Question

What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.

Answer 1

Hint: John Berryman's Ball Poem beautifully describes the state of mind of a kid who lost his playing ball. He also provides a lesson full of understanding that every man or woman learns to bear the pain associated with loss through loss.

Complete answer:
i) The poet states that the boy is learning to cope with the ball's loss. In this world of possessions, he is experiencing grief and learning to grow up.
ii) He learns that there are so many things in life that can't be brought back and are lost. As he has lost the ball, he senses his first responsibility.
iii) The boy is going to learn how to stand up and how to leave behind the losses as he would have known the true meaning and nature of the loss.
iv) As he grows old, the lost ball stands for the general losses a human being suffers. The losses can be the loss of a dear one's personal possession or the death of a dear one or separation from a dear one.
v) The poet emphasizes the main point of coming to terms with losses by using this metaphor. There will be many types of losses as long as there is life; what each person needs to learn is to bear those losses.

Note:
i) An awareness of the pain of loss and the courage it takes to accept it is the central idea behind the poem.
 ii) The kid loses his favorite ball and gets very angry. He can buy another ball easily, but it is the pain of losing the old one that matters most, more than money or the new ball.