Effect
What is the effect of the theme- (Loss is inevitable)?
readers realize loss is a normal part of life, and everyone experiences it, big or small
Where is a simile?
Though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster
What is the main tone of the poem?
NONCHALANT ;)
Where is the shift in tone?
from nonchalant (losing little things) to honest and reflective showing her true feelings (losing a person)
Who did she meet at Vassar College?
Marianne Moore
How does the poem make losing things seem?
It makes losing things seem not like a disaster, encouraging readers to accept loss and move forward
What is an a example of Anaphora?
The art of losing isn't hard to master...
The art of losing isn't hard to master...
The art of losing isn't hard to master...
What is an example of the (nonchalant) tone?
the repetition of its "not a disaster"
Where is a shift in the Rhyme Scheme of the poem?
ABA in stanzas 1-5 and shifts to ABCC in the last stanza
What tragic event motivated her to wrote this poem?
Her girlfriend killed herself
What is the impact of the repeated line "the art of losing isn’t hard to master"?
Repeating this line makes it seem like losing things can be practiced, almost like a lesson or everyday skill
Where is an example of verbal irony?
The art of losing
What's an example of the understanding tone in the last stanza?
—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
Where is there a shift in structure?
the stanzas go from being 3 lines to 4 lines long
What two struggles did Elizabeth face in her childhood? Hint: mom and dad
Her father died before she was one and her mother suffered seriously from mental illness.
What effect does the mention of bigger losses have?
As the poem goes on, the losses become bigger (houses, cities, people), and this creates a deeper sense of emotional impact, even though the speaker tries to sound calm
Where is the enjambment?
Lose something everyday. Accept the fluster
To travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster
Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love)
What's the shift in tone in the last stanza?
NONCHALANT - UNDERSTANDING/REALIZATION
Where is the shift in the audience?
at first the reader believes Elizabeth is speaking to them but we realize she's speaking to a person who's not present
What two poems did she write to receive the Pulitzer Prize
North & South / A Cold Spring