" The narrator fails to convince the little girl that her two dead siblings are any different than the ones who are alive and away from home. Moreover, the narrator fails to destroy the little girl's optimism and sense of innocence. The narrator is a jaded man who clings to a belief that death is final. Although he affirms that a "simple child" "feels its life in every limb," he cannot stretch his consciousness to embrace the girl's point-of-view. The girl simply defines death differently than the narrator. Therefore, Wordsworth explains two highly different worldviews. Wordsworth demonstrates the irony inherent in civilization through the dialogue between the man and the little girl. No one knows what death means and yet the narrator is determined to prove the girl wrong. Both the man and the girl are stubborn, clinging to their beliefs about life and death. Logically, however, neither one is wrong. The man is correct in noting that the girl's two siblings are dead. On the other hand, the girl is correct in pointing out that her love for her brother and sister is every bit as alive as it would be if they were, equally as meaningful as her love for her other siblings. Ironically, the narrator emerges as the simple character in Wordsworth's poem. The young girl has a far more...

Wordsworth explores different perspectives on both life and death in "We are Seven," showing that wisdom and innocence are not mutually exclusive.
Outline

I. Introduction and Thesis

A. Summary of the theme of "We are Seven."

B. Thesis: Wordsworth irony to deftly to convey girl's innocent wisdom and the narrator's jaded rigidity in "We are Seven."

II. The narrator believes the young girl is simple and wild, and therefore not civilized.

A. The narrator's views on death as the end of life are emblematic of civilization.

B. The girl's views on death reflect her childlike innocence, which is not the same as ignorance.

III. The narrator does not actually know any more about what death entails than the little girl.

A. Both are stubborn but the girl remains powerfully optimistic.

B. The girl refuses to believe that her siblings are dead because she defines death differently than the narrator does.

IV. Conclusion

A. Wordsworth explores different worldviews in "We are Seven."

B. The poet uses irony to show how wisdom and innocence can coexist and are not mutually exclusive.