NCERT Solutions Class 10 English Chapter 3 The Ball Poem Poem

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English for The Ball Poem Poem 

Thinking about the Poem

2. “… staring down/All his young days into the harbor 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?
Answer
Yes, it seems like the boy has had the ball for a long time. 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 not come back, just like the ball. He can buy new balls and can similarly create new moments, but those that are gone would not return.

4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.
Answer
No, it seems that the boy had not lost anything earlier. The words that suggest so are ‘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.
Answer
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.

The Ball Poem Poem Summary Class 10 English

In “The Ball Poem” poet John Berryman is beautifully describing a boy who has lost his ball. He gave a lesson that is full of wisdom through the loss of everyone, must learn to bear the pain associated with loss. The poet assumes a boy who is playing with a ball. Once the ball bounces out of his control and consequently falls into the water. The boy became sad. The poet feels that no other ball will be sufficient to lessen his sadness. Here, the lost ball stands for the general loss of a human being.
The losses may be the loss of personal possession or the death of some near and dear one or due to the separation from the beloved one. As long as there is life, everyone has to bear many types of losses. Therefore we need to learn the way for bearing those losses.

Short Answer Type Question

1. Write the summary of “The ball poem”
Answer
The poem is about a young boy who, for the first time in his life is learning to experience grief or sadness after the loss of much loved position which is a ball. The ball, in the poem, is symbolic of his carefree childhood days which are lost forever and nothing can either replace or bring it back.
As he loses the toy, he is overcome with grief and sadness. The poet says that he could not like to intervene as it is a learning experience for him. He has to learn how to cope with the loss on his own. He does not offer him any money as it is worthless, the child is filled with the memories of his happy days spent in the company of the toy and the realisation that these days will not again. He gets his first sense of responsibility what it means to lose something in this world full of beautiful things, money cannot buy every thing, some things are lost and will never come back again, what is the most important, is how one deals with it.
The four stages described in the poem –
1.A young boy losing his ball .
2. A boy’s reaction to the loss as he has experienced it for the first time.
3. The poet’s observation of recovering from loss.
4. Standing up and moving on.

2. Explain the lines:
A) All of his young days into the harbour.
B) I would not intrude -
C) money is external –
D) He senses………little boy.
E) He is learning …….stand up.
F) World of possessions
G) There are other balls
Answer
A) The ‘ball’ personifies his carefree childhood days. All memories of his childhood flash in front of him. A happy time spent in the company of the ball is now lost. He realises those moments will never come back again.
B) The poet says that he would not like to intervene as it is a learning experience for the boy. He has to learn the meaning of loss on his own. He does not offer any money or replacement as it is worthless.
C) Money is only capable of buying materialistic things. It cannot buy every thing as it is superficial. It cannot buy feelings or happy days which are irreplaceable.
D) He gets a sense of responsibility for the first time. He will learn for the first time that what it means to lose something. In a world full of positions, he will invariably lose things. Some can be replaced, but some are lost for good – can’t be replaced or brought back.
E) This experience of loss teaches him for the first time the loss of a materialistic thing. He has a longing in his eyes. One has to be responsible towards loss, to have the knowledge (epistemology) that things you love will not remain with you forever. In your life, you may be forced to do things you may not approve of, but one has to learn to stand up, be strong and get on with life no matter how much it hurts inside you. That is the only way you will survive, learn to accept to let go and not to cling on to something you can never have again.
F) The boy experiences loss, which will teach him that in this world, you will do something which cannot be replaced. The sooner you learn this fact, the better it is.
G) The boy can get or buy more balls as money can’t buy materialistic things. But for the boy, the loss of that particular ball is a great loss. perhaps because of the feelings and emotions attached to it. There may be other balls, however, the one which is lost cannot be replaced.

3. What does the poet say? The boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Describe the epistemology of loss.
Answer
The poet says the boy learns to lose from the loss of the ball. He learns how to cope with the loss of things close to his heart. Such instances or in evitable in life and that is why we have to learn how to deal with it. Epistemology of loss refers to the knowledge of how to deal with loss and grief and understand how important it is to get back up after a loss.

4. what are the poetic devices used in the poem?
Answer
The poetic devices used in the poem are the following
a) Rhyme scheme-free verse
b) Alliteration - buys a ball back , every man must, has lost his, most know many days.
c) Imagery- merrily bouncing down the street.
d) Repetitions how to stand up?
e) Anaphora-what, merrily
f) Transferred epithet -desperate eyes – the emotions of sadness is reflected through the eyes. The boy is sad not merely his eyes.
g) Personification – the ball personifies the young days of the boy.
h) Metaphor – the young days are compared to the ball.