Introduction: “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
“Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara, first appeared in the 1978 collection An Anthology of African Poetry, stands as a poignant reflection on the loss of innocence and authenticity in human interactions, particularly in the context of post-colonial African society influenced by Western norms. Okara contrasts the genuine warmth of the past with the artificiality of the present, where smiles are rehearsed and greetings are hollow. The poem’s popularity stems from its emotional depth and universal themes—especially the yearning for sincerity in a world increasingly masked by pretense. Through vivid imagery like “laugh with their teeth” and “snake’s bare fangs,” Okara powerfully critiques the erosion of heartfelt communication, making it a resonant piece not only within African literature but globally. Its conversational tone between father and son adds to its intimacy and urgency, as the speaker desperately wishes to “unlearn” falseness and recover a lost purity.
Text: “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
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 that’s 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.
So I have learned many things, son.
I have learned to wear many faces
like dresses – homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface,
cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile.
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 ‘It’s 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 relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake’s 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.
Annotations: “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
| Line from Poem | Simple Annotation (Meaning) | Literary Devices |
| 1. Once upon a time, son, | In the past, my child |  Direct Address,  Narrative Opening |
| 2. they used to laugh with their hearts | People laughed genuinely |  Metaphor,  Personification |
| 3. and laugh with their eyes: | Their eyes showed real joy |  Repetition,  Imagery |
| 4. but now they only laugh with their teeth, | Now laughter is fake |  Contrast,  Irony |
| 5. while their ice-block-cold eyes | Their eyes are cold, emotionless |  Metaphor, Imagery |
| 6. search behind my shadow. | They look at me with distrust |  Personification,  Symbolism |
| 7. There was a time indeed | A time like that truly existed |  Emphasis,  Nostalgia |
| 8. they used to shake hands with their hearts: | Handshakes were sincere |  Metaphor,  Symbolism |
| 9. but that’s gone, son. | But that time is over | Direct Address,  Tone Shift |
| 10. Now they shake hands without hearts | Greetings are now fake |  Repetition, Metaphor |
| 11. while their left hands search | They act friendly but are sneaky |  Irony,  Symbolism |
| 12. my empty pockets. | They want something even when I have nothing |  Metaphor,  Hyperbole |
| 13. ‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’: | They say welcoming words |  Irony,  Dialogue |
| 14. they say, and when I come | But when I actually visit again | Contrast, Tone Shift |
| 15. again and feel | I try to feel welcome | Repetition,  Irony |
| 16. at home, once, twice, | The first and second time are fine | Repetition,  Irony |
| 17. there will be no thrice– | The third time, I’m not welcomed |  Foreshadowing,  Symbolism |
| 18. for then I find doors shut on me. | I’m rejected and turned away |  Metaphor, Imagery |
| 19. So I have learned many things, son. | I’ve learned a lot, my child | Direct Address, Tone Shift |
| 20. I have learned to wear many faces | I’ve learned to pretend | Metaphor,  Symbolism |
| 21. like dresses – homeface, | Like clothes, I wear different ‘faces’ |  Simile, Imagery |
| 22. officeface, streetface, hostface, | Different masks for different roles |  Listing, Symbolism |
| 23. cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles | Social smiles that aren’t real |  Imagery, Irony |
| 24. like a fixed portrait smile. | A frozen, fake smile |  Simile, Visual Imagery |
| 25. And I have learned too | I’ve also learned this behavior | Repetition, Tone Shift |
| 26. to laugh with only my teeth | To laugh without feeling | Metaphor, Irony |
| 27. and shake hands without my heart. | Greetings without emotion | Metaphor, Parallelism |
| 28. I have also learned to say, ‘Goodbye’, | I say goodbye but don’t mean it | Repetition, Irony |
| 29. when I mean ‘Good-riddance’: | I actually mean I’m glad to go | Contrast, Irony |
| 30. to say ‘Glad to meet you’, | I say this even if it’s not true | Irony, Dialogue |
| 31. without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been | I fake emotions | Irony, Contrast |
| 32. nice talking to you’, after being bored. | I pretend I enjoyed the conversation | Irony, Juxtaposition |
| 33. But believe me, son. | Trust me, child | Direct Address, Tone Shift |
| 34. I want to be what I used to be | I want to go back to my real self | Repetition, Nostalgia |
| 35. when I was like you. | When I was innocent like you | Comparison, Emotional appeal |
| 36. I want to unlearn all these muting things. | I want to forget this false behavior | Metaphor,  Tone |
| 37. Most of all, I want to relearn | More than anything, I want to change back | Emphasis, Contrast |
| 38. how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror | I want to laugh genuinely again |  Symbolism, Imagery |
| 39. shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs! | My smile looks scary and fake |  Simile, Metaphor |
| 40. So show me, son, | Please teach me, child |  Direct Appeal, Tone |
| 41. how to laugh; show me how | Teach me how to be genuine | Repetition, Plea |
| 42. I used to laugh and smile | The way I used to as a child | Nostalgia, Imagery |
| 43. once upon a time when I was like you. | Long ago, when I was innocent like you | Repetition, Circular Ending |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
| Device | Definition |  Example from the Poem |
Allusion  | Indirect reference to cultural or literary works. | “Once upon a time…” (fairy tale motif) |
| Antithesis | Opposing ideas presented in parallel form. | “shake hands with their hearts” vs. “without hearts” |
| Apostrophe | Directly addressing a person not present or an abstract idea. | “son,” “believe me, son” |
Assonance  | Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. | “only laugh with their teeth” |
| Circular Ending | Ending with a phrase that echoes the beginning. | “once upon a time… when I was like you.” |
Contrast  | Highlighting differences between ideas or characters. | Past sincerity vs. present hypocrisy |
| Dialogue | Use of quoted speech to represent conversation. | ‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’ |
Direct Address  | Speaking directly to a character or reader. | “son,” “believe me, son” |
Emotive Language  | Words used to stir strong emotions in the reader. | “snake’s bare fangs!” |
| Foreshadowing | Hints or clues about future events. | “no thrice” |
| Hyperbole | Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis. | “search behind my shadow” |
| Imagery | Descriptive language appealing to the senses. | “ice-block-cold eyes” |
| Irony | A contrast between expectation and reality. | “Glad to meet you” (when not truly glad) |
| Juxtaposition | Placing two contrasting ideas side-by-side. | Real feelings vs. social masks |
| Metaphor | Comparing two unlike things directly. | “wear many faces” |
| Nostalgia | Sentimental longing for the past. | “when I was like you” |
| Personification | Attributing human qualities to non-human things. | “eyes search behind my shadow” |
| Repetition | Repeating words or structures for emphasis. | “I have learned… I have learned…” |
| Simile | Comparison using “like” or “as”. | “like a snake’s bare fangs” |
Themes: “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
Theme 1: Loss of Innocence and Sincerity: In “Once Upon a Time”, Gabriel Okara explores the theme of lost innocence as the speaker reflects on a time when human interactions were genuine and heartfelt. The poem opens with nostalgia: “they used to laugh with their hearts / and laugh with their eyes”, indicating a past where emotions were sincere. This innocence has now been replaced with artificiality: “now they only laugh with their teeth, / while their ice-block-cold eyes / search behind my shadow.” The shift from warm to cold, genuine to fake, represents a tragic transformation in both society and the speaker. The speaker mourns how life has taught him to “wear many faces like dresses” and “laugh with only my teeth”, symbolic of the masks he now must wear in different social settings. This emotional distance signifies the loss of pure, childlike honesty.
Theme 2: Hypocrisy and Social Deception in “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara: Gabriel Okara critiques the hypocrisy and pretense embedded in modern social interactions in “Once Upon a Time”. The speaker laments that once people shook hands “with their hearts,” but now they do so “without hearts / while their left hands search / my empty pockets.” This imagery conveys how seemingly friendly gestures are now tinged with selfish motives and mistrust. The repetition of artificial phrases like “‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again'” becomes ironic when followed by the realization that “there will be no thrice— / for then I find doors shut on me.” Social rituals have lost their meaning; people say things they don’t mean, just as the speaker admits he too has learned to say “Glad to meet you” / without being glad. These lines highlight a culture of superficial politeness that hides apathy or even hostility beneath smiling façades.
Theme 3: Generational Contrast and Desire for Redemption in “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara: A central theme in “Once Upon a Time” is the contrast between generations and the speaker’s longing for personal redemption. Speaking to his son, the narrator acknowledges the pure-hearted nature of childhood and expresses deep regret for having strayed from it. He says, “I want to be what I used to be / when I was like you.” This line encapsulates his yearning to return to innocence and unlearn the insincerities he has acquired. The father looks up to his son as a symbol of truth and genuine emotion, asking “show me how to laugh”—a powerful reversal of roles where the adult seeks wisdom from the child. This generational contrast not only emphasizes the moral decay of the older generation but also provides a glimmer of hope for transformation and healing.
Theme 4: Identity and the Performance of the Self in “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara: Gabriel Okara addresses the fragmentation of identity in a conformist society through “Once Upon a Time”. The speaker reveals how he has adapted to societal expectations by adopting multiple personas: “homeface, officeface, streetface, hostface, cocktailface.” Each of these “faces” represents a version of himself tailored to different situations, symbolizing the performance required to fit in. This performance, however, comes at a cost—his true self is buried beneath masks and rehearsed smiles. He speaks of learning “to say ‘It’s been nice talking to you,’ after being bored”, reflecting how language too has become a tool for concealment rather than communication. Ultimately, his desire to “unlearn all these muting things” underscores his inner conflict and quest for a unified, authentic identity.
Literary Theories and “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
 Theory | Definition | Application to the Poem |
 Formalist Theory | Focuses on language, form, and structure within the text itself. | Repetition (“I have learned…”), metaphor (“wear many faces”), and imagery (“ice-block-cold eyes”) highlight emotional detachment and false identity. |
 Postcolonial Theory | Explores the effects of colonialism and cultural dislocation. | The speaker’s learned behaviors—insincere greetings and emotional masking—reflect the impact of Western norms on African social customs. |
 Psychoanalytic Theory | Investigates inner desires, conflict, guilt, and the unconscious. | The mirror scene (“my laugh in the mirror shows only my teeth”) reveals internal alienation and the desire to return to childhood innocence. |
 Reader-Response Theory | Emphasizes the reader’s perspective in deriving meaning from a text. | Different readers may relate differently—some may connect with the father’s regret, others with the son’s purity or society’s deception. |
Critical Questions about “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
1. How does Gabriel Okara use imagery in “Once Upon a Time” to portray emotional decay in modern society?
Gabriel Okara uses vivid and often stark imagery in “Once Upon a Time” to communicate the emotional emptiness and artificiality of modern human interaction. The poet contrasts the warmth of the past with the coldness of the present through sensory details like “they used to laugh with their hearts” and “laugh with their eyes”. These heartfelt gestures are replaced with lifeless behaviors: “now they only laugh with their teeth”, and “ice-block-cold eyes search behind my shadow.” These images vividly capture the insincerity and suspicion that now define social exchanges. The emotional decay is also seen in the poet’s smile, which he describes in the mirror as showing “only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs”, evoking danger and deception. Through such imagery, Okara critiques how authentic emotions have been replaced by rehearsed social performances.
2. In what ways does “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara critique social conformity and identity performance?
In “Once Upon a Time”, Gabriel Okara delivers a pointed critique of social conformity and the loss of authentic identity. The speaker has been forced to adopt multiple personas to navigate different social settings, saying: “I have learned to wear many faces like dresses – homeface, officeface, streetface, hostface, cocktailface.” This metaphor emphasizes the disintegration of a unified self, replaced by performance-based interactions tailored to social expectations. The poet presents these adaptations not as signs of maturity or growth but as tragic losses of honesty and connection. The repetition of lines like “I have learned…” further reinforces the idea that these behaviors are not natural but systematically learned, possibly imposed by societal pressure or cultural shifts. The speaker’s yearning to “unlearn all these muting things” highlights a desire to return to authenticity, suggesting that conformity has muted his true identity.
3. What role does the child play in “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara, and why is it significant?
The child, addressed as “son,” plays a pivotal symbolic role in “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara, representing innocence, authenticity, and hope. Through direct appeals like “show me, son, how to laugh”, the speaker positions the child as a teacher, someone untainted by the world’s duplicity. This reversal of roles—where the adult looks to the child for wisdom—emphasizes the depth of the speaker’s despair and longing to return to a time when emotions were genuine. The child serves as a mirror of the speaker’s former self: “I want to be what I used to be when I was like you.” This line reveals the speaker’s realization that he has strayed far from his original self due to societal conditioning. Thus, the child’s presence not only contrasts with the speaker’s corrupted adulthood but also functions as a symbol of potential redemption and moral clarity.
4. How does “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara reflect psychological and emotional conflict within the speaker?
Gabriel Okara’s “Once Upon a Time” is a profound study in internal psychological and emotional conflict, as the speaker navigates between who he has become and who he once was. He confesses to having learned how to be emotionally inauthentic, to laugh and speak without meaning it: “to say ‘Glad to meet you,’ without being glad.” This self-awareness of false behavior causes distress, culminating in the line: “my laugh in the mirror shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!”—a startling image that reflects self-loathing and alienation. The speaker is not content with this emotional numbness and yearns for healing, shown in his plea to his son to help him “relearn how to laugh.” This internal split between learned behavior and lost authenticity creates a powerful psychological tension, capturing the universal human conflict between social survival and personal truth.
Literary Works Similar to “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
“The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden
- This poem critiques modern society’s obsession with conformity and statistics, much like Okara’s portrayal of emotional loss and surface-level interactions.
“Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Like Okara’s poem, it reveals the contrast between outward appearance and inner reality, showing that smiles and success can mask deep personal pain.
“We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
- This poem directly parallels Okara’s metaphor of wearing different faces, emphasizing the emotional toll of hiding one’s true self from the world.
- Kipling’s poem, like Okara’s, is framed as advice from a father to a son, offering guidance on maintaining integrity and resilience in a corrupt world.
Representative Quotations of “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
| Quotation | Context |  Theoretical Perspective |
 “Once upon a time, son,” | Opening line sets a nostalgic tone, framing the poem as a reflection of the past. | Formalist Theory – Establishes narrative structure and tone. |
| “they used to laugh with their hearts / and laugh with their eyes:” | Describes emotional sincerity in the past, contrasted with present insincerity. | Psychoanalytic Theory – Suggests longing for emotional authenticity. |
| “now they only laugh with their teeth, / while their ice-block-cold eyes / search behind my shadow.” | Illustrates emotional dishonesty and hidden suspicion in social interactions. | Postcolonial Theory – Reflects influence of Westernized politeness and distrust. |
| “I have learned to wear many faces like dresses – homeface, officeface, streetface…” | The speaker confesses to adopting false personas for different social roles. | Reader-Response Theory – Encourages self-reflection on social behavior. |
 “like a fixed portrait smile.” | Highlights artificial expressions used to fit social expectations. | Formalist Theory – Uses visual metaphor to reveal emotional rigidity. |
| “‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again'” | Quoted speech shows the emptiness of common polite phrases. | Postcolonial Theory – Critiques inherited Western social rituals. |
 “I have also learned to say ‘Goodbye’, when I mean ‘Good-riddance'” | Demonstrates emotional disconnect and hidden resentment. | Psychoanalytic Theory – Unveils repressed feelings and duality of meaning. |
| “my laugh in the mirror shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!” | Reveals how the speaker views himself as emotionally corrupted. | Psychoanalytic Theory – Symbolizes internal conflict and identity crisis. |
 “I want to be what I used to be / when I was like you.” | Expresses desire to return to innocence and truth. | Reader-Response Theory – Highlights generational contrast and moral clarity. |
| “So show me, son, how to laugh” | The father seeks to reclaim lost sincerity through the child’s guidance. | Psychoanalytic Theory – Suggests emotional healing through reconnection with childhood. |
Suggested Readings: “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara
- Parekh, Pushpa Naidu. “Gabriel Okara (1921–).” Postcolonial African Writers. Routledge, 2012. 352-359.
- Maduakor, Obi. “Gabriel Okara: Poet of the Mystic Inside.” World Literature Today, vol. 61, no. 1, 1987, pp. 41–45. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/40142447. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
- Ravenscroft, Arthur. “Religious Language and Imagery in the Poetry of Okara, Soyinka, and Okigbo.” Journal of Religion in Africa, vol. 19, no. 1, 1989, pp. 2–19. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1581179. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
- Emenyonu, et al. “Things Fall Apart (1958) at 50: Chinua Achebe’s ‘Mustard Seed.'” Remembering a Legend: Chinua Achebe, African Heritage Press, 2014, pp. 41–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.8180952.7. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.