How to tell Wild Animals, The Ball Poem

His First Flight - Poem No -3. How To Tell Wild Animals - CAROLYN WELLS. The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, And Answers.  The Poem -  I...

His First Flight - Poem No -3.

How To Tell Wild Animals - CAROLYN WELLS.

The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, And Answers. 

The Poem - 

If ever you should go by chance

To jungles in the east;

And if there should to you advance

A large and tawny beast

If he roars at you as you're dyin'

You'll know it is the Asian Lion...

Or if sometime when roaming round,

A noble wild beast greets you,

With black stripes on yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you,

This simple rule may help you learn,

The Bengal Tiger to discern.

If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,

As soon as he has lept on you,

You'll know it is the Leopard.

'Twill do no good to roar with pain,

He'll only lep and lep again.

If when you're walking round your yard

You meet a creature there,

Who hugs you very, very hard,

Be sure it is a bear,

If you have any doubts, I guess,

He'll give you just one more caress.

Though to distinguish beasts of prey,

A novice might nonplus,

The crocodile you always may,

Tell from the Hyena thus;

Hyenas come with merry smiles;

But if they weep they're crocodiles.

The true Chameleon is small,

A lizard sort of thing;

He hasn't any ears at all,

And not a single wing,

If there is nothing on the tree,

'Tis the chameleon you see.

Summary -

It is a humorous poem and suggests some dangerous ways to identify wild animals having a rhyming scheme of ababcc, ababcc. If you are in a jungle, and see a large and tawny beast, that roars loudly, it is a sign of the Asian Lion. If you come across a noble wild beast with black stripes on yellow skin and pose like he is about to eat you, then understand it is the Bengal Tiger.

If by chance you notice some black spots on the skin and ready to jump on you, then make sure, it is the Leopard, and all of a sudden if you get embarrassed tightly with a huge creature, then make a note that you are meeting with none other than a Bear.

If somewhere you see a merry smile other than a human's face, then it must be the Hyena, and don't get pity by watching a crying creature, rather try to keep away from it, because it is a dangerous crocodile, and if you want to check out the presence of the true chameleon on the tree then for sure you will not find anything on the tree, because the creature has got the ability to hide on the tree.

So, it is a humorous poem with a strong rhyme and makes the reader feel that he is actually witnessing wild creatures with different physical appearances.

Glossary -

1. Tawny - yellowish brown colour.

2. discern - make out identity.

3. strolling - to walk slowly.

4. hide - animal skin.

5. peppered - covered with spots.

6. twill - a fabric.

7. LEP - Limited English Proficient, is used to describe students who are not proficient in English, but in this poem, the word is used to describe leaping or jumping again and again.

8. caress- a gentle loving touch.

9. novice - someone new to the job.

10. nonplus - confused.

11. merry - happy.

Thinking about the Poem -

1. Does 'dyin' really rhyme with a lion? Can you say it in such a way that it does?

Ans - The word 'dyin' is actually the word 'dying' but it can not make rhyme with the word 'lion', therefore the poet made it as'dyin', and when the word 'dyin' is pronounced it actually makes rhyme with'lion'.

2. How does the poet suggest you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so, according to him?

Ans - The poet suggested ways to identify the lion and the tiger, he says that if the beast has yellow tawny colour and roars at you loudly, then it must be the lion, and if you find the beast having black stripes on a yellow skin, then it must be a tiger.

3. Do you think the words 'lept' and 'lep' in the third stanza are spelled correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?

Ans - No, these words are not spelled correctly, but it is either 'leaped' or, 'leapt' and the word 'lep' is an abbreviation for,' Limited English Proficient", but these words are used in this manner to maintain rhyme of the poem.

4. Do you know what a 'bearhug' is? It's a friendly and strong hug-such as bears are thought to give, as they attack you! Again, hyenas are thought to laugh, and crocodiles to weep('crocodile tears')as they swallow their victims. Are there similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in your own language(s)?

Ans - Yes, I have heard about a bearhug, and it is very dangerous, and it is so tight that it can kill the pray, and the bears show that they are trying to be friendly with its pray, but it is a deceptive technique, in the same manner, hyenas smile or crocodile's tears, hyenas never smile and crocodile never weep.

Yes, in Hindi, there are many expressions of similar meanings based on wild animals and birds.

1. Magarmachha ke Aansu - Crocodile tears.

2.kowwa chale hans ki chhal - an inferior person tries to copy a superior one.

3. Hathi ke daant khane ke aur dikhane ke aur - An elephant has two different teeth, one is used for chewing food and another is used to show strength, meaning a person is trying to show some different character but actually he is not of that type.

5. Look at the line " A novice might nonplus". How would you write this 'correctly'? Why is the poet's incorrect line better in the poem?

Ans - The correct sentence would be," A novice might be nonplussed", but the line in the poem seems to be better because the word 'nonplus' rhymes with the word 'thus'.

The Ball Poem - JOHN BERRYMAN

The Poem-

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball.

What, what is he to do? I saw it go

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.

Glossary - 

1. O there are other balls - The word suggests that the loss is not important to worry about.

2. dime - ten cents.(U.S)

3. shaking grief - sadness which greatly affects the boy.

4. rigid - stiff.

5. intrude on - to enter a situation where one is not welcome.

6. desperate - hopeless.

7. epistemology of loss - understanding the nature of loss.

Summary - 

"The Ball Poem" is a beautiful and teaching poem written by John Berryman. It explores the theme of loss and the transient nature of life through the metaphor of a lost ball. The poem presents a young boy who has lost his ball, and as a result, experiences a deep sense of sorrow and the realization that nothing in life can be held onto forever.

The ball in the poem symbolizes the innocence and joy of childhood, as well as the changing nature of happiness. The boy's attachment to the ball represents the attachments and desires we have in life that eventually slip away. The loss of the ball becomes a learning lesson for the boy, teaching him the harsh reality of life that nothing is permanent in life, sooner or later one has to lose things.

The poet is watching him, but neither he interrupts the boy nor he offers a dime to buy another ball, he wants that the boy should learn the basic rule of acceptance of loss and how to overcome the loss because the poet also had gone through the same experience when he was young.

Losing a ball is a very common activity but through it, the poet is trying to portray a great lesson about the temporary nature of happiness and how to accept the loss 

Thinking about the Poem -

1. Why does the poet say," I would not intrude on him"? Why doesn't he offer him money to buy another ball?

Ans - The poet says it because he knows that losing and gaining something is an unavoidable part of life, and the boy must learn this basic but important lesson. So, he doesn't offer him money to buy another ball. 

2. "... starting down/All his young days into the harbour where/His ball went..." Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?

Ans - Yes, the boy has had the ball for a long time, otherwise he would not have been so desperate and nervous, and this situation was also faced by the poet himself when he was a young boy.

3. What does" in the world of possessions mean?

Ans - It means that today's world is full of materialistic things that give us comfort and luxury, and its desire never gets satisfied.

4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.

Ans - No, the boy has not lost anything earlier and it is shown by the line given in the poem, ' Now he senses his first responsibility'.

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

Ans - The poet says that from the loss of the ball, the boy will learn the bitter reality of life that whatever I am having today, I may not have it tomorrow, the things could not be held for a long time, one day I may lose it, and this is how life moves on.

6. Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph describing how you felt then, and saying whether - and how - you got over the loss.

Ans - Yes, I have lost many things in my life like everybody else, the boy, the poet. I will narrate the incident of my first loss and it was my fountain pen. Now I don't remember exactly but it may be when I was in 4, or 5th std, and my father gave me my first fountain pen with an ink bottle. the pen was a green colour, and I liked it very much because before that I used to write with a pencil. It was a wonderful gift and whenever I used the pen, I was very amazed to see my handwriting and always get inspired to write more beautifully.

   But, unfortunately, I lost it on the playground when I was playing, and when I discovered my loss, I was shocked because of two reasons, first, it was my favorite pen, and second that my father would scold me, I was very much scared, and did not dare to go home. But, somehow I gathered my courage and decided to tell the incident to my mother. She assured me, that not to worry and you would get another one surprisingly nothing harsh happened when I told my father and in reply, he just said," Hota hai beta, Isme Itna Pareshan Kyon Hote Ho, Main Dusra Dila Dunga, Usko Thikse Rakna", meaning it happens my son, why are you so panic about it, we will have another one but due take care of that, and positively the episode was over, and I got the new one.

    But from that I got many lessons, losing and gaining is a part of life, one should not over bother it, whatever happens in my life I must share with my parents, and they would take care of it, and third one was that favorites things need more care and attention.

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