
William Wordsworth was an early 18th century poet. According to The Carolina Reader, Wordsworth wrote over 500 sonnets throughout his career. He was no stranger to difficult poetry (Carolina Reader 64). In fact, his poem; “Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room” was written as a Petrarchan sonnet. This type of sonnet is written in Iambic Pentameter, along with having a more difficult rhyming scheme than Shakespearian sonnets. This poems message is not clear on first read. The message is hidden within the particular word choice of each line. Wordsworth additionally uses irony to help convey his message. Irony is important to discover the true meaning within every line. Due to the very structured and particular word choice, the reader must be very active while reading, or the poem will be unclear. Wordsworth’s goal was to open the public’s eye to the reality of everyday life, and debunk some common myths about what goes on in it. Wordsworth uses irony within his sonnet, “Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room,” to express an overall theme of expectation vs. reality. 

“Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room” has irony within most of its lines. The purpose of this irony is change the reader’s expectations of life during the time period. During the 18th century, workplace unhappiness was a common misconception. Due to the large wage gap of the time, it either seemed as if you are rich or you are poor, no in between. That simply was not true, and Wordsworth aimed to address this idea and change it.  Wordsworth showed that idea in his first line: “Nuns fret not at their convents narrow room” (Wordsworth 1). The idea of a nun working in a narrow room seems unappealing and rather bleak, and this would consequently lead to an unhappy life. But that is not the case. The entire idea this line articulates is that happiness, or unhappiness is a personal choice. Being upset at one’s job because it is not glorified is not a reason to hate it, it simply means they need to work harder than some others. Wordsworth changes the reader’s ideas, and opens their mind to the possibility of happiness throughout life. 

This same line, “Nuns fret not at their convents narrow room” (Wordsworth 1) is also ironic. On first read, this line is taken as a command, meaning that the nuns should not worry about the small dimensions of their convent. But once the poem is read over, it is obvious that this is meant as a statement. This first line expressed that the nuns are actually not upset or worried that their workspace is so tiny. The use of irony within the first line changes the expectation the reader has of a nun’s life, and all of the lives that Wordsworth brings into his poem. While respected, the profession of being a nun is not glorified, and does not suggest a level of happiness as being an aristocrat would.   This is used to prove Wordsworth’s main point of changing the expectation of common life, and showing the reality. Additionally, Wordsworth uses irony in his lines “Maids at the wheel, weaver at his loom, Sit blithe and happy,” (Wordsworth) to change the belief of unhappiness within trivial jobs. A maid, especially during this period embodies lower class life, and the unhappiness that goes into it. The irony Wordsworth is showing is that she is not unhappy, rather the maid enjoys their life. This irony in these lines debunks the normal ideas of living an unhappy life within a lower class job. The goal of this line is that Wordsworth is confronting a reality that most people during the 18th century have a fundamental misunderstanding on the workings of everyone else. This can even be applied to today. Some of the happiest and most optimistic people are often lower class. Most people enjoy their lives, whether it is as a maid, a student, or a king. Happiness is found within, and fancy jobs, and large amounts of money are not necessary to achieve happiness. 

The reason why Wordsworth cared so much about changing these delusions of common jobs could stem from the initial financial instability of his early adult life. Throughout his early writing career, Wordsworth struggled to make a living and thrive at the standards of his childhood. As a boy, he was accustomed to the finer things in life, as his father was an international businessman (“Biography of William Wordsworth”). But, when Wordsworth graduated from college and tried to make his way into the literary world, he was not achieving the results he had hoped for. He spent five years traveling through revolutionary France, and Switzerland, most likely searching for inspiration (“Biography of William Wordsworth”). Within these years of travel, Wordsworth did not live at his financial high standards that he was accustomed to. While he was not a pauper, he was in a different state than ever before. It is easy to assume that this must have given Wordsworth an understanding and appreciation for everyday common life. 

Wordsworth wrote “Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room” to change the common opinion of the public, to simply shed light on the common people. In a way, Wordsworth is speaking up for those who did not the have social stature, or the monetary means to speak up for themselves. The poems purpose was to change a common misconception on life. During the time period being a weaver, or nun, or a student was common, and commonly misunderstood. The sonnet smoothly integrated ideas of personal success bliss within the workplace without even saying it, that is why close reading this sonnet is so important. Wordsworth showed that everyday jobs, while were not luxurious, allowed people to survive, and even thrive. Wordsworth showed these normal people did not loathe their lives, they were content with how there were. 
