As a child you were probably told to choose your words wisely. The things you say and do reflect on who you are as a person. However, as you get older, you apprehend the values of using an expansive vocabulary to alter the meaning of a phrase or sentence. It is true that one single spoken word in a certain tone can cause the recipient to react a certain way. We use that power of vocabulary to influence people. The same idea of word choice is important in writing as well. In fact, word choice in writing is far more essential because there are limited ways to accurately express a tone of voice. Authors read over their work multiple times testing out different words in different places. Perhaps the most difficult writing when it comes to word choice is poetry. There are specific types of poems that limit word count or the amount of syllables per line. The most time-tested example of this is the sonnet. A sonnet consists of fourteen lines, and the poet is constricted to ten syllables per line. An example of a sonnet in which word choice is very important to the message is the poem, “Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room” by William Wordsworth. In the sonnet, the use of the word “prison” in line 8 reflects inward restriction, clarity towards daily life, and existentialism.

A prison is a place where people are trapped and are restricted to a routine. In Wordsworth’s sonnet, a prison is what we choose for ourselves. Consider “students with their pensive citadels”(3), or “Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom”(4). The student, maid, and weaver are each imprisoned in their respective routines. Unable to explore the other assets of life, it may seem that they are in a prison. However, the student chose to study, the maid to clean, and the weaver to weave. They chose their respective prisons. Inward restriction like this can be found everywhere. For example, there is a reason William Wordsworth decided to script “Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room” as a sonnet. He is expressing the message of inward restriction in the line, “‘twas pastime to be bound Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground”(10-11). By restraining oneself, a lot of unanswered questions and curiosities are cut out of life. While curiosity is essential for growth, having a “prison” to go back to makes life more clear and simple.

On the surface, clarity is not associated with prison. Prison is a place people are sent when they defy the law. There are not many clear minded people in prison because many do not know the difference between right or wrong. Prison has so many negative connotations tied together like a knot, and it is difficult to follow the line of prison’s intended purpose. Prison is supposed to help people find clarity. Now in the innocent sense of the word prison, such as being trapped in a routine, clarity is still obtained. One’s daily routine takes care of the basic necessities such as sleeping, eating, and other instinctual commodities. It has to be a sustainable routine. Sustainable in this sense refers to a balance of happiness, health and well-being, and work. With those basic commodities taken care of through a consistent routine, one can reflect and enjoy what he or she does. “Sit blithe and happy; bees that soar for bloom”(5). Bees are in the prison of their hive. Each bee has a responsibility that they cannot break. However, as Wordsworth may be inferring, these bees enjoy pollinating the flowers every season. It is fair to say that he recommends you sit blithe and happy to enjoy whatever prison you have chosen. The prison creates a barrier that kicks out possible confusion and a lack of stability, making life clearer than before. 

In fourteen lines, all containing ten syllables, William Wordsworth forges a path towards existentialism. Existentialism is the idea of finding your inner self and obtaining full mental autonomy of your life. The sonnet starts with several examples of holds on life. Next, there is clarity in the definition of prison. And finally, through each individual’s prison, a meaning in life is found. Wordsworth masterfully ordered the sonnet to lead to existentialism. With clarity and time to appreciate the routine you chose, you would find a purpose and truly know why you chose the life you live. This cannot be achieved if the lesser, yet more imminent, demands in life were not already taken care of. Wordsworth ponders this idea in the last two lines of the sonnet saying, “Who have felt the weight of too much liberty, Should find brief solace there, as I have found”(13-14). Sometimes, too much freedom is dangerous because one could find his or herself in stagnation. A life of stagnation is dull because there is no time and effort put forth in sculpting your legacy. For most, a path is necessary for success, and a prison, in Wordsworth’s sense, is necessary for true existentialism. 

William Wordsworth chose to use the word “prison” in “Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room” for the reader to ponder his choice. The word presses a negative primary reading. However, forcing us to think about why “prison” relates to the poem makes our analysis much stronger. It was placed in the middle on lines eight and nine to catch the reader’s eye. Strategically placed so that the reader believes he or she knows how the poem will turn out, discussing inner convictions of life, only to realize that Wordsworth had intentions of clarity and existentialism in his masterful prose. 
