Explain the ways feelings are presented in One Art.

In “One Art”, Bishop uses a wide range of techniques in order to present the feelings, such as Enjambment, repetition, juxtapositions, Use of imperatives, use of humour, changes of tone, etc.. The poem refers to “The art of loosing”, and encourages the reader to follow her example and practice loosing things, from tangible objects to abstract aspects such as time or continents.

Firstly, the poem presents the feelings in a very casual, relaxed tone. It seems as an introduction stating simple, apparently obvious facts. “So many things seem filled with the intent t be lost that their loss is no disaster”. The second stanza continues with this atmosphere, using the imperative to recommend to the reader to “Accept the fluster” of loosing day-to-day objects and time. She only separates this two concepts with a coma, this suggests to the reader that there is a more profound layer to everything she is talking about. There is repentance towards the loss of time even if she tries to hide it and notice the difference between a recoverable simple object and the loss of time, which is completely unrecoverable. The repetition of the phrase “The art of loosing isn’t hard to master” as if it was a mantra seems as if the writer is trying to convince herself of this, she is trying to keep control, even if the tone is still quite relaxed. The juxtaposition in the first phrase and the last one in the first stanza also has a layer of meaning towards her feelings. It suggests us the thematic of the poem and expresses her feelings towards loss. It seems the writer is trying to “Master” and “control” her feelings, however, they are constantly slipping out of her control and ending in disaster, but she is still trying to convince herself that she is strong enough to handle loss.

In the third stanza there is a complete change of tone, as Bishop changes the importance of what she looses. She recommends the reader to “Practice loosing further, loosing faster: Places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel.” The use of commas and enjambment speed up the rhythm of the poem, representing how her life starts to get out of control while she looses bigger and faster, there is a complete change of tone, as it is no longer relaxed and casual, but stressed and without any pauses to breathe, there is a feeling of chaos created. All this, however, seems quite absurd and humorous, as it seems impossible to loose such things, however, they represent a metaphor of changing ambitions, loosing chances, leaving places and people behind, been spontaneous or loosing memory by aging. Once again the stanza ends by claiming “None of these will bring disaster” demonstrate again the desesperation the author feels for believing this, she is trying by all means to convince herself. The use of Imperatives again seems it is recommending, almost obliging the reader to follow her advice.

The forth stanza continues with her losses, describing the loss of more tangible aspects, but they could be seen as the author trying to represent the repentance and frustration for the loss of more metaphorical things by resting importance to such losses. “I lost my mothers watch…And look! My last, or next-to-last, of three lost houses went.” For the first time, Bishop uses “I” in order to express her personal experience with loosing. The author doesnt even know which of the houses was it that she lost, this represents her carelessness and irresponsibility
There is also a change in the tone, as even f it continues humouristic, there is a sentimental and tragic charge to this stanza “I lost my mothers watch” represents wasting time with her mother or loosing a memory of her dead mother (We know from her biography her mother was sent too an asylum and died soon after). It seems as if she is still trying to hide her real feelings by controlling them, the repletion of the phrase “The art of loosing isn’t hard to master” seems to add a bit of comical relief to the situation, even if her true feelings are of melancholy, she hides them by controlling her chaos and inner emotions and manipulating them into an art. The way the poem is setted and ordered also related to the poets ability to order, control, and make sense of her losses.

The size of what she looses continues to increase, claiming she “Lost to cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.” The word “realms” give the author a tone of grandure, making her seem and feel like a deposed queen. It might also be a metaphor for having to change of city, moving away. It seems as great things, however, she claims “I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster”. The author still keeps the absurd, humouristic tone, but the sense of melancholy and sadness is being build up in the poem. The poem started by assuring the reader that loosing is unimportant, that there is no drama or bid deal, however this stanza starts to slightly accept to “miss them”. However, her mantra continues, she continues to try to convince herself that she can control her feelings and “master” them.

In the final stanza, there is a complete change of tone. Finally, the author begins to crack in her strictness, she begins to loose control of her emotions, she still repeats and alters her refrain to make it more convincible: “Its evident the art of loosing is not too hard to master” but there is a sense that this loosing is much harder to bear “-Even loosing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love)” This proves that the author does have difficulty in coping with the lose of this person. The fact that Bishop separates “I love” into another stanza emphasizes this words, it is surprising, she is finally accepting her feelings, In the last stanza, she repeats her statement, but it seems less convincible, as if she is still trying to convince herself but knows that, internally, she is never going to be able to embrace and forget loss as she advices the reader to do. It seems she is admitting that the loss of love is way to hard to master: “Thought it may looks like (write it!) like disaster.” She uses the word “like” twice in order to delay what she knows is coming by: The disaster of loving someone loved.
The words “Write it” give the poem a very conversational feeling. It seems that there is an inner fight in the author. The tendency to control (“master”), regule (that is shown by the imposing order of the imperative, the feeling of unnatural artificial speech) and the chaos (“disaster”) (which is shown by the comments out of place, as if she was thinking or speaking normally: “(Write it!)”, “And look! My last or next to last”). It seems as she feels she acknowledges that disaster will soon spiral out of her control, but is trying to delay it as much as possible. The pattern of the lines also agrees with this, it is irregular and demonstrates her inner fight.

In conclusion, even if this poem seems quite ridiculous and absurd at first, joyful, playful and light-hearted, but it has many layers of meanings and represents the inner fight of the author between controlling her emotions and letting them into chaos. She dosent express her feelings directly, but builds up into suggesting them. The first part represents the advice she gives to the readers, following the imperative, the two following three stanzas she tells about her losses and presents them as no problem at all, she claims that it wasn’t “a disaster”, however, in the final stanza, the reader can see a crack in this wall she has build. We can see how she feels, and how she misses and still loves the love she lost. She is constantly trying to convince herself of the statement, but it ends up loosing the force that it begun with, and in the last stanza, the two statements that are constantly repeated in the poem are full of doubt. The poem builds up into an inminent spiral of chaos and loose of control.