At the Ball Game (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Carlos Williams
- First Published: 1923
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Twentieth century, Jews or Jewish life, Anti-Semitism, Baseball, Athletes, Sports, Summer, Crowds
The Poem
“At the Ball Game” is a short poem in free verse, its thirty-six lines divided into eighteen stanzas of two lines apiece. The title suggests events occurring at a traditional American pastime, a baseball game; its function, however, is darker, as what actually happens at the ball game shows a side of the American character that most people would prefer to keep hidden.
The poem is written in a third-person dramatic style, with the narrator commenting on the mood of the crowd as it watches the game and observes individuals in its midst. One never enters...
[The entire page is 1478 words long]
