*5. The Ball
Poem (John Berryman)*
Very Short Type
Q-Ans.
*1. Who is the poet of ‘The Ball Poem’?*
Ans. John Berryman
*2. What does the poet see?*
Ans. He saw the ball going into the water*
*3. Who loses his ball?*
Ans. The boy
*4. What is worthless for the boy?*
Ans. Another ball
*5. What kind of a world it is?*
Ans. A world of materialism
*6. What does the poet say about this world is made of?*
Ans. The world is made of possessions
*7. What does the poet say about money?*
Ans. Money is external
*8. Which days does the boy remember?*
Ans. His young days
*9. What is the boy learning?*
Ans. The meaning of loss
*10. Where has the boy lost his ball?*
Ans. In the water
*11. How are the boy’s eyes?*
Ans. Desperate
Ans. John Berryman
Ans. He saw the ball going into the water*
Ans. The boy
Ans. Another ball
Ans. A world of materialism
Ans. The world is made of possessions
Ans. Money is external
Ans. His young days
Ans. The meaning of loss
Ans. In the water
Ans. Desperate
*5. The Ball Poem (John Berryman)*
Short Type Q-Ans.
Q. 1 What was the effect of the loss of the ball on the boy?
Ans. The poet sees the boy whose ball has fallen into the water. He describes the effect of the loss on the boy. The boy is shaken with grief. He trembles and stares down the water. He learns that gain and loss is the part of life.
Q. 2 Explain the line, “And no one buys a ball back. Money is external”.
Ans. This means that no one can buy something that is lost forever. No one can buy that ball which has lost. Money is an external thing. It is a medium of possessing things. But money cannot compensate the sense of loss suffered by a person.
Q. 3 What does ‘in the world of possessions’ mean?
Ans. It means ‘the world’ of materialistic things. In such a world ones’ possessions carry importance. They want to collect more and more money and things.
Q. 4 Why does the poet say, "I would not intrude on him?" Why doesn't he offer him money to buy another ball?
Ans. The boy has lost his ball in the water. But the poet does not interfere. He wants to teach him that gain and loss is the part of life.
Q. 5 What is the theme of the poem ‘The Ball Poem’?
OR
What is the main idea of John Berryman’s
poem, ‘The Ball Poem?*
Ans. The main idea of the poem is ‘the sense of loss in life’. Loss is a fact of life. The sooner man learns to tolerate it, the better it is. When we lose something for the first time, we feel very sad. But later we learn to live with our loss. In this poem the boy loses his ball. He is very sad. The poet can buy him another ball. But he does not want to do so. He wants to teach him that gain and loss is the part of life.
Ans. The main idea of the poem is ‘the sense of loss in life’. Loss is a fact of life. The sooner man learns to tolerate it, the better it is. When we lose something for the first time, we feel very sad. But later we learn to live with our loss. In this poem the boy loses his ball. He is very sad. The poet can buy him another ball. But he does not want to do so. He wants to teach him that gain and loss is the part of life.