"We Are Seven"

The little girl in this poem by Wordsworth absolutely refuses to be convinced by the speaker that the death of her two siblings means they are in heaven and no longer included in the count of her family. She responds using interesting visual descriptions which seem to be tied to nature, suggesting that the fact that her siblings are in some ways still physically tied to the natural world causes the little girl to believe they still exist. At first the girl describes that her two dead siblings are in the church-yard, however, when the speaker questions how she still counts them, she expands this description by saying they are under a tree there. The speaker tries again, to which the girl replies: “Their graves are green, they may be seen,” (Line 37). Each time the speaker challenges her, the girl responds with more descriptions of the nature surrounding her siblings. She also seems very attuned to natural cycles such as time of day and seasons. She also uses these details in her descriptions as if they add credibility to her argument. She tells the man that she goes out at night to sit by their graves in the moon light. Also, when she recollects playing around her sister's grave she makes sure to say it was in the summer, and that her brother died in the winter. The little girl is very connected to nature and it seems to govern her actions, thoughts, and beliefs about the world she lives in. Therefore, she is confident in her understanding that her siblings are part of nature, the world, and her family. There was, is, and always will have been 7 children in her family because in life and death they are still connected to the natural world.