
“In truth the prison, unto which we doom”

In this quote, Wordsworth talks about prison in a negative connotation. He does this to show the reader that it is all about your mindset and how you view your own prison. If one views their prison as being trapped, one can not and will never be happy. A prison is a place where one is alone to view their own thoughts and what they have done with their life. If you sit in isolation miserable and depressed despising your life you will be doomed. This is no way to live and the reader can see that you will never achieve anything in life sulking and dwelling on what could have been. Wordsworth is trying to show that we are only doomed when we say we are and if we don’t view ourselves as doomed we can’t be. 

“Ourselves, no prison is: and hence for me”

Wordsworth uses the word prison in this quote in a positive connotation, in return juxtaposing the first use of the word and this one. This second use of the word is Wordsworth refusing to be doomed and changing his way of thinking in order to become content with his life. You are only in a prison if you choose to make it a prison. Wordsworth chooses his positive mindset therefore he is not trapped. 

“Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room”

In this quote, the word narrow room is changed from its normal negative connotation to another completely different meaning.  A narrow room normally symbolizes isolation or being trapped. However, the nun is not trapped at all because she has chosen to be there. With isolation comes silence, and in religion silence means prayer, which for the Nun is the opposite of negative and dreadful. A room is also a place of comfort for most. No matter what size, it is a place to call home and it is yours. A nun is a selfless human and has also vowed poverty, so for her a room is all she has that is hers. Wordsworth has showed the reader that being doomed or miserable is all in your mindset, for instance this nun has taken something some may see negative, chosen it and is content.

All of these words are synonyms of each other however, some of their connotations do not match. Wordsworth juxtaposes his first use of prison with his second use of prison and the word room to show the mindset we should be in. Prison is used in its literal meaning to show that if we are to think negatively we are going to be doomed, therefore we need to change our perspective on our lives and be fulfilled with what we have chosen. The second use of prison is used to show that the author refuses to be trapped and uses his positive mindset to be content. The word room is used to show that the nun does not see anything wrong with her life because of the mindset, she is not trapped because she has chosen this life and appreciates what she has.  In the poem “Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent's Narrow Room”, Wordsworth uses positive and negative connotations to show how one meaning of prison could mean trapped while another word for prison and the word room could mean being content with what one has,in return relating to his theme of positive mind and contentedness.