The Intersection of Constraints and Freedoms: A Paradoxical Tale portrayed by William Wordsworth

The sonnet by William Wordsworth Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow rooms is a sonnet in iambic pentameter. It has alternating stressed and unstressed syllables that help intensify the emotion and tone of the sonnet. The sonnet has an octet and a sestet with the octet able to be broken down into two quatrains. The rhyme scheme follows an abba abba cddc cd pattern with a & b being in the octet and c & d being in the sestet.

The poem deals with constraints, both religious and academic and how it is sometimes possible to find happiness and freedom in it. The overall tone is emotional and the sonnet itself is trying to send a message across. The iambic pentameter of the poem helps provide an extra sense of emotion. It starts by saying “Nuns fret not at their convents’ narrow rooms; (Wordsworth 304). The syllables follow an unstressed → stressed pattern and add a sense of urgency to the poem. The author is saying that nuns do not worry about their tight quarters. As the poem continues it also talks about how hermits are comfortable with their small rooms, and students are content with their small work spaces. This syllabic scheme assists in giving a lesson that we should be more content with the smaller things in life. The poem goes on to say “Who have felt the weight of too much liberty, should find brief solace there, as I have found it” (Wordsworth 304). The poem continues to use the unstressed → stressed pattern to tell the reader that it is ok to find comfort in more restricting things (such as nuns’ narrow rooms or students’ small study spaces). As a whole, the poem’s goal is to convey the idea that there is a certain peace in being restrained because oftentimes too much freedom can be stressful and even overwhelming

Wordsworth, William. “Nuns Fret Not Sonnet” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Annie Finch and Kathrine Varnes. U of Michigan P, 2002.

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