26 pages 52 minutes read

Elizabeth Bishop

One Art

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1976

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Literary Device Answers

1. B. Homonyms are two or more words that share the same spelling or sound but have different meanings. In Line 10 of “One Art,” the word “watch” bears two different meanings; “watch” denotes a timepiece, but it also may denote safeguard or protection (as in ‘the night watch').

2. A. This line invests “things” with intentions, suggesting they want or choose to become lost.

3. D. According to the traditional form of the villanelle, Line 1 of the poem repeats without variation as Lines 6 and 12, but it varies slightly In Line 18; Line 3 repeats with variation as Lines 9, 15, and 19.

4. Enjambment occurs when a line of poetry breaks off and continues on the next line without any punctuation that marks a pause or a stop. The following lines in “One Art” exhibit enjambment: 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18.

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