I found myself drawn to Wordsworth’s We Are Seven…maybe because I am one of six. After reading the brief introductory biography of Wordsworth, it was hard not to wonder if the loss of two of his children was reflected in the poem. Only after I reread the poem and the biography did I realize that the poem was written many years prior to the death of his children….making it feel somewhat prophetic.
This poem appeals to me because it is easy to read and as a narrative, it tells a story. Wordsworth immediately expresses concern that a young child’s life should be touched by death. He says, “A simple child, . . . What should it know of death?” Since his mom died when he was eight, he has intimate knowledge of what it is like to have to deal with the death of someone you love.
Wordsworth says of the girl, “Her eyes were fair . . Her beauty made me glad.” His description allowed me to visualize the conversations relayed in the poem. The questions posed to the little girl appear to be merely conversational, yet her answers enticed the writer to delve deeper. Even though the girl isn’t immediately forthcoming that two of her siblings are dead, when pushed she does responds that “Two of us in the church-yard lie . . . .” Yet still she counts them among her siblings.
This implies to me that children are remarkably resilient and again, Wordsworth knows this from his own life. It also speaks to the strength of family ties. Considering Wordsworth's apparently close relationship with his sister, I didn’t find this surprising.
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3 comments:
This poem is so beautiful. I am not a sensitive person by any means, and I tell you, I cried. I was able to picture the whole scene much like you said. I only have one brother, but he is my world. This was the saddest, but sweetest poem for me. My favorite thing about it was the stubborness she displayed when numbering her siblings. As siblings, I think it is easy for us to relate. I also couldn't stop thinking about Dorothy as I read it. My brother is older, and I hope that he cares for me the way William obviously cared for Dorothy!
Wanda,
Good focus and discussion of "We Are Seven." I like the way you foreground your approaches to understanding and responding to the poem; you make it easy for the reader to understand why you reach the conclusions you do. I particularly like the way you also leave in false leads of your investigation (your initial assumption that the poem reflects Wordsworth's loss of two children). Be careful not to assume that the speaker is identical to the poet, though--you call him "Wordsworth" but I think he is a character who is quite distinct from the poet. His angry reaction to the girl's insistence that she is one of 7 (not 5) is not the same as the poet's reaction to her story.
I really enjoyed this poem too, because it did speak so highly in regards to the bonds of family. I have not experience the loss of a sibling, but loss of life is nothing I am a stranger to. This has been a large topic of discussion in my Harry Potter class as well. We've been discussing whether or not death is something that should be available in the children's lit section of a bookstore, and I have to say yes. We all will experience death at some point in our lives and so I think it is best to familiarize people with it as soon as possible; however, both Wordsworth and the Harry Potter series have a very uplifting message concerning death. They both express the sentiment that even though someone is dead, he or she is always with us. We are never left by they dead. They are always still with us in our thoughts and hearts, which is something that is very important for people to realize.
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