Once Upon a Time Analysis, 1st 2nd and 3rd Level

Atharva
1st Level
Plot
This poem is a free verse, in which the narrator gives the audience an insight on how society
and people change over time. The poem starts off with the narrator saying, “once upon a time”,
which gives the audience a comforting feeling, as this is the format in which most fairytales and
fables start off in. The writer also says this to invoke the audience’s childhood memories.
However, despite the optimistic beginning, the poem points out some dark and gloomy facts
about the revolution of modern society and its people. The narrator (who remains unnamed)
starts off by stating how in the past, people had very genuine emotions and feelings towards
others. However, as the poem progresses onward, we learn that the society in which this
narrator lives in has completely changed its social constructs, and now, people only speak for
the sole purpose of presenting and promoting themselves for their benefit. The narrator then
explains that due to the new and more modern changes, he too, has adapted that type of
attitude and behavior. This finally leads to the denouement, where we learn that the narrator
feels remorseful for becoming so lifeless and counterfeit, due to the new, desolate changes that
have occurred to the society and its people.
Setting
This poem takes place in a society that once had people with very authentic emotions and
feelings toward each other. However, as the poem progresses, the narrator reveals to us that
now, that is not the case. We learn that over time, those very same people become very self-
centered and lifeless, as they display fake emotions that do not resemble their true feelings for
others. Gabriel Okara highlights this, especially in line 10: “Now they shake hands without
hearts”. By doing so, Gabriel Okara references the real world, as multiple advancements in
cultures and society have encouraged this behavior within humans.
Characters
Narrator: The narrator is the one and only character in this poem, apart from the person who
he calls ‘son’. At the beginning of the poem, we learn that the narrator’s life has been impacted
in a negative way, as he describes: “There was a time indeed, they used to shake hands with
their hearts; but that’s gone son”. This tells us that the narrator has realized and noticed the
change in the civilization around him. We also learn that the narrator is very depressed, and
that he/she feels very remorseful and betrayed due to people becoming so lifeless and
counterfeit. We know this because on lines 10-12, he/she says, “now they shake hands without
hearts, while my left hands search my empty pockets”. We then learn that the narrator has also
adapted this mindset and way of thinking (lines 20-22), which results in him/her loosing hope.
This occurs on line 40, where he/she says “show me, son, how to laugh”. This tells us that the
narrator regrets changing his personality for others, and that he/she wants things to return to
normal.
Context
Throughout the poem, Gabriel Okara highlights the change in human behavior due to the
evolution of societal norms and expectations. An example of this is on lines 10-12: “Now they
shake hands without hearts, while their left hands search my empty pockets”. By writing this,
Gabriel Okara references that in the modern society, a person’s dignity and worth is
determined by how much wealth they have.
2nd Level
Main Topic/Central Message
The main idea of this free verse poem is the fact that basic human behavior has changed
significantly due to the evolution of a cultural society into a modern society. Throughout the
poem, Gabriel Okara also references that genuine emotions no longer exist within human
beings, due to commodities such as wealth and a person’s socio-economic status.
Author’s Purpose
Gabriel Okara’s purpose in writing this poem was to make human beings that live in the modern
society realize that external commodities such as wealth, socio-economic status and power are
nothing compared to love, compassion, and goodwill for others. This was represented by the
main character of this poem, as he/she had become depressed due to the fake, standardized
emotions that existed within the civilization, which leaded him/her to feel remorseful for
becoming so lifeless and counterfeit. E.g. “I want to be what I used to be when I was like you. I
want to relearn all these muting things. Most of all, I want to relearn how to laugh”. (lines 34-
37). By doing so, Gabriel Okara highlights the importance of genuine human emotions.
Structure
This poem is a free verse poem, as it does not have any specific pattern, rhyme, or rhythm.
However, Gabriel Okara still divides this poem into 7 stanzas, each representing a different
idea/topic. Gabriel Okara also arranges the punctuation throughout the poem, so that there are
sentences formed in the poem. This makes the free verse poem seem like a narrative/story. To
add on to this, Gabriel Okara also names the poem ‘once upon a time’, which gives the
audience a comforting and relatable feeling, as this is the format in which most fairytales and
fables start off in.
3rd stanza short lines show emotions

Point of View
This poem is narrated in the first-person point of view. We know this because on line 6, the
speaker says, “my shadow”. It is very likely that Gabriel Okara wrote this poem in the fist
person point of view, so that the audience/readers could step into the character’s shoes, which
would in turn, give the readers a sense of relatability. This further emphasizes the main topic of
this poem. This could also be the reason why Okara doesn’t give the main character a name, or
any physical traits, as it would diminish the relatability between the audience and the
character.
Text Features/Literary Devices
1. “With all their conforming smiles, like a fixed portrait smile” (lines 23-24)
This is an example of a simile, as there is a direct comparison between two objects, the
smiles of the people, and a fixed portrait. By comparing these two things, Gabriel Okara
references how in the modern society, emotions are standardized, resulting in a lack of
genuine feelings within the people.
2. “They used to laugh with their hearts” (line 2)
This is an example of personification, as a non-living thing(the heart) has been given a
human attribute (laughing amongst someone). By describing the people in this way,
Gabriel Okara points out the whole heartedness of the people, before the societal
revolution.
3. “While their ice-block cold eyes search behind my shadow” (lines 5-6)
This is an example of personification, as a non-living thing (eyes) has been given a
human attribute (to search). The eyes searching behind the narrator’s shadow
represents the bad intentions of other people, and it also highlights that in this society,
true friendships are very rare, and that others will use you any chance that they get.
Irony line 21, and final stanza of poem

3rd Level
Evolution of Society
This is a generalized theme throughout the poem, as it is mentioned in each stanza. Gabriel
Okara consistently highlights the change in human behavior due to the evolution of societal
norms and expectations. An example of this is on lines 10-12: “Now they shake hands without
hearts, while their left hands search my empty pockets”. By writing this, Gabriel Okara
references that in the modern society, a person’s dignity and worth is determined by how much
wealth they have.
False Emotions
At the beginning of the poem, Gabriel Okara highlights how in the past, people had very
genuine emotions and feelings towards others. However, as the poem progresses onward, we
learn that the society in which this narrator lives in has completely changed its social
constructs, and now, people only speak for the sole purpose of presenting and promoting
themselves for their benefit. An example of this is on line 17, where Okara writes: “there will be
no thrice”. This represents how people will only befriend you for their own benefit, and once
that benefit has been received, they will forget about you.
Adult vs. Child