Wordsworth's Poetical Works Lesson Plan

How does Wordsworth establish that the child is the wiser one in "We are Seven"? Or, is she?

Students should look at the language, the formal poetic elements used for each character, and the actual arguments that each person makes. The man keeps asking the same question in slightly different forms, as if he is stubborn or can't accept the child's answer. The child nimbly gives lots of evidence for why she's claiming "we are seven," responding to the man's identical question with more and more facts. She is the expert about her brothers and sisters, giving many details beyond what she should know at her age. In terms of poetic elements,...