The Ball

John Berryman.

New words:

Rigid: stiff

Harbour: an area of water near the coast where ships are kept and are safe from the sea

A dime: ten cents (U.S.)

Desperate: hopeless

Epistemology of loss: understanding the nature of loss.

Short answers:

Q1: What message does John Berryman want to convey through this poem?

Ans: The message that the poet wants to convey is the importance of loss and responsibility in life. We
should not forget the importance of possessions.

Q2: How does the boy feel at the loss of his ball?

Ans: The boy is very much troubled at the loss of his ball. His ball falls in water. He is much upset as he
has a long association with the ball.

Q3: “Money is external.’ What does the poet mean by this expression?

Ans: He makes the boy understand about his responsibility as the loss is immaterial. He can purchase
another ball. He explained that the world is full of possessions and money is an external item.

Text book questions & answers

Q1: 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 wants the boy to experience the loss. He should learn that it is the part of life. That’s why
the poet doesn’t want to interfere the boy and doesn’t want to offer him money to buy another ball.

Q2: “… 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 i.e. since his childhood. Yes, it is linked with the
memories of days when he played with it.
Q3: What does “in the world of possessions” mean?

Ans: In the world of possessions’ means people like to possess all sorts of things in the world. Money is
external because it can buy only material objects; it cannot buy everything that one loses.

Q4: Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.

Ans: No, the boy hasn’t lost anything earlier. The words ‘He senses first responsibility’ suggest the
answer.

Q5: 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 cope up with the loss of the ball. He is experiencing grief
and learning to grow up in this world of possessions. He learns that there are so many things in life that
are to be lost and cannot be brought back. It is useless to feel sorrow for it.

Q6: 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: please write your own answer relating to your personal experience