The poet of the poem "Once upon a period" is Gabriel Okara who is a Nigerian. He was created on 24th or 21st of April in the year 1921. In that year Nigeria received self-reliance from Britain so at that time these were still influenced by the United kingdom culture. The background of the poem is that he is remembering the way people used to behave and connect to one another and he is comparing it with how people connect to others now. How the people i did so things with the hearts and with pleasure and pleasure. It describes what happens whenever a traditional African culture and civilisation matches with the european culture. My own opinion of the goal of this poem is to describe the behavior and personality folks have at the moment and try and bring them back to the personality that folks used to have, when they used to do things with feeling and with their heart
The poem is a dialog between a father and his kid where the son will things with feeling and the daddy wants to forget his imitation personality and re-learn and create real personalities from his kid. And he's asking the child showing him how expressing real love and show real personality to others.
It the first stanza the writer mentions that people used to laugh with the heart and soul they used to laugh with their emotions, when they would laugh they would do it wholeheartedly and with warmth and they used to laugh with the eyes and show pleasure with them. And know they are doing it with only their tooth not with their center, meaning they do not actually want to laugh but take action just to get closer to you and with the darky gloomy cool eyes they watch you and wait for you from the part of their sight waiting that you can leave "search behind my shadow". In my own opinion the words "they" make reference to the white people who experienced invaded their country and influenced them with their culture. Within this stanza the words "ice-block-cold eyes" is employed these words emphasize the coldness and the interior hatred they have for you prefer they can freeze drinking water with the gaze. These also make the poem feel a lttle bit dark and cold and a slight bit sinister
In the second stanza he further talks about the personalities of the people of the past he says "they used to tremble with their hearts" here he is trying to state that when you would meet the other person you will shake their hands with pleasure and with ambiance and do it willingly. "While their kept hands search my empty pockets" out of this we can see that they are wanting to use him to get to his money or acquire something from him. This also demonstrates the people's personalities aren't real and true
In the 3rd stanza he's talking about when people request you to come again and say "feel at home" you decide to go there once, twice and the 3rd time they'll not enable you to in thinking that you are a pest and that they do not wanted to see you any further. The words "feel at home" is used for when you wish a guest to feel welcomed and they belong for the reason that household. Here he mentions that "I find the entry doors shut on me" this shows that they don't even open the door to simply tell him that he's not sought and the moment but instead leaves the door closed keeping him standing up outdoors. This also demonstrates when people speak they rest not telling the reality but just declaring something nice to grasp their heart and soul.
In the fourth stanza he speaks about how precisely he has discovered to put up faces like how clothes and masks are put on at differing times, and with different people you act differently, for example in the office you act in a single way to a person but when you meet them on the street you work another way to them, and how all the faces that folks have on different events. He says "I've learned too" which is suggesting that he in addition has changed with the change of the individuals around him. he also mentions "with all their conforming smiles just like a fixed portrait" suggesting that each of them have the same look constantly not showing any true sentiment.
In the fifth stanza he says that he has also been affected by individuals around him and he has learned to keep his true personality a key and show the earth a fraudulent personality, "to chuckle with only me teeth" this part is linked with the part in the first stanza "they only have a good laugh with their pearly whites" out of this you can see a comparison of what folks do and what he will now. This also shows that he has changed to blend in with the surroundings. Here in the part where he says "I have also learned to say `Goodbye' when I mean `Good-riddance' that is directing out to the fact that they can, without pondering and without indicating it they will say "Goodbye". He mentions forward "that Glad to meet you" meaning that he is pleased to see you and is also pleased with your existence "without being glad" meaning that the did not wanted to talk to you and they disliked your presence and if indeed they could they would of avoided you and "it has been nice speaking with you, after being bored" declaring that they say things that they don't mean
In the fifth stanza he concludes it all declaring that he will not like what he is becoming and he wishes to be like he used to be when he was like a child so small and innocent. He highlights that he would like to understand how to giggle with emotions as if you really indicate it and he compares his giggle like that of a snake's fangs that shows only the teeth snakes are those menacing creatures that are filled with venom and can't ever be trusted also to compare his have fun with a snake provides image that the man really does not like his artificial personality. This stanza amounts it well giving the image to the reader that he's not happy and content with himself
The last stanza is the further asking and pleading to his son to show him how to laugh and laugh like he do when he was a child. The last series sums up the whole poem really well making sure that all strings are tied
The structure of the poem is really good and consistent almost all of the stanzas have 6 lines in them. It is an extremely nice poem with a good smooth flow
