Trace The Development Of Feeling In The Poem "One Art"

"One Art" is a powerful poem written in the Villanelle style. Though at first glance it appears to be devoid of feeling, Elizabeth Bishop carefully orchestrates a gradual buildup of emotions - most prominently grief and regret - which climaxes and appears most obvious at the conclusion of the poem.

The title appears to divert the reader from the actual content of the poem, as the reader is led to assume that it revolves around actual art. It is the first sentence that declares that the poem concerns the art of losing.

The first stanza is generally witty, as Bishop reveals that some things are "filled with the intent to be lost". The word "intent" is employed to describe these objects initially appears to herald a largely mischievous and lighthearted poem. However, while the tone of this first stanza is optimistic, Bishop's unnecessary use of "disaster" forecasts a slightly ominous tone.

The second stanza is very much like the first. Bishop appears to order the reader to "Lose something every day", which distances her from both the poem and her own emotional feelings. The apparent triviality involved in "the fluster of lost door keys" may be an attempt to distract the reader FROM AHA

Though the content of the following three stanzas is mostly controlled and impersonal, Bishop unintentionally releases some of her emotions in the process. In the third stanza Bishop changes the format of the Villanelle, altering the final line. This suggests to the reader that while "None of these will bring disaster", other events or objects lost will bring disaster.

This release of emotion is much more obvious in the fifth stanza. The line "I lost two cities, lovely ones" suggests a sense of regret and reminiscence. Bishop once again changes her final line, this time reading to "But it wasn't a disaster". Bishop's unnecessary use of "but" hints to the reader that she is actually unsure on whether or not it was disastrous.

Bishop's faÐ*ade cracks in the last stanza despite her best efforts to preserve her professional tone. The reader is finally faced with the object of her focus - a love she has lost. A dash at the very first line appears to represent