UNIT 1. POEM. ONCE UPON A TIME
- Gabriel Okara
1] Answer the following questions:
① What do you
associate with the title of the poem󠄀 󠄀󠄀
The speaker is going to
say a fairy tale, something so far- fetched it might not even be believed.
② What is the
relationship between the narrator and the listener󠄀 󠄀󠄀
The narrator is the
father conversing to his son who is the listener.
③ What happens to the
poet when he visits someone for the third time󠄀 󠄀󠄀
When he visits someone for the third time, he
will be an unwelcomed guest, they do not even open the door.
④ Pick out the
expressions that indicate conflicting ideas.
The expressions used in
the poem are:
1; ice – block-
cold eyes.
2; laugh with
their teeth.
3 ;cocktail
face with portrait smile.
4;good –
riddance.
⑤ How does the
poet compare his face with dresses󠅜󠅜
Like dresses just like
people who keep changing dresses to suit different situations and occasions.
⑥ What does the
poet mean when he says ‘goodbye’󠅜 󠅜󠅜
The
poet says that when he says ‘goodbye’ he has the expression of relief and being
free from unwanted persons.
⑦What
pleasantries does the poet use to fake cordiality󠅜 󠅜󠅜
The
poet uses the pleasantries such as ‘feel at home’ and ‘come again’ to show the
fake cordiality.
⑧What does he desire to unlearn and relearn󠅜 󠅜󠅜
The poet desires to unlearn the
fake and unreal things and relearn how to laugh and to be honest and sincere as
he was once upon a time.
⑨What is the poet’s laugh reflected in the mirror 󠅜󠅜
When the poet laughed before the
mirror it reflected like the snake’s fangs, showing bare teeth without any
expression.
⑩ What does the poet long for 󠅜󠅜
The poet longs to laugh like a child after remembering his past.
⑪ Mention the qualities of a child in the
poem symbolizes.
The qualities of the child in the poem symbolize honesty,
genuineness,
innocence, and trustworthiness.
B. Read the lines given below
and answer the questions;
1.
‘But now they only laugh with their teeth,
While their ice- block- cold
eyes….’
a. Who are ‘they’ 󠅜󠅜
They are the people of modern time/ adults.
b. Explain: ice- block- cold eyes.
The eyes lacking the feeling of warmth or
endearing expression.
c. Identify the figure of speech used here.
Metaphor
2.
‘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!
·
Why
does the poet want to relearn how to laugh 󠅜󠅜
The poet desires to become a child again
and laugh genuinely. He wants to relearn how to laugh as he had done in his
childhood days.
·
Whom
does the poet want to relearn from 󠅜󠅜
The
poet wants to relearn from his son.
·
Mention
the figure of speech used here.
Simile
C]
Explain the following lines with reference to the context.[ERC]
1. Once upon a time,
son
They used to laugh with their hearts:
REFERENCE:
POEM: Once upon a time
POET :Gabriel Okara
CONTEXT :Here, the poet says how
people were once upon a time with
honesty and sincerity.
Explanation: The poet says that
people used to be genuine when they laugh
and the honesty would be reflected in their eyes.
2.There will be no thrice.
Reference:
POEM: Once upon a time
POET: Gabriel okara
CONTEXT: Here the poet says how people were once upon
a time with honesty and sincerity.
EXPLANATION: The
poets feeling is when he visits a person third time, he would be
treated as an unwelcomed guest at their doorstep.
3.I have
learned to wear my faces
Like
dresses….
REFERENCE:
POEM:
Once upon a time
POET: Gabriel okara
CONTEXT: Here
the poet says how people were once upon a time with honesty and sincerity.
EXPLANATION: The poet says that he has learnt to
wear many faces like dresses Just like
people keep changing dresses to suit different occasions
and situations.
4.I want to be what I used to be.
REFERENCE:
POEM: Once upon a time
POET: Gabriel okara
CONTEXT: Here
the poet says how people were once upon a time with honesty and sincerity.
EXPLANATION: The
poet wants to be as he was once upon a time. He wishes to
unlearn the unreal things. He wishes to be genuine.
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click here UNIT 1. PROSE. The portrait of a lady
