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SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
ENGLISH LESSON NOTES
CLASS – X
MODULE 16 - The Ball Poem
Objective

 To make the students learn about the loss of something they love.
 To make them learn to develop the ability to understand the difficult situations in their life.
 To help them not to grieve but to experience new things over the loss of something.
 To help them cope with the problems of life.
 To help them use new words in their own language.
Introduction: The Ball Poem
The 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,we 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.

New words
1. Rigid: stiff
Iron pipes are usually rigid in nature. They cannot be twisted easily.
2. Harbour: an area of water near the coast where ships are kept and are safe from the sea
This is a horbour where ships rest.
3. A dime: ten cents (U.S.)
The newspaper costs 10 dimes.
4. Desperate: hopeless
This man looks desperate because of his personal worries.
5. Epistemology of loss: understanding the nature of loss
It seems the lady understands the epistemology of loss. She looks grieved.
Key points

 The little boy has lost his ball.
 He can buy many new balls but he has a very deep emotional attachment and memories associated with
that ball.
 So he regrets over the loss of the ball.
 The poet is indirectly trying to tell us that we should learn how to cope up with the loss.
 And money is external i.e. we can’t buy memories with money.
 We all should learn our responsibility and learn to cope up with the loss.
summary
This poem, by John Berriman, 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