We Are Seven 刘 畅 连心桐 王 悦 何 欣 石佳宁 CONTENT Structure of Poem Background Theme Poetry Dissection Conway At Sea Jane she chooses to accept that they are gone physically; they are still with her in spirit, and as long as the girl imagines her brother and sister playing right along with her, her family remains whole. On the surface the poem seems puerile, relating a child singing and playing merrily. This was an intriguing poem to read since Wordsworth explores a childs perception on death. It is numb to some of realitys truths and reluctant to understand the actuality. In We Are Seven, the changing of the seasons marks time going by. But the change of the seasons is not a big or flashy symbol in the poem; its a subtle reminder that death is not a one-time event in the girls life. Shes been coping with death for a long timeseveral seasons worth of time, in fact. Unlike many other of Wordsworths poems We Are Seven is not nature-obsessed, but the natural world does creep in in some key moments and have an effect on the way our little girl sees the world. A simple child That lightly draws its breath, And feels its life in every limb, What should it know of death? The poem begins with the asking briskly vitality Rhetorical question The first part describes the condition of the child, bright and carefree. I met a little cottage Girl: She was eight years old, she said; Her hair was thick with many a curl. That clustered round her head. describe a beautiful girl rural The third person objective A big amount of the hair put together to create a bunch. Gives the little girl attributes of a harmless looking person. She had a rustic, woodland air, And she was wildly clad. Her eyes were fair, and very fair; Her beauty made me glad. describe the beautiful girl Relating to countryside rural Her persona. Simple wearing style Emphasize the girl was very beautiful. The second and third parts describe the girls appearance. Her beauty appeared the author to know and talk with her. “Sisters and brothers, little Maid, How many may you be?” “How many? Seven in all,” she said And wondering looked at me. question her about her siblings The girls siblings delusively She did not know why the author would ask this kind of question. “And where are they? I praypray you tell.“ She answered, “Seven are we; And two of us at Conway dwell, And two are gone to sea. pray: to ask a question politely. it shows the authors modest attitude. dwell: to live in a particular placel. This stanza has across rhyme: ABAB tell and dwell, we and sea. “Two of us in the church-yard church-yard lie lie, My sister and my brother; And, in the church-yard cottage, I DwellDwell near them with my mother.“ Two of the little girls sister and brother dead, but the girl denies the fact. She believes that they are alive and they are the same with other sisters and brothers Dwell: means live. The author uses capital character in order to emphasize they are alive as well “You say that two at Conway dwell, And two are gone to sea, Yet ye are seven!-I pray you tell, Sweet Maid, how this may be.“ the author repeated the the girlss words, but he didnt mention the two who lived in church-yard, because he wanted to to remind the little girl that they had dead. that is to say they should be five not seven. Then did the little Maid reply, “Seven boys and girls are we; Two of us in the church-yard lie, BeneathBeneath the church-yard tree.“ in this stanza, the first two sentences are intersion. the little girl refused to accept that her brother and sister had dead. they just slept in the church-yard. beneath: under the church-yard tree. Tone(s) and tone shift(s) “You run about, my little Maid, Your limbs they are alive; If two are in the church-yard laid, Then ye are only five.” Puzzled and confused The first 9 stanzas are written in ballad(民谣,歌 谣) form and have cross rhyme(交叉韵): ABAB. “Their graves are green, they may be seen,” The little Maid replied, “Twelve steps or more from my mothers door, And they are side by side. Internal rhyme: rhyming of the two words within the same line of poetry. Illustrates a transformation in the format: the little girl is persistent upon having siblings although they are only five. “Green” and “seen” symbolize life. The girls perception of what is a live may derive(源于) from color, which catches a childs eyes very often. The 10th stanza is also written in ABAB format, but the “B” lines have internal rhyme(中间韵) instead of cross rhyme(交叉韵). “My stockings there I often knit, My kerchief there I hem; And there upon the ground I sit, And sing a song to them. Anaphora (首语重复 法) Illustrates the emotional attachment she has with her brother and sisters. She sits and sings to them although they cannot accompany her. It shows her deep misunderstanding of what “dead” mean. It also signifies that a child who lacks knowledge of words has many emotions and things they want to say, which gives a childly effect to the poem. 方头巾，A pie