One Art By Elizabeth Bishop Reference Context Explanation summary for BA BSc English Notes

Elizabeth Bishop:

American poetess. She was born in 1911 and died in 1979.
Elizabeth Bishop's father died when she was an infant and her mother was taken to a mental institution. Painfully aware of death and defeat, she grew up in Nova Scotia and Boston and began to write poems as a schoolgirl before going to Vassar College, New York. 'To a Tree' with its reference to 'tiny tragedies and grotesque grieves', is an extremely assured performance for a girl of sixteen. The mature 'Song' expresses Bishop's feelings of isolation as she measures the distance between herself and others: 'The friends have left, the sea is bare/that was strewn with floating fresh green weeds'. For Bishop life is a gift that always seems joust out of reach. Yes/but.

Summary

The plain and straightforward but ironic poem “ One Art” is related to philosophy as well as religion. The poetess “Elizabeth Bishop “ teaches us the great value of resignation and contentment. She is of the view that the true art of losing helps us in developing a spirit of acceptance and resignation. The art of losing, in fact, means to live life, hoping for the best, and to be ready to face and accept the worst. The poetess says that it is not difficult to have mastery over the art of losing something because many things have their existence only to be lost and their loss has no serious consequences. She advises to face difficulties and fluster of losing minor things like door keys and to bear our sufferings with patience. She asks to lose something daily to be perfect in this art. We can learn this great art by practice. The practice of forgetting the names of people and places may help one to learn this art without any harm. She gives her own example that she has lost her mother's watch, three houses, some property, and even her homeland but it is not a disaster. She says that she can even lose someone very dear to her and can prove that this art is very easy to master. In Fact, the poetess advocates that to live in this world successfully, one must have patience and courage to bear losses. The people who are always eager to make great achievements should also be ready to make sacrifices. Nothing can be achieved easily. The actual reality demands that one has to suffer a loss before gaining something. So, a person who is determined to achieve great success should not give up a struggle to avoid losses.
The poem can be discussed as a satire. Everyone must lose something. Someone loses time and friends others lose property and kingdom. We also lose such things but we have no enough courage to confess it. There is also irony in this poem that to resign to fate is a very difficult art but one has to learn it to lead a contented life. It combines the elements of satire, humor, and irony.
The tragedy of death which is inevitable is not referred to. the subject is discussed in a mocking and nonserious way but the poetess is successful in conveying the message.
Proper stanza form with an additional line, repetition of master and disaster, concrete images of common life and mocking yet didactic style have made this poem a masterpiece of its own kind.

Reference:

These lines have been taken from the poem “One Art” written by Elizabeth Bishop.

Context:

In this poem, the poetess wants to teach us that the art of losing things is necessary to lead a pleasant life. We should not bother, whether things are lost or snatched from us. The loss of door-keys or some other possession should be accepted as a part of life. No loss should disturb us, we should take our defeats and losses lightly.

Stanza 

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.

Explanation:

In these lines, the poetess wants to teach us an uncommon lesson about losing things. She says that the art of losing things is not difficult to learn. Many things are included or intend to be lost. The loss of these things which we lose every day, will bring no disaster. Actually, the poetess wants to teach us the art of acceptance and resignation.

Stanza  

Lose something everyday. Accept the fluster

Of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Explanation:

In these lines, the poetess tells us that we should try to lose something every day and accept the confusion created by this loss. For example, if we lose door keys, naturally, an hour is spent in trouble. After that, we will get used to the loss, or we shall find some solution to the problem. Even then if we try to learn the art of losing things, it is not difficult to master.

Stanza 

Then practice losing farther, losing faster;

Places and names and where it was you went.

To travel. None of these will bring disaster

Explanation:

The poetess says we should try to lose things farther and faster. This practice will habituate you to losing things and you will not feel any trouble. Once you get used to losing things, then forget the names of people with whom you lived and forget the place where you did go and spent some time. Forgetting names and places will not put you in trouble if you have mastered the art of losing.

Stanza 

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

Explanation:

In the given lines the poetess cites some personal examples. She says that once she lost the watch given to her by her mother. This watch was very dear to her but its loss did not create any disturbance to her. After that, she lost three very dear houses by migrating from one place to another. She lost these houses one after the other. But this did not disturb her. So the art of losing things is not difficult to learn.

Stanza 

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.

Explanation:

In these lines, also the poetess quotes some other examples. She says that she lost two dearest cities and more than that she left two very dear rivers and also some property and estate that she owned. In addition, she lost even a whole continent, when she migrated from North America to South America. She says that she remembers all these things but their loss is not a disaster. She means to say that sometimes even kings have to leave their dominions but this does not bring any devastation.

Stanza 

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.

Explanation:

In these lines, the poetess concludes her lesson. She says even if we lose our very dear friends, relatives, their most joking voice, their most loved gestures, these do not bring any destruction. She says, perhaps she has not told a lie in this regard. Obviously, the art of losing things is not difficult to learn, although it looks so. But one thing is clear that losing things does not bring any disaster. The poetess wants to teach us that for leading a peaceful life, it is necessary to accept the hard realities of life and accept even the worst impact of our losses. It is necessary to take our defeats and failures lightly.