Summary of The Ball Poem Class 10 First Flight
CBSE NCERT Revision Notes1
Answer
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
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.
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.
The poem is about losing something that you love, and learning to grow up without it. 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.
2
Answer
- The young boy lost his ball.
- He was playing and saw the ball bouncing down the street.
- Then, in the end, the ball fell down into the water and lost forever.
- The boy sees everything happening before his eyes but he is helpless.
- He only stands there helplessly moaning at the loss of the ball.
- The loss of the ball may appear to be an ordinary incident.
- It seems that boys lose such balls many times while they are playing.
- The boy should not make a fuss over it.
- The loss of ball is symbolic. It has a deeper meaning.
- The loss of the ball is the loss of childhood and the loss of his dreams. And if it is lost, it never comes back again.
- Similarly, we can’t console the child that he can have another ball.
- Actually, he is sad that the ball he has lost can’t be brought back.
- The innocent childhood that he has lost can’t be replaced or bought back with money.
- Wealth can’t buy life and time.
- Ultimately, a change comes in the grieving boy.
- He comes to know that losing is a part of life.
- The loss must not break his spirits.
- There is no use of grieving over what has been lost.
- He must stand up to face such losses with courage and determination.
- Life has to be lived and not wasted in grieving and mourning over the losses suffered in the past.
3
Answer
एक लड़का पानी में अपनी गेंद खो देता है.बह बहुत बैठित है.यद्यपि गेंद की कीमत अधिक नहीं है.लकिन इसका लड़के को गहरा आघात लगता है.बह उस स्थान की ओर एक तक देखता रहता है.जहां उसकी गेंद गयी है.कबि यह सबकुछ देखता है लकिन बह लड़के के चिंतन में बिघन नहीं डालता.कबि सोचता है,की गेंद के खो जाने से लड़का छति को सहनशीलता और प्रसन्ता के साथ सहना सीख जायेगा.प्रत्येक ब्यक्ति को इस संसार में अपनी एक या दूसरी चीज खोनी होती है.और फिर उन्हें जिन्दा रहना पढता है.और अपने दायित्यो को पूरा करना पढता है.यह छति लड़के को सबक सिखाती है क़ि लाभ और हानि जीवन के अभिन्न अंग है व्यक्ति को इन्हे सामान्य बस्तु मानना चाहिए.4
Answer
The Boy Loses His Ball: The poem is about a young boy who loses his ball. Usually, losing a ball should not be a big issue. Young boys usually lose their toys and balls quite often. The ball is seen `merrily’ bouncing down the street. And ultimately the ball falls down into the water and lost forever. The boy stood there sadly watching the ball go. But he was helpless. Nor could he do anything to get the ball back. The ball here symbolises the innocent childhood of the boy which has slipped away and he wants it back.
Other Balls Too: It is of no use to remind him that it was not a big loss. He can get more balls and continue his game. But for the boy, the loss of the ball is a great loss. There may be other balls and perhaps he can hope to get any one of them. However, the ball that he has lost can’t be retrieved. It has fallen into the deep water of the harbour. The boy is inconsolable. He loses hope in himself and becomes depressed and hopeless. He stands still, trembling and looking at the point where his ball has gone down into the harbour. Here, the lost ball stands for the lost childhood and the harbour stands for the vastness of life. It will not serve any purpose to remind him that the ball costs just a dime and is worth nothing.
Recovering from the Loss: But there comes a change in his mood and thinking. He realises that in this world the loss is part of the game. He must take such losses in life in his stride. Achievements will follow losses in life. And a thing that is lost once can’t be retrieved or brought back. Money can’t buy the lost childhood, the lost dreams and the lost feelings back. Money is external to such losses.
Standing Up: The poet gives a message of hope and encouragement. Ultimately, he comes out of his depression and hopelessness. He has to learn how he should stand up to bear the loss. The theme of the poem is that life is precious and should not be wasted. Life has to be lived. And life can be lived purposefully and fruitfully only when we stand up and come out of depression.