Perceptions of Life in William Wordsworth's Works

In William Wordworth’s poem “We Are Seven” we see Wordsworth asking a little girl about her siblings. The little girl says that there are seven of them, including two that are dead. Wordsworth tries to persuade the little girl that her two deceased siblings cannot be counted among the living because they are no longer alive. However, this little girl insists that these two be included. “But they are dead; those two are dead! …

…that of the adults. To the child the adult was the foolish one for not being able to grasp, that which was to her such a simple conception. In conclusion we see that the child and the adult view life and death in two very different ways. The child’s view uncomplicated and unscathed by time and knowledge, and the adult’s view which may or may not have been tarnished by course and cultivation.