Gender roles in American society are very distinct. Perceived behavioral ‘norms’ associated with males and females and attitudes and behaviors classifying a person’s stereotypical identity are evident (i.e. men go out to work to earn money, women stay at home to cook and clean). Adhering to these rigid roles is different. Pushing fine lines between maleness and femaleness are becoming more evident in America in the 21st century. Adrienne Rich's "Diving Into The Wreck" and William Wordsworth's "Nuns Fret Not At Their Convent's Narrow Room" both discuss recurring issues of gender roles in society, and contain points of agreement and disagreement as to what traditional 'gender roles' in society are.

Wordsworth's "Nuns Fret Not At Their Convent's Narrow Room" is written in Italian sonnet form, or Petrarchal. The general idea of Wordsworth’s poem says that too much freedom frustrates people because there are too many possibilities at the reach of an individual. In his case, he obtains writer's block when beginning to write because he does not know where to start. To cope, Wordsworth says in his poem he prefers to be “bound within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground” when writing, meaning he prefers structure and form to organize his ideas as an author. In perspective of gender roles, he indirectly (or interpretively, as I like to put it) says that women and men should stick within their gender roles with little flexibility. Staying within boundaries could be beneficial and more productive thus. One then questions oneself: Has one ever felt the weight of too much liberty? Perhaps an expectation to live up to gender roles helps Americans define their place in society and help them adjust to their ‘natural’ lifestyle. What happens when people fail to fit in with their God-given roles? Sometimes people may not be as happy as the nuns or hermits contented with their lifestyle. Adrienne Rich offers an opposing view in “Diving Into The Wreck.” The poem shows her journey as a girl transitioning into a feminist idealist. The general idea shows a young woman growing up, having to take a ‘dive’ into the ‘wreck’ of society – society being very corrupted, perverse, wrecked – as opposed to being continually naïve. Using symbolic imagery and spatiality, Rich conveys images that go from being on the surface of the water unto the dark depths of the ocean, ultimately emerging as a “mermaid whose dark hair streams black” and a “merman in his armored body.” In essence, she is saying she has emerged as a strong feminist mixed with the best qualities (whatever they may be) of males and females. In contrast with Wordsworth’s “Nuns Fret Not” poem, Rich’s “Diving” poem stretches the boundaries of constraints and promotes a free-thinking mentality. Rich challenges Wordsworth’s ideals on basic gender roles and uses the mermaids to signify that she is better off with the best attributes of men and women. Her proposal is for a little bit more androgynous rather than definite gender roles, and this serves to be better and more realistic.

William Wordsworth writes his poem in strict 14-line sonnet rhymed iambic pentameter, whereas Adrienne Rich writes in free-flow. Wordsworth’s style of writing adds to his message of liberty within constraint. His poem was written in 1806 and reflects the thinking of that era of English Romanticism. Also note the title of the poem and its reference to a woman figure – “Nuns Fret Not At Their Convent’s Narrow Room.” He titles and begins the poem referring to a very obedient and ‘comfortable-in-their-own-convent’ figure to begin the message of staying within gender roles. Also, a reference to “maids at the wheel” implies women working at some sort of wheel (assumingly a spinning wheel because later Wordsworth follows the line with a “weaver working at his loom”). The Weaver is the man working at the machinery, and the maid is the woman working at her spinning wheel – both very distinct roles of traditional homes even in America up to the mid 20th century. Yet, both are happy with their positions. Adrienne Rich writes her poem in a free-flowing manner that transitions from ideas to the next, and contains an element of time, or progression, within her writing. She talks about a journey and uses descriptive imagery while submerging to show her slow descend into the wreck – very different to how Wordsworth describes his poetry. Adrienne Rich says she “goes down rung after rung and still the oxygen immerses me” to show her transition, then goes on to say “I go down. My flippers cripple me, I crawl like an insect down the ladder” to show that her transition is progressive and slow. Among her line breaks and vivid word choices in "Diving Into The Wreck," Rich pays particular attention on creating a struggling journey in her poem, showing a gradual realization that she has to dive into the wreck to come out as a better individual. Her message of gradual change and writing style is reflective of perspectives of gender roles, especially of women. In the 20th century, women’s rights took storm in America and Adrienne was part of a women’s movement. Her writing style is free and without boundaries, much as how she feels about gender roles in society – a woman should be able to do just as much as a man can. But she is realistic too: the journey to that equality will be long and tedious.

Both Wordsworth and Rich were ahead of their time when writing these poems. To some degree, Wordsworth and Rich’s poems are applicable to the 21st century styles of thinking in the United States, thus I thought of their poems both very relative – a “theory of relativity” if you will. Given the economic recession, both genders are experiencing a shift in social roles as both men and women are losing more jobs. Wordsworth and Rich could be commenting on possibilities and the “what ifs” of today. Freedom to roam far from home and go out to work has been possible with human transportation and inventions, yet despite these advances the economy may restrict mobility (fathers have to stay at home, or work closer to home than far away or overseas, or women may have to go out to find jobs also). Men and women are transitioning from far-away jobs to home, and from domesticity to the work force. Perhaps Wordsworth argues a potential return to our natural planted ground and finding delight in that (natural planted ground being the ‘normal’ assumed gender roles). Yet, on the other hand, supporter of Rich’s poem calls to feminists who interpret this statement as an attempt to stifle them into homes, and maybe see this economic downturn as an even-more vital opportunity to speak out. Reacquainting or Resisting, there is very little hard evidence to say which one prevails over the other.