ONCE UPON A TIME

                       BY GABRIEL OKARA

About the author

                         Gabriel Okara, in full Gabriel Imomotimi  Gbaingbain

Okara, (born April 21, 1921, Bumodi,Nigeria), Nigerian poet and

novelist whose verse had been translated into several languages by the

early 1960 s.

                           A largely self-educated man, Okara became a bookbinder

after leaving school and soon began writing plays and features for

radio. In 1953 his poem “The Call of the River Nun” won an award at the

Nigerian Festival of Arts. Some of his poems were published in the

influential periodical Black Orpheus, and by 1960 he was recognized as

an accomplished literary craftsman.

                              During much of the 1960 s Okara worked in civil

service From 1972 to 1980 he was director of the Rivers State Publishing

House in Port Harcourt. His later work includes a collection of

poems, The Fisherman’s Invocation (1978), and two books for

children, Little Snake and Little Frog (1981) and An Adventure to Juju

Island (1992).

Summary

                   The poem “Once Upon A Time” written by Gabriel Okara

illustrates the changes a father has seen in him throughout his life

which have been influenced by the way society has changed. In the first

stanza, at the start of the poem, Okara writes “they used to laugh with

their hearts and… eyes; but now they only laugh with their teeth while

their ice-block cold eyes search behind my shadow.” This phrase

illustrates the change in the way people act showing that their laughs

used to be genuine and heartfelt however now their attitudes have

changed. The description of “laugh with their teeth” illustrates

someone showing false interest. The dark imagery “ice-block cold eyes”

which follows shows that there is no emotion or feeling in the action.

               In the next stanza, Okara describes how “they used to shake

hands with their hearts” implying that the actions were genuine and

were also symbolic of good intentions, however, “Now they shake hands

without hearts while their left hands search my empty pockets.” This

phrase illustrates that all good intentions have gone and how now it is

every man for him. Everybody is only focusing on their own personal

gain.

             In the next stanza,Okara shows the change in him as a man. “And

I have learned, too,… to say ‘Goodbye’, when I mean ‘Good-riddance”.

Here there is an evident shift in the stanza due to the fact that he is now

talking about himself and how he too has learned to be false. This could

imply that society has pressured him into changing in a negative way.

            At the end of the poem, Okara confesses “I want to be what I used

to be” showing instant regret and sadness at the choices he previously

made. This piece of dialogue could suggest that he can only be himself

around his son as he recognizes his younger self in his son, the self that

was genuine and true, which had not yet been beaten down by society.

Question and Answer

 1.  Who is the author of the poem?

Ans. Gabriel Okara is the author of the poem. 

  2.  Whom is the poet talking to?

Ans.  Poet is talking to son. 

 3.  What do peoples hand do while their right hands shake hands with

       people?

Ans.  They send their left hands into their friends pocket.  

4.   What happened when the poet came to home for the third time?

Ans.   Poet finds the door shut on him. 

 5.  Why is there no third time for the poet to feel at his hosts home?

 Ans. Poet realized that all the invitations were not meant to be

         accepted. So he stopped accepting every invitation.

  6.   What all are the faces the poet learned to wear?

Ans.   Home face, office face, street face, host face,cocktail face.

  7.    What does the poet expect from his son?

Ans.    He wants his son to laugh and smile with his heart.

The Theme, Tone, and Central Idea

                 The poem has mixed feelings of childhood, regret, and

innocence. The child in the poem is a symbol of innocence, purity,

enthusiasm, happiness, and genuineness lacking in society. The child

represents the group of people who have not been affected by Western

Culture and abode by their own culture. The poet, struck by a sense of

self-loathing and regret, turns to his son in his time of need and asks

him to help him unlearn whatever he has learned and helped him

regain his child-like innocence. 

                 Innocence is a fading aspect in the man’s society. People always

appear deceitful and cunning. The child, however, is a picture of

innocence and acts without any malice or ulterior motive. The man

wishes to gain this innocence from his son, though he fails to realize

that innocence is not learned, a state of mind. Once it is lost, it is gone

forever.