The Art Of Fail

A few observations about Elizabeth Bishop’s ‘One Art.’

I love the fact that the key line - “The art of losing isn’t hard to master” – can be taken in at least 2 different ways. 1: It can mean that it isn’t hard to lose things in life; you don’t have to practice and practice to be good at losing. 2: At the same time, though, ‘master’ can be taken in the sense of ‘conquer,’ at which point the meaning becomes: it isn’t hard to overcome loss in life. This second meaning helps explain the title, for the single most important art of living is, in the poet’s view, to be able to withstand, and triumph over, loss.

The scope of the poem expands as it continues. It begins with lowly car keys, followed by a family heirloom, and then rapidly grows to include ‘cities,’ ‘realms,’ ‘rivers,’ and even an entire ‘continent.’

It is funny that the poem implores the reader, in the end, to ‘Write it!’ I guess if we write down this all-important ‘art,’ we are less likely to lose it.