
In the captivating, and intriguing sonnet,” Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room,” written by William Wordsworth, snatches the audience’s attention through the repetition of inversions. Wordsworth uses elaborative words in order to connect the repetition of inversions with his audience. For instance, Wordsworth uses words like convent’s, citadels, and hermits to in captivate his audience getting them interested in finding out the meanings and connecting them with his message he is trying to portray throughout the poem. 

 The purpose of inverting phrases throughout the rigid sonnet demonstrates the characters seeking freedom and happiness within the constriction of the sonnet. Wordsworth’s opening lines incorporate the inversion, “Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room; And hermits are contented with their cells;” (1), this literary device captures the audience’s attention making the readers wonder, how these two professions that give up all of their freedom are content with the way they are living. Wordsworth is trying to get the readers to see that you can find happiness in any aspect of life. The reasoning behind the opening lines were to set the tone getting his audience to read this poem in depth. The inversion switching those two lines around emphasized the importance of the meaning. Getting the readers to question and wonder what Wordsworth’s motive was in formatting it in that fashion. 

Wordsworth included used very descriptive words to protect his hidden meaning through the repetition of inversions, punctuation, and wording. The wording in this particular sonnet is apparent, because of its historic date brings out the depth of the message Wordsworth is trying to portray to his audience. Whether it is a descriptive word like, “pensive” (3), or even a, “hermit” (2), these striking words create a puzzle for the audience throughout the sonnet. Wordsworth’s challenging his audience to put together the words, and inversions to provide his audience with an intricate, and convoluted message. 

The style of the sonnet elaborates his message through the use of inversion’s to execute its hidden meaning. Another “piece of the puzzle,” Wordsworth implements throughout the sonnet is his punctuation. Wordsworth uses freedom within his inversions in punctuation by using semicolons. This brings a new structure to the poem and helps set up the overall theme in contrast with the insertion of inversions throughout the poem. The punctuation was meant to be a bizarre tactic in connecting the poet to his audience to show that he has the freedom to make his sonnet deviating from the norm.

Wordsworth uses inversions to communicate between the lines with his audience getting them to stop and recollect what he is disseminating to them. The poet uses this device showing two different contradictions throughout the poem in the final couplet, “Who have felt the weight of too much liberty, should find brief solace there, as I have found.” (14,15) Wordsworth’s final couplet, however, uses the device to communicate his message directly to the audience showing the contrast, from being weighed down to being lifted up and full of liberty. Wordsworth used sonnet form of poetry to balance out freedom, while keeping the atmosphere calm, for him to express his thoughts and feelings. The incorporation of the inversion in the final couplet sparked the meaning Wordsworth was trying to project to his readers. 

The poet grips his audience by connecting inversions to the meaning for example, “who have felt the weight of too much liberty” (14), makes the audience find the freedom within the constriction of the sonnet. The line is an inversion because it changes the order of its wording in order to express the freedom within a confined space. 

The poet introduces the lines in a kind of unstable mood as he progresses through the sonnet. The literary device inputted throughout the poem impacted the audience’s thoughts and feelings as they concluded the poem. Wordsworth used inversions to make the audience use context clues in order to conclude to the poet’s message. Wordsworth exemplified the use of freedom throughout the poem with punctuation, inversions, and use of phrases.