"We
Are Seven" starts with the narrator questioning what a child could
possibly know about death. The poem then becomes a dialogue between the
narrator and a fair little girl who speaks of how many siblings she has. She
declares, “Seven are we; / And two of us at Conway dwell, / And two are gone to
sea. / “Two of us in the church-yard lie, / My sister and my brother” (18 –
22). The narrator then continues to question her about her siblings, hoping to
make her understand that “If two are in the church-yard laid, / Then ye are
only five.” (35 – 36).
As the girl insists that she still has six other siblings, she also tells of the things that she does with them, meaning the things she does by their graves. She knits, hems, sings to them, and even eats by their grave. It seems as though she believes that her siblings are there with her or as if she is ignorant of what death means. What is also interesting about this is that she fully understands that her four other siblings, who are living elsewhere, are truly not with her, though still alive. This could mean that the little girl associates the physical body with where the spirit is at all times. As if her siblings are still with her because their graves are nearby.
Wordsworth said in his Preface to the Lyrical Ballads that through this poem, he wanted to show the "utter inability” for a child to admit death. But what I found most interesting about the poem is that when looking at the dialogue closely, the child does understand that her sister “went away” (52) and that her brother was “forced to go” (59).
The child isn't in denial of death necessarily, she just doesn't understand it the way the narrator does. She knows that death has taken her siblings from her, but since they are buried so near, they aren't truly gone. She may even have a deeper understanding that though they are dead, they are still her siblings and in the end she still declares “Nay, we are seven!” (69).
As the girl insists that she still has six other siblings, she also tells of the things that she does with them, meaning the things she does by their graves. She knits, hems, sings to them, and even eats by their grave. It seems as though she believes that her siblings are there with her or as if she is ignorant of what death means. What is also interesting about this is that she fully understands that her four other siblings, who are living elsewhere, are truly not with her, though still alive. This could mean that the little girl associates the physical body with where the spirit is at all times. As if her siblings are still with her because their graves are nearby.
Wordsworth said in his Preface to the Lyrical Ballads that through this poem, he wanted to show the "utter inability” for a child to admit death. But what I found most interesting about the poem is that when looking at the dialogue closely, the child does understand that her sister “went away” (52) and that her brother was “forced to go” (59).
The child isn't in denial of death necessarily, she just doesn't understand it the way the narrator does. She knows that death has taken her siblings from her, but since they are buried so near, they aren't truly gone. She may even have a deeper understanding that though they are dead, they are still her siblings and in the end she still declares “Nay, we are seven!” (69).
I love how your reading contrasts to how Wordsworth himself reads the poem. "This could mean that the little girl associates the physical body with where the spirit is at all times. As if her siblings are still with her because their graves are nearby." Does the spirit leave the body in death? Are the spirit and body one? Does physical proximity indicate the living? It reminds me of, say, playing peekaboo with a little child -- when they no longer see you, even if it's only your face covered with your hands, they begin to cry, thinking you've gone away. Recognition of immediate presence = the living.
ReplyDeleteI also love the spread of time in this poem. Someone dying doesn't mean they existed in the past, but keep existing -- we "are" seven, not we were seven. Someone dying doesn't eliminate their relationship to you -- as you said -- even though they are dead, they are still her siblings.
Interesting summary and analysis!