Once Upon a Time

TS 10th Class English Guide Unit 8B Once upon a Time (Poem)

Once upon a time, son, they used to laugh with their hearts and laugh with their eyes: but now they only laugh with their teeth, while their ice-block-cold eyes search behind my shadow

There was a time indeed they used to shake hands with their hearts: but thats gone, son. Now they shake hands without hearts: while their left hands search my empty pockets

Feel at home! Come again: they say, and when I come again and feel at home, once, twice, there will be no thrice - for then I find doors shut on me

And I have learned too to laugh with only my teeth and shake hands without my heart. I have also learned to say, Goodbye when I mean Good-riddance; to say Glad to meet you, without being glad; and to say Its been nice talking to you, after being bored

But believe me, son. I want to be what I used to be when I was like you. I want to unlearn all these muting things. Most of all, I want to releam how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror shows only my teeth like a snakes bare fangs

So show me, son, how to laugh; show me how I used to laugh and smile once upon a time when I was like you. So I have learned many things, son. I have learned to wear many faces like dresses - home face, office face, street face, host face, cocktail face, with all their conforming smiles like a fixed portrait smile

Question 1.
In the first five stanzas the poet is talking about?

1. the honest and innocent world of children
2. the insincere world of adults
3. the difference between the past and the present
4. the old and the young

Answer: the insincere world of adults the difference between the past and the present

Question 2.
The last four lines of the poem suggest?

1. hope
2. regret
3. a sense of loss
4. eagerness to learn

Answer: hope regret

Question 3.
The expression Ice-cold-block eyes means?

1. The eyes are wet with tears
2. expressionless eyes
3. a state of lack of feelings
4. a dead mans eyes

Answer: expressionless eyes a state of lack of feelings

Question 4.
They in line 4 of stanza 1 refers to?

1. people in the past
2. present day people
3. all adults
4. young children

Answer: all adults

Question 5.
Their ..eyes search behind my shadow means?

1. they avoid meeting his eyes
2. they try to look at the darker side of the person
3. they convey no emotions
4. they try to see what is not there

Answer: they try to look at the darker side of the person

Question 6.
The poet has learnt?

1. to shake hands
2. the ways of the world
3. to laugh
4. to put on masks

Answer: the ways of the world to laugh

Question 7.
The poet wants to learn from his son because his son?

1. is not corrupted by the ways of the world
2. is more informed
3. knows about good manners more than his father
4. is more caring

Answer: is not corrupted by the ways of the world

Question 1.
When did people shake hands with their hearts?

Answer: The people shook hands with their hearts in their childhood. Then they didnt know the falsehood and hypocrisies of the world and they were not corrupted by the ways of the world. So, the people shook hands heartfully in their childhood days

Question 2.
What is the poet crying over? What help does he want from his son?

Answer: The poet says that he is fed up with the lifeless expressions and heartless ways of the world. He is crying over the loss of traits of his own character such as goodness, honesty, modesty and sincerity. He regrets over the corrupted and hypocritic ways of the world. The poet wants his son to help him to regain his heartful, sincere, innocent and child-like smile

Question 3.
"Most of all, I want to relearn how to laugh, for my laugh In the mirror shows only my teeth like a snakes bare fangs!" Why does the poet mean by these lines?

Answer: The line says that in the process of learning the ways of the world, he has forgotten the laugh, he once had. Now his laugh is not more than a grin. He feels that his teeth are like a snakes fangs as his smile is artificial, insincere and hypocritic

Question 4.
What ¡s the tone of the poem?

Answer: The poem has a mixed tone of sadness and great hope. It is truly emotional

Question 5.
"Now they shake hands without hearts while their left hands search my empty pockets." Why do the left hands search empty pockets now ? What does this indicate?

Answer: The poet expresses his concern for the influence of the western world on age-old African custom. He feels that the once enthusiastic and friendly society of Africa now treated ts own people like strangers and looked at each other with suspicion and hostility. The white imperialists always exploited and plundered the wealth of their colonies. So their left hands search the empty pockets of their subjects in an endeavour to rob them further

Question 6.
The poet uses certain words to express frustration and sorrow. Identify these words?

Answer:

1. Ice-block-cold-eyes
2. many faces like dresses
3. a fixed portrait smile
4. laugh with teeth
5. shake hands without hearts
6. doors shut on me
7. teeth like a snak&s bare fangs
8. "believe me, son; I want to be what I used to be"
9. unlearn these muting things
 
10. want to learn how to laugh etc
11. are the expressions used by the poet to express frustration and sorrow

Once Upon A Time (POEM) Summary in English

The poet Okara, compares the hypocritic ways of the modern society to the original ways of the previous generation. Once upon a time people used to laugh with their hearts and eyes. But now they laugh only with their teeth and searching the negative side of the person with evil eyes. Once upon a time people used to shake hands with their hearts, but nowadays people shake hands without hearts and searching the others empty pocket with their left hands

People ask us to feel at home and come again. But if we go there thrice, we can find the doors shut on us. So he says that modern man has learnt to wear many faces-home face, office face, street face etc. He has learnt to express a fixed portrait smile. The writer also has learnt to laugh with teeth and shake hands without heart. He also has learnt fake greeting and good bye etc. But the poet says that he wants to be what he used to be - lively. He wishes to relearn how to laugh whole heartedly - but not a fake one. He requests the modernman to show him how to laugh whole heartedly, like a child

Gabriel Okara is an African poet. He was born in 1921 in Nigeria. He was educated at Government College, Umuahia. His parents were not rich. He worked as a book binder and later as an information officer at Enugu. He also wrote plays and features for broadcasting and became a poet of outstanding ability. His poems appeared regularly in Black Orpheus. He has also written a novel called Voice