Once Upon a Time Essay

Once Upon a Time, was scripted by Gabriel Okara, who is a Nigerian poet. He often explains what happens when a traditional African culture meets the forces of the Western way of life. I think the poem was written to outline the fake personalities of servicemany volume and to try and get them to number to a natural and innocent state. The poem tells of the conversation between what seems to be a start out and son, where the father wants to learn from his son how to go backwards to normality and no longer be fake.The poem starts by the father coitus his son how, once upon a time, people, or they, apply to laugh with their hearts. I think that the word they refers to western people who are white. Also this description gives the impression of genuine emotion granted off by the people. He then moves on to say that straight off they single, laugh with their teeth, while their ice-block snappy eyes hunting behind his hind end. This gives off very negative, fake and false feeli ngs and it is a very cold description. This affects the tone of the poem that now be stupefys sinister and bitter.Stanza two then reveals to a greater extent of the past when it is said that, they used to shake hands with their hearts, once again this image reveals true and genuine emotion. But just as in the first Stanza the present reality is then discussed when it is said that, that has gone, now they only shake hands without hearts while their left hands search his empty pockets. This shows that, again the people are fake and seem to be using the man to see what they can get. Poem Stanza Four Presents the Adaptations and Solutions. Stanza 3 then goes to explain more about the changes he has noticed in these false people.Again the Stanza starts positive with the phrases, feel at home, come again, but then goes on to say that he volition come again, once, twice but there will be no more thrice for then I find doors shut on me. This shows that the people lie when they say the po sitive phrases and after a some visits they have all that they want from the man their falseness is reflected in the linguistic communication they use. The first three Stanzas have the same structure. They start by telling the past and explaining how things used to be, but then they tell the negative reality.I think this is used to compare the times and introduce the reader to the situation. Stanza quartet presents the adaptations and solutions that the man has found to counter the problems. It starts by saying that the man has, erudite many things, already suggesting that he has changed to fit in. He then explains the things he has learnt. He tells of the false personalities or of his many faces. He tells that he has learnt to toil these faces, suggesting that he wears faces for different situations.For example, he says he has an, office-face, street-face, and host-face, proving that he acts differently down the stairs different circumstances. He then adds that they have, con forming smiles, like a indomitable portrait. This suggests unconstipated more falseness and changes. Poem Stanza Five intimate to Laugh With Only His Teeth. Stanza five of the poem tells of the fake attributes to go on with the fake looks. It also repeats some of the acts that were mentioned earlier in the poem. Repetition seems to be a key technique in this poem. He says that he has also, acquire to laugh with only his teeth and shakes hands without his heart.This suggests that he has copied the western ways as this is what they did earlier in the poem. He then goes even further by saying he has learned to say, Goodbye when he means, Good-riddance and Glad to meet you, without being glad. I think that the man is ashamed of himself and is confessing to his son how far the fake attitudes have developed, he seems to hatred what he has done. Stanza six and seven then show the man masking his regret as he says, I want to be what I used to be when I was like you, showing that he w ants to be honest and truthful again.