One Art By Elizabeth Bishop

“One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop, is an intriguing poem that discusses the art of losing. At first, the poem introduces belongings that symbolize what we lose in our everyday lives, like door keys, but as the poem progresses and the losses become more significant in each stanza, it becomes evident that Bishop is struggling to coping with the losses. In the last stanza, she finally acknowledges that, “It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master” (18). This is one of many understatements that convey her reaction to these losses, and one way she expresses the theme of transience in life, which means nothing is forever .”One Art” develops the theme of transience through the use of understatement, symbol, and diction. Bishop’s use of