Poem-5

The Ball Poem

By John Berryman

The Ball Poem Introduction

The poet John Berryman described the reality of life that everyone must face one day in his poem "The Ball Poem." He has addressed the issue of how to deal with life's adversities and sorrows.

The Ball Poem Summary

The poet is referring to a young boy who has misplaced his ball. He was having fun with his ball. The ball slipped from his grasp and landed in a nearby body of water. The poet claims that seeing the boy lose his favourite ball made him reflect on the boy and his reaction to the situation. He goes on to say that the boy was helplessly staring into the water where his ball had vanished. He was depressed and trembling with fear. He became so engrossed in his grief that he stood near the harbour for an extended period of time, searching for his ball.

The poet says he could console him by telling him that he might get new balls, or he could give him money to buy another ball. But he stops himself because he believes that the money will bring a new ball but will not bring back the memories and feelings associated with the lost ball. He goes on to say that the boy must now learn his responsibilities. The poet is implying here that the boy is about to learn the most difficult lesson of his life. The lesson of accepting the harsh realities of life, such as the fact that we will lose our loved ones and our beloved possessions one day.

The Ball Poem Explanation

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!

• Merrily: cheerful
• Bouncing: jumping up and down

The poet is referring to a young boy who has misplaced his ball. He's curious about him and his reaction because he's misplaced his ball. Furthermore, he wonders to himself what this boy will do if he loses his ball. The poet notices the ball slipping away from the boy. According to him, the ball was joyfully jumping up and down in the street. This means that when the ball slipped from the boy's grasp, it landed in the street and later in the nearby river.

Literary devices:

• Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or more lines (What is the boy… what, what and merrily bouncing… merrily over)
• Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now, who, lost)
• Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street
• repetition: ‘what’ is repeated

No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility

• Grief: sorrow
• Rigid: fixed
• Trembling: shaking
• Harbour: dock, port
• Intrude: invader
• Dime: 10 cents (U.S)
• Worthless: valueless, useless

The poet claims that it is pointless to console the boy by telling him that he will get another ball because he already has other balls. He says this because the boy is depressed. He is completely engulfed in grief. He is depressed because all of his childhood memories were washed away with the ball. The boy is sad, according to the poet, because the ball, which has now fallen into the water, reminds him of those sweet memories, of the times when he owned it. This loss is unbearable for him, and he is grieving. The poet claims that he is unable to even tell the boy to take some money from him in order to purchase another ball. He says this because the new ball will not give the boy a sense of belonging. Furthermore, the poet states that the time has come for the boy to learn the importance of taking care of his belongings.

Literary devices:

• Repetition: use of word ‘ball’
• Asyndeton: no use of conjunction in a sentence (A dime, another ball, is worthless)

In a world of possessions. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.

• Possessions: ownership
• External: Here, things with which feelings are not attached
• Desperate: hopeless
• Epistemology: The Greek word episteme means ‘knowledge’

The poet says here that the boy must learn that many of his possessions will be lost in this materialistic world. He personifies the ball as his possessions, whether they are material items or relationships. As a result, he claims that he must learn to live without them no matter what. He claims that no one can buy such items back for him. The poet stated this because, in his opinion, money cannot buy everything. Even if it does buy you something materialistic, it will not be able to buy you a sense of belonging. He claims that the boy is learning to stand up to his sense of loss. This means that the boy is attempting to learn the true meaning of life, which states that you must accept your misfortunes and rise again. This is the truth that everyone must learn in their lives. The harsh reality of standing up to the strange miseries of life that everyone must bear.

Literary devices:

• Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two consecutive words (buys a ball back)
• Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes)
• Repetition: ‘ball’ word is repeated
• Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed in the poem.

About the Author

John Berryman was a poet and scholar from the United States. He is best known for Dream Songs (1969), a collection of 385 poems. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his dream songs. He also received a National Book Award.