Elizabeth Bishop
February 8, 1911 - October 6, 1979
Elizabeth Bishop was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was an only child who's father died when she was just eight months old and her mother became ill and institutionalized in 1916. She was a well respected American poet and short story teller. She was awarded many honors for her astounding compositions.When writing Bishop tried to stay away from her person life and concentrate mainly on her impression of the psychical world. Her poems are seemingly true to life and reflect her wit and intelligence.
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.
There were a few reasons why this poem stood out to me. The main thing that stood out to me was her use and repetition of "the art of losing isn't hard to master." The repetition of this line reinforces the importance of it and the reader can gain a deeper understanding. I believe this poem is meant to be about a woman trying to convince herself that losing something is not a big deal; it's so easy to master anyone can lose something. The things that the woman keeps losing increases in value, till at the end, when it seems she has even lost the ending. If you compare everything she has lost, like a key to a lover, she makes it seem that the lose of every item "is no disaster". Until the final line when it appears she is putting on a mask, trying to convince everyone, including herself, losing a lover is not a huge deal. She may have increased the value of things she has lost to show when the woman finally losses something very dear to her, it is nothing but another lose. Elizabeth picks a topic that is relatable to everyone's lives. Bishop is trying to suggest that some things are made to be lost, and therefore losing them may not be a big deal, when in reality it may be.
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.
There were a few reasons why this poem stood out to me. The main thing that stood out to me was her use and repetition of "the art of losing isn't hard to master." The repetition of this line reinforces the importance of it and the reader can gain a deeper understanding. I believe this poem is meant to be about a woman trying to convince herself that losing something is not a big deal; it's so easy to master anyone can lose something. The things that the woman keeps losing increases in value, till at the end, when it seems she has even lost the ending. If you compare everything she has lost, like a key to a lover, she makes it seem that the lose of every item "is no disaster". Until the final line when it appears she is putting on a mask, trying to convince everyone, including herself, losing a lover is not a huge deal. She may have increased the value of things she has lost to show when the woman finally losses something very dear to her, it is nothing but another lose. Elizabeth picks a topic that is relatable to everyone's lives. Bishop is trying to suggest that some things are made to be lost, and therefore losing them may not be a big deal, when in reality it may be.
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