The Ball Poem by John Berryman: 10

 Class 10 First Flight –

The Ball Poem by John Berryman:

Word Meanings

• Ball – toy ball, symbol of childhood possessions

• Merrily – happily

• Ultimate shaking grief – deep sorrow and sadness

• Harbour – dock, port area where ships are kept

• Rigid – stiff, unmoving

• Spirit – here means mind/heart

• Epistemology – study of knowledge (used to mean “understanding”)

• What every man must one day know – truth of life: loss and responsibility

 Central Idea

The poem conveys that loss is a part of life. The little boy loses his ball, and with it, he learns that possessions and childhood cannot last forever. Money cannot replace some things. The poet suggests that every person has to learn to accept loss, grow mature, and take responsibility in life.

 Summary 

A little boy is playing with his ball when it bounces away and falls into the water. The boy is shocked and deeply saddened, as he has had the ball for a long time. Watching him, the poet reflects that this simple loss is the boy’s first experience of grief and responsibility. He realizes that money cannot bring back the lost ball, just like in life we cannot replace certain losses. The boy must learn the truth of growing up—that everyone has to face loss and accept it with courage.

 Figures of Speech

1. Metaphor – The ball represents childhood, innocence, and possessions.

2. Personification – Ball is described as if it has life (“ball goes merrily bouncing”).

3. Imagery – Description of the ball bouncing into the water and the boy’s grief.

4. Alliteration – “What is the boy now…” (repetition of ‘w’ sound).

5. Symbolism – The lost ball is a symbol of loss, growing up, and maturity.

Thinking about the Poem

Q1. What is the boy now, who has lost his ball, / What, what is he to do?
Answer:  The boy is very sad and helpless after losing his ball. He stands silently, staring at the place where the ball has gone. He does not know what to do because he realizes that the ball cannot be brought back.

Q2. “... balls will be lost always, little boy. / And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.”
(a) What does the poet mean by this line?
(b) Why is money called external?

Answer:  (a) The poet means that things we lose in life—like childhood, innocence, or close relationships—cannot be bought back with money. Loss is a natural part of life.
(b) Money is called external because it cannot replace inner feelings, emotions, or true experiences of life.

Q3. He senses first responsibility / In a world of possessions.
(a) What responsibility is referred to here?
(b) How is it an important lesson of life?

Answer:  (a) The responsibility referred to here is the boy’s realization that losses are a part of life and that he must accept them.
(b) This is important because it teaches him maturity. Everyone must learn to accept loss and move on, as nothing in life lasts forever.

Q4. What is the message of the poem?
Answer:  The poem teaches that loss is unavoidable in life. Material possessions or childhood cannot last forever. One must accept reality with courage and take responsibility to move forward in life.