The unnamed speaker in “One Art” seems at first to be someone who is rather philosophical. She begins by contemplating the human condition and the inevitability of loss as an inherent part of it. Her initial attitude about loss is casual, as she confidently asserts that, “The art of losing isn’t hard to master” (1). Her suggestion that “so many things seem filled with the intent / to be lost…” (2-3) off-handedly shifts the responsibility of losing something to the lost item itself, thus supporting the claim that follows: “their loss is no disaster” (3). However, as the poem continues, the speaker’s confidence wanes, and it becomes apparent that her musings are all part of her own attempt to grapple with a painful loss of someone she loves.

At the outset, the poem’s philosophical tone suggests that the speaker’s audience might be almost anyone, or perhaps herself...