metaphor in the ball poem
Answers
This poem can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. If taken literally, it is a soulful picture of little boys growing up and learning to deal with the loss of the first thing he has ever held dear. If taken metaphorically, it is the story of mankind learning to deal with the loss of their loved ones. The ball is a metaphor for everything that we think is irreplaceable in our lives. It is obvious that anything that is irreplaceable is very valuable to us, and it is our responsibility to take care of those things. People taking away one’s ball or one’s ball getting lost is a metaphor for death. What is most precious to us is a person whom we love dearly. Hence, we always try to take care of them. But sooner or later, every man must die, for man is a mortal creature. There is nothing we can do to stop this process, and hence it is something we must learn to deal with. Loss of a loved one can spell a period of intense grief and depression for some of us. However, just like the little boy is brought back to his senses by the sound of the whistle, we must overcome our grief and keep living. The poet’s message is that life goes on despite the death of our loved ones.
The boy has lost his ball. It has fallen down into the harbour. It will not be found back again. However, through the metaphor of the lost ball, the poet wants to highlight a bigger loss. It is the loss of his childhood. Like the lost ball, the childhood days which he cherishes still now, have been lost forever. This makes the loss inconsolable.