One Art by Elizabeth Bishop is a poem about loss. It is in the form of a villanelle and so consists of five
tercets and a quatrain. It has a flowing spoken rhythm in a loose iambic pentameter with every first line
rhyming with every third. Bishop does not waste any time getting to the central theme of the poem by
using the sucker-punch of a first line: “The art of losing isn’t hard to master;”. This line presents the idea
of ‘losing’ as something to practice and learn; that the more someone loses, the better they get at it. It
suggests that the speaker is someone well versed in the art of loss and someone who has already
experienced a great amount of it, so much as to ‘master’ it. Bishop follows this opening with “so many
things seem filled by the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster.” This has a casual tone to it,
offering that loss is just a part of life. This is the first instance of enjambment in One Art though Bishop
uses it often to create a rhythmic flow. In this case, the enjambment helps contribute to the casual tone.
If there was punctuation at the of the second line the flow would be lost and creates an impactful
storytelling with contrast to a more emotional tone later in the poem.
The second tercet continues with the casual tone Bishop has set up. It uses the imagery of searching for
lost door keys as a relatively inconsequential loss. It says, “Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.” Then, as fitting to the form of a villanelle, the first line of the
first stanza is repeated as the closing line in this stanza: “The art of losing isn’t hard to master.” This
repetition reads like a mantra: it gives the feeling of the speaker repeating this to themselves in hopes of
convincing its truth. It also reinforces its own idea, as practice must occur in order to master an art, and
by repeating the line, practice is occurring.
In the third stanza, Bishop begins to bring in more substantial losses and more emotion in connection to
those losses. It reads: “Then practice losing farther, losing faster:” In the path of mastering loss, you
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller maddyjoyce. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £7.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
