The Ball Poem

John Berryman
Central idea of the poem
The poet John Berryman in this poem describes the grief of a boy over the
loss of his ball. With that loss he senses his first responsibility in a
materialistic world. The poet suggests that the people whom we love and
our material possessions will not be with us forever. One has to understand
the nature of loss and learn to cope up with the loss. The child has to learn
that loss is a part of everyday life and still life goes on.

Theme
In this poem, for the little boy, his ball is the first thing he has ever held
dear. However, he has never even considered the possibility that he might
one day lose his ball. It is only when that happens, he realises that it was his
responsibility to keep the ball safe. The boy quickly realises that everything
he will ever own will be his responsibility. He also realises that things will
get lost from time to time, and money simply cannot replace them all. As he
is learning these lessons, he is growing up. He will never again be as
innocent as he was before the loss of his ball. He will never be naive enough
to not feel the pressure of his responsibilities. This is a very painful thing
for the poet to watch.
In this poem, the ball symbolises our family or friends whom we love, and
the loss of the ball symbolises their death. As we grow older, we will
become more and more accustomed to seeing our loved ones die. We will
learn how to deal with such a loss and to move on from it as well. Death
may grieve us or cause us to feel depressed, but sooner or later, we must
overcome those feelings and start living our normal lives again.
Summary
This poem is about a boy who loses a ball in the water. He is very upset.
Though the ball does not cost too much, it gives a big shock to him. He
keeps staring at the place where his ball has gone. The poet sees all this, but
he doesn’t interfere with the boy’s ruminations. The poet thinks that the
loss of the ball will teach the boy a lesson of accepting the loss with
tolerance and pleasure. Everyone has to lose something or the other in this
world, still they are to survive and fulfil their obligations. This loss makes
the boy learn that gains and losses are part and parcel of life. One should
accept them with tolerance and perseverance.

Poetic devices used in the poem

Textual questions
1. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t
he offer him money to buy another ball? (CBSE 2020)
Ans- The poet says, “I would not intrude on him” because he does not
want to interfere in the natural process of learning of the innocent boy.
He wants the boy to learn the meaning of loss on his own.
 He also doesn’t offer him money to buy another ball because that would
be worthless. He wants the boy to learn the lesson of responsibility and
except that losses are a part and parcel of everyone’s life.
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?
Ans- Yes, the boy has had the ball for a long time. It is linked to the
memories of days when the boy played with it.
When it bounced into the water, all his memories of the days of childhood
flashed in front of him. This led to a realisation that those moments would
never come back, just like the ball. He can buy new balls and can similarly
create new memories and moments, but those which are gone forever with
the ball would never return again.
3. What does ‘in the world of possessions’ mean?
Ans- The phrase ‘in the world of possessions’ means that we are living in a
world where everybody is worried about material possessions. Today’s
world encourages materialism and a sense of possession. Everyone is in the
race of possessing more and more. So, if the boy has to grow up in this
world, he must learn that loss is also an integral part of life. He must learn
to bear any loss with tolerance and maturity.
4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words
that suggest the answer.
Ans- No, it seems that the boy had not lost anything earlier.
The words that suggest so are ‘He senses first responsibility in a world of
possessions’.
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 says that the boy is learning to bear the loss of the ball. He is
experiencing grief and learning to grow up in this world of materialistic
possessions. He learns that there are so many things in life that are lost and
cannot be brought back. He is sensing his first responsibility as he has lost
the ball. The boy will learn how to stand up and leave the losses behind as
with maturity he will learn to embrace the true meaning and implications
of the nature of loss.

Extra questions
1.What does John Berryman want to convey through this poem? (CBSE
2011)
OR Write the sum and substance of the poem “The Ball Poem”. (CBSE
2016)
Ans- The poet, John Berryman, through the poem wants to convey the
importance of loss and responsibility in life. We all should learn our
responsibility and how to cope up with the loss. The poet also wants us to
learn that things will get lost from time to time and money simply cannot
replace them all.
2.How does the boy feel at the loss of his ball?
Ans- The boy is very much troubled at the loss of his ball. He experiences
grief at the loss of his much loved possession. Like a statue, he kept staring
at the ball with his desperate eyes. He was finding it difficult to cope up
with the loss.
3.Does the lost ball stand for the metaphor of the boy’s lost childhood?
How?
Ans- Yes, the lost ball stands as a metaphor of the boy’s lost childhood. The
boy has lost his ball and is saddened by the loss as it will never be found
again. This loss will lead to the loss of childhood as the boy learns to take
responsibility. The boy now understands that loss is an integral part of life
and one must learn to move on from it. This realisation makes the boy
grow up and lose the carefree childhood days that he cherished till then.
4.Money is external. What does the poet mean by this expression? (CBSE
2014)
Ans- The poet says that “Money is external” to make the boy understand
about his responsibility and that gain and loss are integral part of one’s life.
By the phrase, the poet means that every loss can not be replaced by
money. Money cannot buy the memories associated with a thing and also
cannot replace the people we love, for example, the boy’s lost ball.
5. A ball is an easily available, inexpensive thing. Then why is the boy so
sad to lose it?
Ans- Yes, a ball is an inexpensive thing and easily available but the specific
ball that the boy has lost is very valuable to him.
His memories of his childhood days are associated with the ball. He had
been playing with this ball for a long time. No other ball could take its
place. So, he is sad to lose it.
6. Why did the poet not console the boy?
Ans- The poet did not console the boy for two reasons. One the boy was too
shocked and grief stricken to listen to any consolation. The poet also
wanted to make him understand that any loss is part and parcel of our life
and money cannot buy the lost thing.
Moreover, the poet also observed that the boy was trying to somehow stand
up or bear the loss on his own which is much more effective.
7. Why was the boy upset or losing his ball? (CBSE 2019)
Ans- The boy was upset on losing his ball because it was his valued
possession. It was a much loved possession which he had since his
childhood. It had been with him for a long time and was linked to the
memories of the days when he played with it.
Now, the ball was lost forever for him and with it all the sweet memories of
his innocent childhood was also lost forever. He could buy a new ball but
the memories with the lost ball can never be replaced again.
8.Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after
it? (CBSE 2014)
Ans- 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 needs 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. This helps us in breaking all the boundaries
into freedom.
The poem teaches us a philosophy of life through the loss of ball i.e., “Loss
is a universal truth in our life”. We have to lose something or the other at
one point of time. Through the loss of ball, the boy learns real knowledge of
the world.
If he is able to bear the loss, he will be able to face the difficulties of life
courageously. The boy must know how to stand up after a loss.
It is very essential for every human being to be able to move on or stand up
after being knocked down. Here, the ball signifies losing something
valuable that can not be bought or replaced. The poet wants us to
understand that loss is inevitable and everyone must learn to cope up with
the loss with patience and courage.
9.Why does the poet not offer money to the boy to buy another ball?
Ans- When a person is trying to come over his grief on his own, he is busy
making himself understand certain things. In such a situation, if someone
intrudes or disturbs, the chain of thoughts is broken which irritates the
person. Moreover, self consolation, realisation and understanding is more
effective and lasting than when it is done by an external agency or a person.
These facts are proven in the poem, “The Ball Poem”. In the poem, the
poet states that neither will he interfere in the boy’s sorrowful mood nor
will he offer him any money. He believes that the boy will learn the harsh
reality of loss on his own. The boy will learn to cope up with loss and move
on by his own understanding. Further, he believes that the offer to buy
another ball would be useless because he may get a new ball but he would
not be able to get back the memories of his childhood that were attached to
it. No other ball can take place of the old ball of the boy‘s childhood. So the
poet does not offer money to the boy to buy another ball.
10. How did the boy really react to the loss of the ball or was he fearful of
something or someone? Can our attention be directed towards his family
and other people? Are there any lessons to be learnt?
Ans- (i) The boy was not fearful of anyone, in fact, he was really upset
about the loss of the ball. The ball was valuable for him. He was shocked,
remained fixed, trembled with grief staring at the place where the ball had
fallen. His family must not have been affected by the loss as a ball is an
easily available and inexpensive item.
(ii)The loss of the ball teaches a lesson to us. Money is external in the sense
that it can give you only outer happiness or pleasure not inner. Money
cannot buy the emotions and heavenly virtues. It cannot be linked with old
memories. Moreover, self consolation, realisation or understanding is more
effective and lasting than done by an external agency or a person.