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 "…showed first 75 words of 1775 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1775 total…does not do this himself. The speaker tries to control losing, like she tries to control her emotions. She failed at trying to control her emotions, thus failing at trying to control losing. It was clearly stated, by the speaker, herself, that the to master losing, you must "accept the fluster", accept the emotions, which she obviously did not do. This is the reason for her fall. She did not adhere to her own advice.