Josue Gabriel Hernandez Formalist Poetry Paper

William Wordsworth’s “This world is too much with us” and Robert Browning’s “Soliloquy of
the Spanish Cloister” helps readers develop the sense of overwhelmed humanity and the impact of
focusing on difficulties or negatives in life. These two poems share the common theme of darkness,
anger, and uncomfortable speech as it supports that the world “is to much with us” and we “waste
our powers” as we never really
amount to anything. The theme also
explores instances where doom takes
over rational thinking and action.
Taking in the form of Petrarchan
sonnet, the speaker in Wordsworth
even declares wanting to be a “pagan
suckled in a creed outworn” and
Browning’s growling “ave, Virgo! Gr-r-
r—you swine” creates that mood of disappointment and rage towards others.

Both make bold statements that give readers good imagery and facilitates us to fantasize
with them and appreciate nature in a new way. Because there is an appreciation of nature, and it is
said that our hearts are no longer connected to it and the world we are living in, only brings forth
trouble and grief. Wordsworth explains that we loose mental power by focusing on other things
around us. The capitalization of “nature” also lets me know
he has a high regard for it. In lines 1,4 and 2,3 we have a bit
of rhythm with the words soon-boon and powers-ours. He
presents the word as a problem and then tells us what he
would rather be. He states he'd rather be a pagan and be
happy then be a sad, overworked, overwhelmed christian.
In Browning’s “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”, the
speaker’s language is full of symbols that define who the
speaker is as an individual and his personality type. From
his growling, to his description of his heart’s annoyance
and abhorrence with Brother Lawrence, he clearly portrays
qualities of an introvert. The speaker acts like a judge as be
picks, mocks, and closely studies Brother Lawrence’s
actions like the way he looks, eats, walks.

Such actions might be construed as unconscious behavior explained by shadow, or the

speaker’s darker self. He is stuck in this phase projecting himself on Brother Lawrence. The end
result, is even more hatred and the desire to wish death upon the brother. Throughout the poem, his
motives might be unexplained, but the speakers attitudes are quiet permissible. Even though
Brother Lawrence does not necessarily do anything that is seen “bad”, we the readers cannot be
absolutely sure. Regardless, the speaker’s shadow displays hypocrisy. These occurrences greatly affect

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Josue Gabriel Hernandez Formalist Poetry Paper

the speaker as he starts to see hallucinations of Brother Lawrence doing abominable things like
watching nuns with a dead eye glow. Brother Lawrence may or may not be actually looking but we do
know the speaker is motivated by sexuality as he watches these nuns himself. No reader may actually
inculpate the speaker because as a monk, his desires have been repressed long enough.

Unlike Browning, Wordsworth kept this nostalgic emotion that, alluding to Greek
mythology, as Proteus would “rise from the sea” he could in fact also rise and see ahead or an answer
to his misery. He uses “glimpse” and “hear” as words to indicate that things of such nature could
make him “less forlorn”.

Both these poems deal with the

theme that the world is corrupt and the
consequences of having repressed feelings
and or not choosing to enjoying life by
thinking thoughts on purpose. These ideals
are what both speakers dwell on, which focus
on the difficulties of life. Due to these
reactions, we start to see more of the
chaotic, sublime, and darkness tone coming
to light. In contrast, Wordsworth
emphasizes there is a possibility of being a
happy pagan despite human’s lost connection
to nature. In Browning’s setting, the reader experiences his emotions as a sharp contrast to the
natural environment dark feelings and emotions stem from. However in Wordsworth’s poem,
expressions like “little we see in Nature” and “we are out of tune” covey the idea that even though we
are out of sync with the natural/authentic self, we can make adjustments and return to recover
power. Only then will humanity turn less materialistic and more spiritual and conscientious.