WE
ARE SEVEN SUMMARY
BY
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
“We
Are Seven” is about a girl who has no idea about death. Wordsworth presents a
contrast between the simple and innocent ideas of a child and the realistic
perceptions of a grown-up man, The intense and intimate love of children for
their near and dear ones enables them to live in the world of make-believe
where death loses its ugly and uncouth face. The poem is strewn with images
of life and movement. The girl moving, playing, knitting and arguing is a
symbol of life and it is impossible for such a child to have any idea about
death.
The
poet met a beautiful cottage girl. He asked her how many sisters and brothers
they were. She told him that they were seven. Two were living at Conway, two
were out at sea and she along with her mother lived in a cottage near the
graves of the other two. The poet tried to rationalize his point by saying that
they were five became two of them were dead. But the girl tried to justify her
point by saying that their graves were green and she passed most of her time
there. She also described the way in which they died but refused to accept that
they were gone for good. In spite of the poet's efforts to convince her, she
stood her ground and sold in point blank that they were seven.
Love sustains life and the heart of the girl was full of love for the deceased ones. So, they were very much alive in her heart.