• John Berryman was born John Smith in McAlester,

Oklahoma, on 25th October 1914. He taught at many

American universities, ending at the University of
Minnesota.
• In his writing, Berryman was influenced
by Yeats, Auden, Hopkins, Hart Crane and Ezra Pound. In his
early work like Poems (1942) and The Dispossessed (1948),
he displayed great technical control in poems that remained
firmly rooted in the conventions of the time.
• However, the collection that would seal Berryman’s
reputation as an essential American original was 77 Dream
Songs (1964).
• This collection was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, and unveiled
the unforgettable alter egos “Henry” and “Mr. Bones” in a
sequence of sonnet-like poems whose wrenched syntax,
scrambled diction, extraordinary leaps of language and tone,
and wild mixture of high lyricism and low comedy plumbed
• Berryman was elected a Fellow of the Academy of American Poets in 1966 and served as
a Chancellor from 1968 until his death. Berryman, who never recovered from the childhood shock of
his father’s suicide, was prone to emotional instability and heavy drinking throughout his life.
Tragically, on January 7, 1972, he died by jumping off a bridge in Minneapolis.
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!
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
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
And gradually light returns to the street,
A whistle blows, the ball is out of sight.
Soon part of me will explore the deep and
dark
Floor of the harbour . . I am everywhere,
I suffer and move, my mind and my heart
move
• Merrily : In a cheerful way
• Bouncing : Present participle form of the word “bounce”, that is, (with reference to an
object, especially a ball) to move quickly up, back, or away from a surface after hitting it
• Ultimate : Being or happening at the end of a process; final
• Grief : Intense sorrow, especially caused by someone’s death
• Fixes : Third person present tense of the word “fix”, that is, to be directed steadily or
unwaveringly towards
• Rigid : (Of a person or part of their body) stiff and unmoving, especially as a result of shock
or fear
• Trembling : Present participle form of the word “tremble”, that is, to shake involuntarily,
typically as a result of anxiety, excitement, or frailty
• Harbour : A place on the coast where ships may moor in shelter, especially one protected
from rough water by piers, jetties, and other artificial structures
• Intrude : Put oneself deliberately into a place or situation where one is unwelcome or
uninvited
• Dime : A ten-cent coin
• Responsibility : The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having
control over someone
• Possessions : Plural form of the word “possession”, that is, something that is owned or
possessed
• External : Coming or derived from a source outside the subject affected
• Desperate : Feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be
impossible to deal with
• Epistemology : The theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and
scope, and the distinction between justified belief and opinion
• Whistle : An instrument used to produce a shrill, high-pitched sound, especially for giving a
signal
• Explore : Travel through (an unfamiliar area) in order to learn about it
• Floor : The bottom of the sea, a cave, or an area of land
• Suffer : Experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant)
• Move : Arouse a strong feeling, especially of sorrow or sympathy, in (someone)
“The Ball Poem” is a very subtle and beautiful
poem about a little boy’s growing up. The poet sees
this little boy one day when he has just lost his ball.
The loss of his ball is teaching him that in life, we often
lose things and they cannot be easily replaced. Such
lessons are a part of growing up, and everyone has to
learn them at some point in time or the other.
However, it is painful for the poet to watch the boy in
his sad state. He is sure that the ball, as well as the
person who whistles by the boy, feels the same way as
he does.
Loss of a loved one:
This poem has a surface meaning as well as a deeper meaning. If we read between
the lines, we will see that the ball symbolizes our family or friends whom we love,
and the loss of the ball symbolizes their death. As we grow older, we will become
more and more accustomed to seeing our loved ones die. We will learn how to deal
with such a loss and to move on from it as well. Death may grieve us or cause us to
feel depressed, but sooner or later we must overcome those feelings and start living
our normal lives again.
Loss of innocence:
For the little boy in this poem, his ball is the first thing he has ever held dear.
However, he has never even considered the possibility that he might one day lose
his ball. It is only when that happens that he realizes that it was his responsibility to
keep the ball safe and that he has failed. The boy quickly realizes that everything he
will ever own will be his responsibility. He also realizes that things will get lost from
time to time and money simply cannot replace them all. As he is learning these
lessons, he is growing up. He will never again be as innocent he was before the loss
of his ball. He will never be naive enough to not feel the pressure of his
responsibilities. This is a very painful thing for the poet to watch.
The poet watches a young boy playing
with his ball. The next minute, his ball
rolls away from him and fall into the
water of the harbor. As the boy
watches his ball disappear, he can also
feel his childhood slip away from him.
He feels himself growing up very fast as
he learns that loss is a part of everyday
life and that life goes on despite it. The
sight of the sad little boy pains the
poet, but he knows that growing up is
an unavoidable process.
This poem is set near the harbour, as the poet says that the little boy’s ball rolled
away from him and into the water. Both the poet and the boy are near the harbor.
The poet can, in fact, see the boy and even his facial expressions very clearly.
The tone of this poem is very somber and sad. The way in which the poet
describes the boy’s feelings upon losing the ball makes us feel great sympathy for
the boy. Even more than that, we can all relate to the experience that the boy is
going through. That is perhaps why the poem does not overly depress us. The
resignation that the boy feels can also be felt by us since death is not something
that any man can escape.
This poem can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. If taken literally, it is a
soulful picture of little boys growing up and learning to deal with the loss of the first thing
he has ever held dear. If taken metaphorically, it is the story of mankind learning to deal
with the loss of their loved ones. The ball is a metaphor for everything that we think is
irreplaceable in our lives. It is obvious that anything that is irreplaceable is very valuable to
us, and it is our responsibility to take care of those things. People taking away one’s ball or
one’s ball getting lost is a metaphor for death. What is most precious to us is a person
whom we love dearly. Hence, we always try to take care of them. But sooner or later, every
man must die, for man is a mortal creature. There is nothing we can do to stop this process,
and hence it is something we must learn to deal with. Loss of a loved one can spell a period
of intense grief and depression for some of us. However, just like the little boy is brought
back to his senses by the sound of the whistle, we must overcome our grief and keep living.
The poet’s message is that life goes on despite the death of our loved ones.
This poem, by John Berryman, is about losing something that you love, and learning to
grow up. It is about a little boy, who, for the first time in his young life, is learning what it is
like to experience grief at the loss of a much beloved possession-his ball. To us, the loss of a
ball is of minor consequence, and our reaction to it is to say 'O there are other balls'. But to
a little boy, this is not so. A dime, another ball, is worthless.
Money is external; it cannot buy back our love, nor replace the things that we love: the
things that really matter. In this poem, the boy's ball personifies his young days and happy
innocence. In this world, people will take balls just as they will take away our innocence
and force us to grow up. And once we lose this innocence, we can never get it back.
Balls will be lost always, little boy, and no one buys a ball back. This poem goes to show
how, all throughout your life, you will be forced to do things that you don't want to do; and
you will lose or have to give up the things that you love. But, despite this, you have to learn
to stand up - to be strong and get on with your life - no matter how much it hurts inside.
Because that is the only way you will survive; you have to learn to accept and let go - and
not cling onto something that you can never have.
The poet uses imagery when describing how the ball personifies the spirit of the boy's
childish innocence. In the last five lines, we visualize how the spirit of this little boy, like the
ball, is sinking into the dark waters of the harbour. As it drifts further away, the boy learns
to grow up, and that part of him that is linked to that ball grows up as well, until it is no
longer a little boy.
This poem consists of only one stanza. There is no rhyming, but the poet instead conveys
his meaning through the rhythm, the tone, and his use of words. For example, in the lines 'I
saw it go, merrily bouncing down the street, and then merrily over' the short, brisk, happy
words allow you to visualize a ball bouncing along. In the lines '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, the words and rhythm is tragic, dramatic and harsh, which is
suitable for the situation. Similar uses of tone and rhythm help add to the effect of the
poem, and help emphasize the meaning
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!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’

Explanation – The poet talks about a boy who is going to learn the most important lesson
of his life. For the first time in his young life, he is learning what it is like to experience grief
at the loss of a much loved possession, that is, his ball. The ball is here symbolic of the
sweet memories of his childhood or all the worldly possessions. The boy loses his ball and
watches it bouncing down the street into the water. To us, the loss of a ball is of minor
consequence but to the little boy, it was a valued possession. The poet here, deters himself
from saying that there are other balls because the boy wants the same ball. The ball had
been with him for a long time and it was linked to the memories of the days when he
played with it.
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.

Explanation – When the young boy loses his ball, it bounces away and lands in the harbour.
The boy is very much troubled at the loss of his ball and plunges into grief.
He stands stiff and trembling while staring at his ball. He is upset as he looks into the
gloomy water because he cannot find the ball. The boy is profoundly affected by the loss of
his ball because it has been with him for a long time. When the ball bounces into the water,
all his memories of the childhood days flashes in front of him. This leads to a realisation
that those moments would not come back, just like the ball. Moreover, the poet says that
he does not want to intervene the boy’s thoughts as through this experience the boy will
learn the meaning of loss on his own and how to cope up with it. Further the poet doesn’t
offer him money to buy another ball because that would be worthless.
…….Now
He senses first responsibility
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.

Explanation – The boy is upset when he looks into the gloomy water because he cannot find the ball.
This is when he gets his first sense of responsibility. The poet suggests that from the loss of the ball,
the boy is learning what it means to lose something in a world of possessions, where he will lose
things, will buy some more to replace the ones lost, but would never be able to buy back the thing that
he had lost. In this poem, the boy’s ball personifies his young days and happy innocence and all the
materialistic things. In this world, people will take balls just as they will take away your innocence, and
force you to grow up. And once you lose this innocence, you can never get it back. Balls will be lost
always and no one buys a ball back. He wants him to learn the first lesson of responsibility that he is
responsible for everything which he possesses. Its his duty to keep them safe.
The poet, thus, makes the boy understand about his responsibility as the loss is immaterial. Money is
external as it cannot buy memories, nor can it replace the things that we love, the things that really
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
And gradually light returns to the street,
A whistle blows, the ball is out of sight.

Explanation: In these lines, the poet says that the boy’s eyes have become filled with an
awful sadness, but that behind all the grief, he is learning an important lesson. He is
learning about the loss of things one considers precious. He is learning a lesson that every
man must learn, and one that man must learn again and again. He is learning how to
accept the loss and then move on. Suddenly, the boy is brought back to his senses
after hearing the sound of a whistle nearby. He can no longer see the ball at all.
Soon part of me will explore the deep and dark
Floor of the harbour . . I am everywhere,
I suffer and move, my mind and my heart move
With all that move me, under the water
Or whistling, I am not a little boy.

Explanation: In these lines, the poet says that he is the ball that is now about to reach the
very bottom of the harbour. He is moving away from the little boy, and that pains him. Or
he may be the one who blew the whistle as well. The truth is that he is everywhere but
within the little boy. He has already grown up and therefore, he has already learned
about loss. He is always only watching others learn the same lesson as he has.
“The Ball Poem” is a very relatable poem. That is why we cannot help but be
touched by the story that the poet tells us. Everything the boy is going through, we
have all been through. What is unique about the poem is its symbolism. That a
thing as simple as a ball can be used to signify everything that we human beings
hold dearly is amazing. The way in which the poet describes every minute
expression on the boy’s face also gives us the feeling that he himself had been in
the boy’s position at one time and that he is writing from his own experience. It
also makes us feel that the poet can see directly into the human heart and read its
every beat with accuracy. A poet who can arouse such empathy is a poet of much
skill, and this is what we feel about John Berryman after reading this poem.
• 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), use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is
learning, well behind his desperate eyes)
• Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street
• Repetition: ‘what’ is repeated, use of word ‘ball’
• Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two consecutive words (buys a ball back), : It
is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words. e.g. “who has lost his ball”, “what, what is he to do?”, “no one buys
a ball back”, “the deep and dark floor of harbour”, “move my mind and my heart move
with all that move me”.
• Personification: Personification is a finger 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. Merry means happy. It is a human
characteristic which is given to the ball.
• Metaphor: It is a literary device in which a word or phrase is symbolically applied to a
thing to which it is not literally applicable. In the poem, poet says, “balls will be lost
always“. Balls here symbolise possessions which we lose. It also refers to the childhood
which if lost never comes back.
• 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.
• Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a
line, couplet, or stanza. e.g. “I saw it go merrily, down the street”
• Symbolism: It is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In the poem, ball and
balls represent childhood, possessions and even the father of poet.
“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! No use to say – ‘O
there are other balls’
(a) What has happened to the boy?
(b) Why does the poet say ‘No use to say – ‘O there are other balls’?
(c) Which word means ‘happily’?
(d) Where did the ball go?

Answer:
(a) The boy was very sad as he had lost his ball.
(b) The poet says so as the loss of the ball is of a major consequence to the boy.
(c) Merrily means happily.
(d) The ball went to the water..
1. 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 tries to convey through his poem that the boy has learnt an important lesson to
cope up with the loss of his ball. He is experiencing grief and sadness while he grows up in this
world full of possessions. He learns that there are several important things in life that are lost and
cannot be brought back. He also senses his first sense of responsibility as he loses the ball. The boy
learns to stand up and leave the loss behind as he moves ahead in his life and understands the true
meaning and nature of loss.

2. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.
Answer: No, it seems that the boy did not lose anything earlier. It is evident from the words ‘He
senses first responsibility in a world of possessions’. This line suggests that the sense of loss gave
him an experience of understanding how several precious moments are lost with the loss of a
particular object.
 Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it?
Answer : It is important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it in order to be
strong and to get on with life. One needs to stay strong no matter how much it hurts inside. Staying
strong is the only way to survive. Moreover, one needs to learn to accept and let go and not cling
to something that they can never have. One should understand that the past is gone and it will
never come back. Experiencing loss sometimes helps us to grow up and face hardships, like loss.
This helps us in breaking all the boundaries into freedom. The poem teaches us a philosophy of life
through the loss of ball. i.e. “Loss is a universal truth in our life.” We have to lose something at one
point of time. Through the loss of ball, the boy learns real knowledge of the world. If he is able to
bear the loss, he will be able to face the difficulties of life courageously. The boy must know, how
to stand up after a loss. This is very essential for every human being to be able to move on or
standing up after a person has fallen or being knocked down. Here ball signifies losing something
valuable that can not be bought or replaced. The poet wants us to understand that loss is
inevitable and everyone must learn to cope up with the loss with patience and courage.
Why did the poet not offer the boy money to buy another ball?
Answer:
The poet watched the boy who had plunged in grief at the loss of his ball. He did not offer the boy
money to buy another ball. He felt that another ball could not console the boy. It seemed that the
boy had the ball for a long time. The poet also wanted the boy to realise the epistemology of loss.

Why did the boy feel so sad at the loss of his ball?
Answer:
When the boy lost the ball, he plunged in grief. He stood staring down the harbour where his ball
was lost. The boy was affected profoundly by the loss of his ball because it had been with him for a
long time. It was linked to the memories of the days when he played with it.
• 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 dlime, another ball, is
worthless.
(a) Where had the boy’s ball gone?
(b) How has the loss affected the boy?
(c) Why was ‘he’ trembling, staring down?
(d) What does the poet mean by ‘first responsibility’?
• 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.
(a) What is the boy learning?
(b) Why are boy’s eyes desperate?
(c) What do you mean by ‘epistemology of loss’?
(d) What every man needs to know one day?
• Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy
another ball? (50-60 words)
• “… 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? (40-50 words)
• What does “in the world of possessions” mean?(30-40 words)
• What does john Berryman want to convey through this poem?(30-40 words)
• Money, though is very important in our life, but it can not replace everything. Explain.(80-100
words)
• Write the sum and substance of the poem “The Ball Poem”.(80-100 words)