Poem

The Ball Poem

John Berryman

This poem can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. If taken literally, it is a picture of a little boy
growing up and learning to deal with the loss of the first thing he has ever held dear, the ball. If taken
metaphorically, it is the story of mankind learning to deal with the loss of someone or something special.
According to the poet, it is useless to console the boy by saying that he can get another ball in place of the lost
one. Even money can't replace the long association that he had with that ball/. His childhood memories are
associated with it which can't be replaced by any other ball. It was, thus, useless to give him such a suggestion
because he wanted to get back the ball that he had lost.
The ball is a symbol of boy’s past and metaphor for everything that we think is irreplaceable in our lives. It is
obvious that anything that is irreplaceable is very valuable to us. Hence, we always try to take care of that thing
or person, but sooner or later, every human experiences that loss. There is nothing one can do to stop this
process, and hence it is something one must learn to deal with. Loss of a loved one or a precious belonging can
cause intense grief and depression for some of us. However, just like the little boy, we must overcome our grief
and keep living.
Poetic devices:
Rhyme Scheme: No rhyme scheme. It is written in free verse.
Transferred Epithet: “desperate eyes”. It is not that the eyes of the boy that are sad, but that the boy himself is
sad and that his eyes are expressing that emotion on his face.
Alliteration: man must, possessions people, most many ..…….
Personification: Personification is a figure of speech which shows attribution of a personal nature or human
characteristics to something non-human. In the poem, the poet describes ball merrily bouncing down the street.
It is a human characteristic which is given to the ball.
Apostrophe: It is a literary device in which a person is addressed who is either dead or physically not present.
In the poem, the poet says, “balls will be lost aways, little boy”. The boy is physically not present with the poet.
Symbolism: Here, ball is a symbol of childhood, which if lost, can’t be brought back. It is also used as a symbol
of possessions. It is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In the poem, ball and balls represent
childhood, possessions.
Assonance: It is a literary device used when a vowel sound is repeated in two or three consecutive or closely
connected words in the same line. e.g. boy, now, who,  (o sound).
Repetition: merrily merrily, stand stand, what what, ……..
Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street
Anaphora: Repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences,
or verses/ use of repeated words in two or more lines (What is the boy… what, what and merrily bouncing…
merrily over)
Asyndeton: No use of conjunction in a sentence (A dime, another ball, is worthless).

1. What is the central idea of the poem?

‘The Ball Poem’ is a very subtle and beautiful poem about a little boy’s growing up. The poet saw a
little boy one day when he had just lost his ball. The loss of his ball taught him that in life, one often
loses things that one cannot easily replace. Such lessons are a part of growing up and everyone has to
learn them at some point in time or the other. However, it was painful for the poet to watch the boy in
his sad state. He wanted to help the child by giving him a dime (a small amount of money), but he
realized that money was not a substitute for the emotional loss, the child underwent.
2. What was the reaction of the child as he lost his ball?
 The child stood very straight for some time and then started shivering all over. He watched the ball go
into the harbour and down in the water. He was shell-shocked (confused) and thus, could barely move.

3. What did the child learn from the painful experience of losing his most precious thing?
The child realized that the ball was his responsibility, as many things would be in the future. In this
world, everything one owns is one’s responsibility and one must keep those things safe. However,
nothing will stay forever. Other people will try to take away those precious things or they would be lost
in some way or the other. Money is only something one can show off, but ultimately it cannot buy one
inner peace. The only way out of this chaos is to accept the loss and move on.

4. What does the word ‘bouncing’ signify?

Each bounce takes the ball far from the child. As the ball represents a precious possession or relation,
the bounce signifies how that precious something or someone is gradually moving far from the person.

5. What is the ‘epistemology of loss’, according to the poem?

The poet suggests that one day everyone has to lose something precious and irreplaceable. One cannot
grieve forever about the loss. Sooner or later, one has to learn the art of moving on. This is the true
meaning and nature of loss or epistemology of loss.

6. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy
another ball?
There were two reasons for the poet’s act of not intruding on the boy. Firstly, he wanted the child to go
through the experience of loss and learn how to move on. Secondly, he knew there was no use of giving
the child a dime or comforting him by saying that he would get another ball, as he knew, nothing at that
point could have replaced the loss of the ball, which carried precious sentiments.

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

Here, “in the world of possessions” means the world where everything and every action is made to
possess something (materialistic things), whether it is the possession of land, property, money, or any
other thing.

Style
 The poem uses a good combination of tone, imagery and symbolism. In the beginning, the tone is depressing. It
depicts a scene where a young boy has lost his ball when it is bounced into the harbour. The loss of the ball
symbolises the loss of innocence and childhood. Like childhood, the lost ball can’t be retrieved. The tone in the
end changes giving an encouraging message that life should be lived as it is and we should move on with the
changing time. The poem is in the free verse as it suits its tone and content.