The Intent of the author creates the value of his work.
William Wordsworth, The World is too much with us, creates a raw view of intention and learning. He starts by saying to what I believe that intentions are simplistic; we desire to have little and to learn little, but waste more. Wordsworth, “It moves us not–Great God! I’d rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn.” Perhaps , he states he is disgusted to live with people who dwell on unimportant things. He more or less states that if we could live so simplistically, without that culture and value to ourselves, perhaps, god is not just or fair. He says he would rather live in a community free from faith/religion or values, where he would possess to be great among those who are not and do not believe in anything. “..less forlorn”, or he may possess to be less pathetic. “Have sight of Proteus…. Or hear old Triton…”. Proteus and Triton are demigods from Greek mythology. Proteus is said to have the ability to take many forms, or to assume many roles, and to see the past, present and future, while Triton lives lavishly as the son of Poseidon. To my belief, Wordsworth uses these analogies to say that an while living in a society without faith and to those who do not value education, he would gain sight on so much more. Like, Proteus, he would have sight of the future and past of many things that has happened. It is, to learn many things, gain perspective and understanding of what we were mean to do with our life, and be great and wise. It is not to waste time with frivolous, uneducated things.
I’m interested in your take on this poem. You say that it’s talking about our simplistic desires. I see your point, with the second line stating “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers,” I understand it may be that we truly only care about superficial things, like money and clothes. However, that was not what I saw from the poem. To me, the poem was addressing how much we take for granted. That us people are in fact, unappreciative of what is around us. As if our standards are too high, we do not see the beauty in things, instead we shake it off as if it’s nothing, or just not good enough. In the third line he states: “Little we see in Nature that is ours.” Meaning that we own this nature, it is our world, yet we do not appreciate it or even notice that we have it. Yes like you said, we are consumed in our own desire. But to call it simplistic, I do not agree. I think our desires are out of this world. Something man created, not like the nature and beauty that’s naturally around us, given to us by God. The line “It moves us not. — Great God!” is almost sarcastic. We are mocking what God has given us, mocking his “greatness.” We do not appreciate what he has done on this planet. We do not appreciate his greatness.