First Flight Poem ch05 The Ball Poem - CBSE Revision Notes

CBSE Class 10 English Language and Literature
Revision Notes
Chapter 5 
The ball (poem)

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 back our love, nor replace the things that we love: the things that really matter.
  • 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.