milton’s “Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent” both deal with speakers displeased by their conditions. While “The World…” follows a speaker troubled by his contemporaries’ indifference of nature, “Sonnet 19…” chronicles a speaker’s struggles with his blindness and servitude to God. Through these poems’ similar point of view and structure, the speakers of Wordsworth’s and Milton’s poems create characters with control over their choices. However, they stem from fundamentally different complaints about God in contrast to nature (or the lack thereof), and result in distinctive metaphors.

Although the poem calls the attention of the audience to the conflicts England was experiencing during the year of 1802, it serves two purposes. To begin, William Wordsworth calls for help to John Milton so he can rescue England with his nobility and virtue. For example, this poem which was written in the form of a sonnet as the lines follow an iambic pentameter, the speaker (who one can assume is William Wordsworth) addresses an announcement to the dead John Milton. During this first line: “Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour” (pg. 346), Wordsworth deeply mourns for Milton’s help in which he desires for him to be alive at that very moment in England to restore what had been forgotten. One can also conclude this poem is certainly

John Milton was an author who was a strong believer in the use of faith and expressed that through his personal experiences in his sonnets. Not only did he try to argue the importance of freedom of religion but also the influence of important leaders on his views. Milton used figurative language and personification to show the negative impact that the disturbance of freedom of religion had on people not only politically but also personally. Milton shows these characteristics in the following sonnets: On the New Forcers of Conscience under the Long Parliament, To the Lord General Cromwell, and How Soon Hath Time.

Romanticism is a style of art or literature during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that emphasizes a love for nature, distrust of society, organized religion, celebration of the child or individual, and emotion over reason. In William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much with Us” Wordsworth speaks about how society is so materialistic while speaking on the significance of nature. Ironically the title of this sonnet exemplifies one of the Romantic ideas and expresses one of Wordsworth’s main points regarding nature. Wordsworth uses a connection to nature as well as religion to emphasize Romanticism in his work.

With the constant streaming of new movies and television shows available, moviegoers tend to watch them for fun. They see an entertaining movie about conflict that sparks the sense of adventure in them. But do they really grasp what the movie can teach the viewers? With today’s society, the themes are lost in the entertainment purposes. However, books have developed to do what a movie does and so much more. In this way books give life to all people that read them.

Technological advancement and social "progress" were steps backwards for Wordsworth and thus he looked to the past for his inspiration.