Analyzing "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop

In "One Art", by Elizabeth Bishop there is a prevalent theme of Amateur vs. Skilled, Hoard vs. Reveal. Bishop appears to be the skilled individual in the poem. In the opening lines of the poem, she informs the reader that the "art of losing isn't hard to master". Losing can be an acquired skill that one can master. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, a "master" is one who has control over something. One who is highly skilled. It also means to overcome. When looking at these meanings we see that this poem is polygamous. She is telling the reader that you can have control over losing. She says that losing is an acquirable skill. Furthermore, she says that losing is something one can overcome and defeat, thus informing the reader that losing can be defeated.…