The Ball Poem

Textual Solutions for Class 10 English  

Poem The Ball Poem

"The Ball Poem" by John Berryman tells about a little boy who loses his ball. The poet wonders what will happen to the boy now that he lost his favorite ball. He sees the ball happily bouncing and then falling into the water. The poet says we shouldn't just say it's okay because there are other balls. The boy stands there, sad, looking at his ball in the water. He remembers all the fun times he had with it and his younger days. The poet doesn't want to bother him with words. Money or a new ball won't make him feel better. From this, the boy learns to be responsible and to keep going after a loss. He learns, like great people before him, that money isn't everything, and he has to move on from his loss.

Thinking about the Poem (Page 47)

In pairs, attempt the following questions.

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

The poet doesn't want to bother the boy because he thinks it's important for him to understand that losing something is normal. It helps him learn that loss is just a part of life. So, the poet doesn't interfere with the boy's learning process. Also, he doesn't give the boy money to get another ball because then the lesson of losing wouldn't be as important. The boy wouldn't learn how to handle responsibility from this situation.

2. “… staring down/All his young days into the harbour 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?

It seems like the boy has had the ball for a long time. When it accidentally fell into the water, he remembered all the fun times he had with it. He realized those moments were gone forever, just like the ball. He knew he could get new balls and make new memories, but the ones connected to the old ball were lost forever.

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

"In the world of possessions" means the world where people own material things like land, money, or valuable items. The poet suggests that losing the ball might seem small, but it helps the boy understand the feeling of loss and losing the memories connected to it.

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

No, it seems that the boy did not lose anything earlier. It is evident from the words ‘He senses first responsibility in a world of possessions’. This line suggests that the sense of loss gave him an experience of understanding how several precious moments are lost with the loss of a particular object.

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

The poet wants us to see that the boy learns a big lesson about dealing with loss in a world where people care a lot about owning things. Losing his ball makes him sad, but it also teaches him that in life, we lose important things that we can't get back. It's his first taste of responsibility, too. He learns to accept the loss and keep going, growing up a little in the process, as he figures out what loss really means.

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.

Once upon a time, I had a little dog that I loved very much. One day, while we were playing in the garden, I threw a ball for him to catch. But the ball bounced onto the street nearby. My dog chased after it, and suddenly, a fast car zoomed by and hit him. I heard him whimper in pain. Quickly, I scooped him up and rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. He had too many hurts, and he didn't make it. I felt so sad and lonely without him. Even though time has passed, I still think about him and miss him a lot.

(Note: Students can write this answer as per their personal experiences.)