Prisons are not just a physical form of containment, they can also be mental. In today’s society some people live by conformity, like those who follow an everyday schedule while sitting in their cubicle, but others dare to seek adventure, like those who travel throughout the world. People get used to their work flow and forget to see that there is more to the world and much more to learn and experience. William Wordsworth wrote a poem expressing this point of view by evaluating the conformity of various lifestyles. Containment is presented all throughout the poem, “Nuns Fret Not at Their Covent’s Narrow Room”, to argue that conformity can become a prison that people do not know they can escape. 

Wordsworth uses metaphors in his work to give examples of everyday conformity that is easy to identify with. The situations are used to describe to the reader the containment that controls many people. One of these metaphors, “Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room”, points out to the reader the safety that a person who is in their natural environment feels. If a nun were asked to do a different job one day, like a mechanic, the nun would no longer feel comfortable in her environment. Wordsworth is trying to get the point across that the comfort zone is escapable and it’s okay to try something new, like being a mechanic. If the nun was really placed into the new environment, Wordsworth would want her to push away the fear and give her best attempt at being a mechanic, because she could end up liking it. Another example used, “Students in their pensive citadels” provides another conformed lifestyle for the reader, and shows that the way education is run does not expand the student’s drive for adventure. A student who is chained to the desk will not be able to see the world and learn hands on because they are stuck on the track of a scheduled lifestyle. Wordsworth’s argument to get out into the world is not for punishment, but it’s for discovery. With a new endeavor, a person could find a new hobby or thrill that makes life just that much more wonderful. Not only does Wordsworth strive to use comparisons the reader can understand, he also expresses that people may not be aware of the scheduled rut that they are in. 

The “prison” that many people are stuck in may not even seem like containment to them, until they open their eyes. To some people, their everyday schedule that prevents any new experiences may not seem like a bad thing. People may not see the harm in an endless schedule because they don't know anything that is better. The containment that traps people is done to themselves, by themselves, the only culprit, “In truth the prison, unto which we doom ourselves, no prison is” (Wordsworth 65) where Wordsworth states that a person is responsible for their own life. Wordsworth says, “no prison is” (Wordsworth 65) to express that most people that are stuck in conformity and have never seen the need for a way out. Wordsworth brings in a new perspective with this line that causes the reader to question, “is this me?”. Wordsworth presents this viewpoint that turns the poem from being about nuns and hermits, to the reader themselves. In this line, Wordsworth’s argument really comes out and shocks the reader into considering his point personally. Wordsworth creates a call to act throughout this point in the poem and on, which makes his lesson more effective in reaching the reader.

Wordsworth expresses his point of view in a confined sonnet, which exemplifies the seeking of safety by those who conform. The restraint of the sonnet presents the comfort of staying with in what is known. Wordsworth exclaims, “Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground” presenting that the sonnet form is inadequate for his argument, because of its restraints. The main effectiveness of the sonnet form is to expose the lack of freedom. All throughout his argument, Wordsworth states that following a never-ending schedule does not cooperate with freedom. The people who stick to what they know do not fully experience the world and are bound by the chains of conformity. In Wordsworth’s work, he is bound to the chains of the sonnet. With this form of poetry, Wordsworth not only uses comparisons to show those who strive for safety, but he also uses the sonnet to mock those who follow conformity, utilizing the sonnet as a form of containment. Wordsworth expresses the safety of the poem by writing those who strive for comfort, “Should find brief solace here, as I have found”. The sonnet is preventing Wordsworth from his freedom to express his views to the extent that he wants, just like a mental prison of containment prevents people from new experiences and freedom to be who they have yet to discover they are. 

The poem expresses how it is okay to step out of the box once in a while and see what more the world has to offer. The metaphors throughout the poem are used to provide a realization for the reader and enact a need for change. Wordsworth presents a point of view intended to open up the reader’s mind to the possibility that they may be stuck in a mental prison. Creatively using a sonnet to get across his point, Wordsworth successfully repeats to the reader how prison-like conformity is. Conformity may be comforting, but straying away from it could lead to endless possibilities of happiness. 
