An Analysis Of Elizabeth Bishop's Poetry

Elizabeth Bishop was one of America’s best poets; her poems were known to influence the world, mainly because she based her writings on real world experiences so that people could relate to her poems. According to Jonathan Sircy, “Bishop has a preference for poems with a happy ending or a ruefully cheerful one” (Sircy 1). Certain poems that Bishop has written end up in cheerful endings; such as, “The End of March,” “A Miracle for Breakfast,” and the “Moose.” One specific poem that diverges from others is “One Art.” This poem, compared to others, is much more dark and serious. It doesn’t end like the rest and it ends up being very relatable to readers. This poem is based on the central idea that “the art of losing isn 't hard to master” (Bishop 1). …show more content…
She then gives examples of pointless losses like her keys or her mother’s watch, but as the poem continues, the losses grow bigger. First it was her keys, then her mother’s watch next was her realm, and the last was a beloved person that had left Bishops world. All these losses eventually make the reader think that they really do have an importance to them and would be very hard to forget. This poem puts in a whole different perspective to the way Elizabeth Bishop writes her poems mainly because her central idea puzzles the reader on what they should believe in, which brings up the question, why did Elizabeth Bishop write “One Art.” Through the analysis of Bishop’s “One Art” and peer reviewed articles, we can see how she hinted what she was really thinking when she wrote