G 10 P5 - The Ball Poem - Notes

COSMOS CASTLE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
GREEN CAMPUS
Std. X – English Language and Literature (184)
Poem 5 – The Ball Poem
INTRODUCTION(Only for reference)
The poet John Berryman through his poem, ‘The Ball Poem’ has described the reality
of life which everyone has to face one day. He has touched the topic of how to stand
up against the miseries and sorrows of life. He has explained the poem from two
different perspectives: literally and metaphorically. This poem is written in Blank
Verse. The poem is about losing something you love and learning to grow up. It is
about a little boy, who, for the first time in his young life, is learning what it is like to
experience grief at the loss of a much beloved possession, his ball.
VOCABULARY AND ITS MEANING (Only for reference)
1. there are other balls - the words suggest that the loss is not important enough to
worry about
2. shaking grief - sadness which greatly affects a person
3. trembling - shaking profusely
4. intrude - to enter a situation where one is not welcome
5. trivialise - to consider not worthy enough
6. mockery - to make fun of
7. desperate - feeling hopeless
8. epistemology of loss - understanding the nature of loss
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. ‘… 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?
Yes, we can say that the boy had the ball for a very long time. The line itself describes
how the boy recalls those days when he used to play with the ball. The ball was surely
linked to some sweet memories of his playing with the ball.
2. What does ‘in the world of possessions’ mean?’

‘In the world of possessions’ means that the world is full of materialistic things.
People are driven by the urge to own or possess things and in such a world, losing
something of value is inevitable. Losing the ball makes the boy realize the meaning
of loss in this materialistic world.
3. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest
the answer?
No, it seems that the boy had not lost anything earlier. The line in the poem “now he
senses his first responsibility’ helps us to know that the boy has not lost anything
before.
4. 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 means that the boy will learn the real truth of life. He will learn how to
move on in life despite incurring heavy losses. Everyone experiences this in his/ her
life when they lose either something or someone. This harsh reality that lost things
never come back makes people strong enough to live their life by accepting this truth
of life.
5. Why did the poet not offer the boy money to buy another ball? The poet watched
the boy who had plunged in grief at the loss of his ball. He did not offer the boy
money to buy another ball. He felt that another ball could not console the boy. It
seemed that the boy had the ball for a long time. The poet also wanted the boy to
realise the epistemology of loss.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it? It is
important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it in order to be strong
and to get on with life. One has to stay strong no matter how much it hurts inside.
Staying strong is the only way to survive. Moreover, one needs to learn to accept and
let go and not cling to something that they can never have. One should understand
that the past is gone and it will never come back. Experiencing loss sometimes helps
us to grow up and face hardships for loss is universal and inevitable. This helps us in
breaking all the boundaries into freedom.
2. Should the boy be allowed to grieve for his ball? If his loss is irreparable or
irretrievable, then how should one handle it? What lessons can be learnt? Yes,
the boy should be allowed to grieve for his ball, as he had that ball for a long time.
He had many old memories associated with it, since his childhood. Moreover, when a
person is trying to come over his grief on his own, then one should not intrude or
disturb him as it may break his chain of thoughts and may irritate him. Though his
loss is irreplaceable and irretrievable. He should handle it courageously. We learnt
that if we lose something, we should grieve and lighten ourselves. After grieving, we
should, however, pick ourselves up and gracefully move on.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTION(Only for reference)

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
A dlime, another ball, is worthless.
a)Where had the boy’s ball gone?
The boy’s ball went into the dark waters of the harbour.
b)How has the loss affected the boy?

The boy is very much troubled at the loss of his ball. He stands still, trembling and
staring at his ball.
c) Why was ‘he’ trembling, staring down?

He was trembling, staring down as he had lost his ball.
d)What does the poet mean by ‘first responsibility’?

By ‘first responsibility’, the poet means to look after the things properly.

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COSMOS CASTLE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

2. What does ‘in the world of possessions’ mean?’

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

EXTRACT BASED QUESTION(Only for reference)

b)How has the loss affected the boy?

c) Why was ‘he’ trembling, staring down?

d)What does the poet mean by ‘first responsibility’?

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