what kind of person do you imagine him to be? once upon a time
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SEP 21, 2020
Analysis of Poem Once Upon A Time by Gabriel Okara
ANDREW SPACEY
Andrew has a keen interest in all aspects of poetry and writes extensively on the subject. His poems are published online and in print.
Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Okara And A Summary of Once Upon A Time
Once Upon A Time is a free verse poem that focuses on a father's attitude to cultural change and times past, before the incoming Western culture affected the native African way of life.
In the poem the man (presumably a father) addresses the son, telling him in a rather nostalgic manner, how things used to be. People were different back then, more genuine it seemed, and that is what the speaker would like to do now - return to a restored world - if he can only learn from the youngster.
Back then people weren't after your money, they could look you in the eye and smile real smiles. But nowadays, although the smiling teeth are on show, and they'll shake your hand, all they want to know is your financial status.
And so the poem progresses, the early stanzas revealing more of the negative changes that have occurred during the father's lifetime. He is old enough to have watched decent human standards drop to the wayside as western ideals (together with capitalism) gradually took over.
The speaker wants to relearn from the as yet untainted son; how to laugh and be genuine again. It's rather a pathetic plea, coming from the adult to the youngster - for what can the son realistically do? Can the clocks be put back? Can an ancient culture be retrieved from the overwhelming modern culture?
The themes are: how society changes, cultural shift, capitalism, values.
Perhaps the tone is ironic, perhaps the speaker knows deep inside that he'll never regain that purity, he won't be able to turn back time and relive life as a transformed person. That's why the title could be from a fairytale; the speaker's wishes are a fantasy.
Gabriel Okara (1921 - 2019) is considered to be one of the first modern African poets. Born in Nigeria he uses folklore, religion, myth and social issues to explore tradition and transition. His work first appeared in the magazine Black Orpheus from 1957. This poem is included in his book The Fisherman's Invocation published in 1978.