Hannah Ferry

March 10, 2014

AP Literature
Mrs. Carter
Loss in One Art
One Art
The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
Elizabeth Bishop's poem One Art is about not only the loss of material things but of
places and time. To convey this message of loss Bishop uses denotation, connotation,
diction and paradox. These elements are also used to express the speaker's dismissive
tone and Bishop's sarcastic tone.
Comment [LF1]: My name should go first then
the instructors name followed by the course name
and date.
Comment [LF2]: One Art is the title of the
poem and should be put in quotations.
Comment [LF3]: The word also should be added
between but and of.
Comment [LF4]: Add a comma between loss
and Bishop.
The denotation, or dictionary meaning of a word, used in the poem helps to describe
the speaker's attitude towards loss. By the literal use of words like accept and disaster
used in the context of the poem the speaker shows his or her willingness to let go of
loss and move on. The speaker says "None of these will bring disaster." in line 9.
Denotation of the word disaster is calamity or destruction. And when the speaker uses
this word literally it is true. Loss will bring no physical destruction. In line four the
speaker says to simply "Accept the fluster," and not to try and stop it. To accept means
to agree or consent to. By saying to accept loss the speaker is saying it cannot be
changed or avoided so just get past it.
Bishop uses connotation to convey her sarcastic attitude towards unavoidable loss.
She uses the feelings associated with the words used by the speaker to discredit what
the speaker is saying. Using realms instead of land shows how different things can be
after something is lost. The word realms connotes different worlds. Vaster suggests
not just bigger in size but also empty. This connotes the empty feeling after something
is lost. It also marks a shift in tone from sarcasm to seriousness as the lost things go
from tangible to intangible. By using the word disaster Bishop brings forth feelings of
not physical but mental disaster.
Diction is used throughout the poem to portray loss. Words like farther and faster
show that as life proceeds more things are lost and their value increases. It becomes
easier to lose things as time goes on because things become more valuable with time
and age. People learn that material things matter less and losses become more
disastrous. The word disaster expresses how devastating loss can be to a person.
Material things may not matter but the loss of places, people and feelings do. Using the
Comment [LF5]: Eliminate the period after cited
quote from the poem.
Comment [LF6]: A comma should be placed
between literally and it.
Comment [LF7]: Eliminate this part of sentence
and replace with because it cannot be avoided.
Comment [LF8]: There should be a comma
between the two highlighted words.
Comment [LF9]: This word should be in quotes
since it is pulled directly from the poem.
Comment [LF10]: Word should be placed in
quotes.
Comment [LF11]: Vague word usage. Replace
with By using this specific word, Bishop
Comment [LF12]: Disaster should be in quotes
because it is pulled directly from the poem.
Comment [LF13]: Specify what kind of diction.
In this essay nostalgic diction would best fit.
Comment [LF14]: Both of these words should be
put in quotations because they come from the poem.
Comment [LF15]: Replace with simpler.
Comment [LF16]: Losses of people and places
instead of things.
Comment [LF17]: There should be a comma
between the two words.
word vaster in line 13 marks this change from material losses to emotional losses. This
word implies a wide and empty space which describes this change.
Paradox is used only once in the poem but is a very prominent device in conveying
the theme of loss. In the first line and throughout the poem loss is called an art that isn't
hard to master. Loss is an inevitable part of life but calling it an art is paradoxical
because nobody wants to deal with losing. And coupling the word loss with master is
also paradoxical because when you master something you win it and work towards it.
Losing things isn't something you want to accomplish or perfect. For Bishop this
paradox assists in portraying her condescending and sarcastic tone. By saying this she
says that losing is so easy that no one really needs to do anything for it to happen. For
the speaker this paradox is meant more literally. The speaker says that since loss
happens without having to do anything you might as well let it go.
All of these literary devices come together to create a theme of loss. They also
assist in differentiating between the tone and attitude of the speaker and Bishop.
Bishop's tone and attitude are based mainly off of connotation while the speaker's is
conveyed through denotation.



Comment [LF18]: Eliminate this word.
Comment [LF19]: Replace the highlighted words
with experience loss.
Comment [LF20]: Replace this sentence with
by mastering something it is won and has to be
worked at.
Comment [LF21]: Replace this with to be
accomplished or perfected.
Comment [LF22]: This sentence is not complete.
Cut out this sentence and replaced with Bishop is
suggesting that losing is so easy that no one really
needs to do anything for it to happen.
Comment [LF23]: Repeat the literary terms
stated in the introductory paragraph here.
Comment [LF24]: The speakers tone is different
from Bishops in that the speaker is not as affected
by loss. Bishops tone is one of sarcasm while the
speakers tone is accepting.