John: Oh don't worry, there are plenty of other balls to play with. Boy: _________

Question

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.

(The Ball Poem)

i. Complete the conversation with what the boy would most likely say. Answer in one sentence.

John: Oh don't worry, there are plenty of other balls to play with. Boy: __________

ii. Which line first indicates that the ball is a metaphor for something else?

A. Merrily over — there it is in the water!

B. An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

C. All his young days into the harbour where

D. I would not intrude on him;

iii. Which literary device does the speaker use to describe the boy's sorrow? Why does the speaker use this device? Answer in one sentence. 1

iv. Based on the extract, what makes a possession valuable? Answer in about 40 words.

Answer 1

(i) No, there is none like that ball/the other balls are not the same/that ball was special to me

[The author says there is 'no use’ saying 'there are other balls', because the boy would not be interested in any other ball. The boy had an emotional attachment to that particular ball.]

(ii) C. All his young days into the harbour where

[This is the first line where the reader sees that the ball is not just a ball, but in fact a symbol of 'all his young days' or the boy's childhood.]

(iii) The speaker uses visual imagery to describe the boy's sorrow because it creates a clear picture of the depth of the boy's grief.

[The lines 'An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down' paints a visual picture of the boy's grief and sorrow] Accept any other valid response.  

(iv) The line 'And no one buys a ball back. Money is external' indicates that the value of a possession is not determined by its cost or monetary value. Instead, the value of a possession is determined by the emotional attachment towards it, as seen in the way the boy values his ball.