e still communicates with them whether it's by knitting, singing, sitting, or eating her supper by them. They are all connected through nature by the green of the graves that are just steps away from the door. The girl's persistence to the fact that there is still seven of them is so rousing and awakening. Death is a tragic event, but she has accepted Jane's death and sees it as "God releasing her of her pain." I understand it as being a way of healing Jane and that's why she is still included in the count of seven. Her brother John on the other hand was forced to go so that he would lay by Jane's side. Whether her siblings are physically there or not, they are all family and will never be forgotten. It's a beautiful, inspirational poem portraying the true meaning of love and family. No matter what happens, no matter what people tell her, the little girl will always respond, "we are seven!"
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Not Five....Seven!
William Wordsworth's poem "We Are Seven" is written in a dialogue form. The speaker is talking with an eight year old cottage girl, questioning her about her siblings. Even though two of them have died, the little girl declares that there are still seven of them. Eventually, she explains to the speaker how little Jane and her brother John were "forced to go," and he keeps questioning her "how this may be?" She is only eight years old; she realizes that her siblings are gone since she talks about their graves, but to her, they are still there and there is no way they can't be counted as a part of her family. Sh
e still communicates with them whether it's by knitting, singing, sitting, or eating her supper by them. They are all connected through nature by the green of the graves that are just steps away from the door. The girl's persistence to the fact that there is still seven of them is so rousing and awakening. Death is a tragic event, but she has accepted Jane's death and sees it as "God releasing her of her pain." I understand it as being a way of healing Jane and that's why she is still included in the count of seven. Her brother John on the other hand was forced to go so that he would lay by Jane's side. Whether her siblings are physically there or not, they are all family and will never be forgotten. It's a beautiful, inspirational poem portraying the true meaning of love and family. No matter what happens, no matter what people tell her, the little girl will always respond, "we are seven!"
e still communicates with them whether it's by knitting, singing, sitting, or eating her supper by them. They are all connected through nature by the green of the graves that are just steps away from the door. The girl's persistence to the fact that there is still seven of them is so rousing and awakening. Death is a tragic event, but she has accepted Jane's death and sees it as "God releasing her of her pain." I understand it as being a way of healing Jane and that's why she is still included in the count of seven. Her brother John on the other hand was forced to go so that he would lay by Jane's side. Whether her siblings are physically there or not, they are all family and will never be forgotten. It's a beautiful, inspirational poem portraying the true meaning of love and family. No matter what happens, no matter what people tell her, the little girl will always respond, "we are seven!"
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I like your honest response to the poem and your simple statement that "they are all family and will never be forgotten." So are you saying that the little girl's memory, or her family's memory, is the most important factor in maintaining the sense of family unity that you rightly praise?
ReplyDeletealso... nice picture!
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