Student Question

Can you provide a stanza-wise summary of "We are Seven" by William Wordsworth?

Quick answer:

The poem "We Are Seven" by William Wordsworth explores a dialogue between an adult and a young girl about her siblings. In the poem's 17 stanzas, the girl insists she has seven siblings, including two deceased ones. The adult questions this, suggesting only the living should be counted, but the girl maintains her siblings' presence through visits to their graves, showing her innocent and persistent belief in their ongoing connection.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

William Wordsworth’s poem “We Are Seven,” published in 1798, narrates a conversation between an adult speaker and a young girl who tells the number of siblings she has. The poem’s interest and drama springs from the dilemma the girl faces of whether to count two deceased siblings in her count. A summary of each stanza follows:

Stanza 1: Innocent children should have little experience with death.

Stanza 2: The speaker meets the eight-year-old “little cottage Girl.”

Stanza 3: The beautiful child looks like she lives in the country.

Stanza 4: The speaker asks how many siblings she has, and the little girl replies seven but with a “wondering” look.

Stanza 5: In response to where the siblings are, the girl answers that two live in Conway and two are away at sea.

Stanza 6: The girl’s sister and brother have died. She and her mother live near...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

their burial place in a churchyard cottage.

Stanza 7: The speaker questions the girl’s count of her siblings.

Stanza 8: The girl reiterates her statement, saying that two of her siblings are buried under “the church-yard tree.”

Stanza 9: The speaker corrects the girl by saying that if two siblings are dead, she should not count them among her total.

Stanza 10: The girl replies that the graves of her siblings are fresh and right beside her home.

Stanza 11: The girl visits her siblings’ graves often, knitting or singing to her deceased brother and sister.

Stanza 12: The girl, at times, even brings her meals out to the grave sites to eat.

Stanza 13: The first sibling to die was Jane after an illness.

Stanza 14: The girl and her brother John used to play around Jane’s grave.

Stanza 15: In the winter, John died and was buried beside his sister.

Stanza 16: The speaker repeats his question of how many siblings the girl has, considering two have died. She maintains there are seven children in her family.

Stanza 17: Despite the speaker’s protests that the siblings in heaven should not count, the girl persists in including them among her siblings.

Since you do not specify what sort of resource you need, I cannot provide a works cited list. If you are requesting possible topics to write about for your thesis statement, you could consider the theme of the poem, tone, structure, philosophical implications, sociological context, and so on.  

Approved by eNotes Editorial