Teaching the Art of Losing: Elizabeth Bishop’s "One Art" in an Indian Classroom

Abstract

Elizabeth Bishop’s One Art is a rare poetic meditation on loss that resists sentimentality, instead framing bereavement as a skill to be practiced. Its villanelle form, known for repetition and control, becomes an ironic container for emotions that ultimately break through. Teaching this poem in an Indian classroom—where success is emphasized and failure is stigmatized—was an experiment in unsettling normative ideas about loss, resilience, and control. How can poetry help students rethink loss in a rigid, success-driven educational culture?