The Ball Poem

Introduction

In the poem “The Ball’ a boy loses a ball. He’s angry and upset. The ball wasn’t expensive, and he can buy another one. But the boy decided not to purchase a new ball. He is extremely sad and grieving. In the poem, the author makes an effort to perceive what the child has lost and what lessons he has learned as a result of losing a ball.

Short Summary of the Poem

In the first stanza the poet asks now what the boy will do. As he was happily playing with his ball down the street but suddenly his ball bounced in the water and he lost vision of the ball now, this makes the boy extremely sad. 

The poet thinks it’s of no use of a console or for offering a new ball to the boy as he is very upset about it staring down in deep sorrow and feels that with the ball all his young days memories are also gone which can not be replaced by a new ball. Therefore, the poet wants the boy should learn to overcome this situation and let it go instead of being in deep pain throughout.

Boy with a ball

The poet compares the ball with the materialistic things of this world that humans possess. And losing these possessions makes them unhappy. In a way, he wants to convey that losing out valuable things in life is inevitable and one should learn to come out from that and keep moving ahead in life by leaving behind such pains

Extra information about the poem

The poem is written by John Berryman, who was an American poet in the 20th century. The poem consists of many poetic devices such as symbolism, alliteration, enjambment, and metaphors.

Conclusion

The poet is trying to make learners understand that nothing is permanent in this world, the chain of losing and getting something is an important aspect of one’s life. The poem mainly focuses on how the utter pain of losing something dearest to us in life gets healed by itself eventually. With our growth, we tend to leave or forget that pain or suffering behind us.

Textbook questions and answers

1. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?

Ans: The poet says that “ I would not intrude on him” because he wants the boy to learn the process of losing something on his own rather than be explained by someone else by intervening in this process. 

Poet does not offer him money for another ball because the money can buy him a new ball but won’t get those memories attached with the lost ball and he wants the boy to be prepared for the concept of loss which is a part and parcel of life.

2. “ …. staring down All his young days into the harbor where His ball went…. ” Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?

Ans: Yes, the boy turned out to be very sad while staring down in the water as the ball jumped into the water. It seems with the disappearance of the ball from his sight  all his memories of young age attached to that ball flash in his eyes and he realizes that those memories have also gone forever. 

3. What does “in the world of possessions” mean?

Ans: “In the world of possession”  refers to the materialistic world where money can get possession of anything but can not replace those loving memories and emotions associated with one’s lost or dear one.

4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the Words that suggest the answer.

Ans: No, it is clear from the poet’s words “  Now he senses first responsibility in a world of possessions”, that the boy is losing something for the first time and learning from that it is a natural phenomenon of human life that he has to grow with.

5. What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.

Ans: The poet tries to convey through the poem that the boy is learning from the loss of the ball the reality of life that nothing in this world is permanent, the one which has come has to go and in this way,  the boy is getting prepared for the future how to overcome sorrow and grieves if lose something in life.

6. Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph describing how you felt then, and saying whether and how- you got over your loss.

Ans: Yes, I have lost something which was closest to me. It was my first wrist watch given by my elder brother as a gift for getting good marks in mathematics in grade 8. That was one of the most precious gifts of my life.

I felt very pain when I lost such a valuable gift.  For me, it was difficult to  forget memories attached to that watch like how I was flaunting the watch in my class and many more things related to that watch. However, with time I realized with the help of elders that it has gone and won’t come back again, no matter how much I cry or be upset about it.

The Ball Poem Class 10 Extra Questions

1. What do you understand about materialism? Give a few examples.

Ans: Materialism refers to the importance given to possessions of materialistic things or stuff related to money such as land, house, and different equipment and gadgets in the modern scenario.

2.  Why did the boy not ask for another ball?

Ans: The boy did not ask for another ball because he had some childhood memories with that ball that cannot be regained with any other ball no matter how expensive that would be.

3. What does the “epistemology of loss” refer to?

Ans: The epistemology of loss refers to the process of coping up with the pain of losing something. It basically means the study or knowledge of the nature of loss.

4. Name some other notable works of John Berryman.

Ans: 

• “Seventy-Seven Dream Songs”.
• “Homage to mistress Bradstreet”.
• “Recovery”.