Once Upon A Time Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 12 English Poem 4- Once Upon A Time Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from A Rainbow of English Book
Once Upon A Time Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and lesson explanation for PSEB Class 12 English Poem 4 – Once Upon A Time from A Rainbow of English Book. Get Once Upon A Time Poem summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings and poetic devices.
PSEB Class 12 English Poem 4 – Once Upon A Time
Gabriel Okara
The poem “Once Upon A Time” by Gabriel Okara highlights the innocence one possesses when a child. The poet feels sad that as people grow up, their nature turns from being honest and genuine to deceitful and pretending. The poet believes that adults wear different “faces” to hide their true feelings and intentions. He believes that they smile, shake hands, and speak politely, but mostly do not mean it. In contrast, during childhood people are honest, and laugh freely. The poet wishes he could go back to those happy, honest days when life was full of true feelings and no lies.
- Once Upon A Time Summary
- Once Upon A Time Summary in Hindi
- Once Upon A Time Theme
- Once Upon A Time Explanation
- Once Upon A Time Poetic Devices
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Once Upon A Time Summary
The poem “Once Upon A Time” by Gabriel Okara talks about how people change as they grow older. The poet feels sad because people today are not as honest and kind as they used to be when they were children. In the past, people would laugh and smile freely from their heart, and their eyes would show genuine and real happiness. When they shook hands, it was a true sign of friendship and care. But now, people only smile with their teeth, and their eyes are usually cold, often hiding their true feelings. They tend to say polite things like “Feel at home” or “Come again,” but they never really mean it. Even when the poet returns to visit, sometime later the doors are closed to him, showing their insincerity.
The poet explains that transitioning into adulthood has made him adapt and learn to wear many “faces” for different situations, such as, one for home, one for work, one for parties, and all of them are fake. He has also learned to say things he does not mean, like “Goodbye” when he is rather happy to leave, or “Glad to meet you” when he is clearly not. The poet misses the honest, simple way of life he had as a child. He concludes the poem by asking his son to teach him how to laugh and smile with real happiness again, like he used to long ago in his childhood.
Summary of the Poem Once Upon A Time in Hindi
गेब्रियल ओकारा की कविता “एक ज़माने की बात है” इस बारे में बात करती है कि उम्र बढ़ने के साथ लोग कैसे बदल जाते हैं। कवि को दुख होता है क्योंकि आजकल के लोग उतने ईमानदार और दयालु नहीं हैं जितने बचपन में हुआ करते थे। पहले लोग दिल खोलकर हँसते और मुस्कुराते थे, और उनकी आँखों में सच्ची और सच्ची खुशी झलकती थी। जब वे हाथ मिलाते थे, तो यह दोस्ती और परवाह का सच्चा प्रतीक होता था। लेकिन अब, लोग सिर्फ़ दाँतों से मुस्कुराते हैं, और उनकी आँखें आमतौर पर ठंडी होती हैं, जो अक्सर उनकी सच्ची भावनाओं को छिपा देती हैं। वे अक्सर “घर जैसा महसूस करो” या “फिर आना” जैसी विनम्र बातें कहते हैं, लेकिन उनका कभी भी ऐसा मतलब नहीं होता। यहाँ तक कि जब कवि मिलने वापस आता है, तब भी कुछ समय बाद उसके लिए दरवाज़े बंद हो जाते हैं, जो उनकी कपटपूर्णता को दर्शाता है।
कवि बताते हैं कि वयस्कता में प्रवेश करते हुए उन्होंने अलग-अलग परिस्थितियों के लिए कई “चेहरे” अपनाना और अपनाना सीखा है, जैसे, एक घर के लिए, एक काम के लिए, एक पार्टियों के लिए, और ये सभी नकली हैं। उसने ऐसी बातें भी कहना सीख लिया है जिनका वह मतलब नहीं रखता, जैसे “अलविदा” जब वह जाने से बहुत खुश होता है, या “आपसे मिलकर खुशी हुई” जब वह बिल्कुल भी खुश नहीं होता। कवि को बचपन की ईमानदार और सादगी भरी ज़िंदगी की याद आती है। वह कविता का समापन अपने बेटे से यह कहकर करता है कि वह उसे फिर से सच्ची खुशी के साथ हँसना और मुस्कुराना सिखाए, जैसे वह बचपन में किया करता था।
Theme of the Poem Once Upon A Time
The poem “Once Upon A Time” by Gabriel Okara revolves around the following themes:-
Loss of Innocence
The poet contrasts the pure, genuine laughter and behavior of childhood with the insincere conduct of adulthood. He showcases how people lose their natural innocence as they grow older and conform to societal expectations and norms.
Hypocrisy in Society
The poem highlights the falsehood and pretense in adult interactions and discussions, where people smile, shake hands, and speak politely, but their actions are led by selfish motives and hidden agendas, showcasing the hypocrisy of adults.
Nostalgia and Yearning for the Past
The poet expresses his deep nostalgia for the simplicity and honesty of his childhood. He longs to relearn the genuine way of laughing and interacting with people, free from deceit and hypocrisy.
Once Upon A Time Explanation
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.
Word Meanings:
ice-block-cold eyes (metaphor): A look showing no emotions
shadow (n): an area of darkness, caused by light being blocked by something
Explanation of the stanza: The poem begins by Gabriel talking to his son about how people used to be honest and kind in the past. A long time ago, when people laughed, their whole face revealed real happiness, their eyes and heart were full of joy. However now, people only smile by showing their teeth, without any real happiness in their eyes. Their eyes have become emotionless and cold, as if they do not really care about others anymore. Instead of being friendly, they look suspiciously at each other, as if they are trying to find something wrong or hidden about them or their intentions, even going as far as to look behind the poet’s shadow. This shows how people have become fake, deceitful and dishonest over time.
Poem:
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.
Word Meanings:
pockets (n): a small bag for carrying things in, made of cloth and sewn into the inside or onto the outside of a piece of clothing
Explanation of the stanza: The poet tells his son about a time when people used to be nice and honest. In the past, when someone shook hands, it was a true gesture of friendship, care and trust, they shook hands “with their hearts.” But now, that honesty is gone. People shake hands just as a polite gesture, but their hearts are not in it. At the same time, the poet says that “left hands search my empty pockets,” which means that they are constantly thinking about taking advantage of others or looking for personal gain, even when doing a simple gesture such as shaking hands. This shows that adult behavior has become deceitful, selfish, and dishonest.
Poem:
‘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.
Word Meanings:
shut (v): to close something
Explanation of the stanza: The poet continues to talk about the false politeness of people. They say friendly things like “Feel at home!” or “Come again,” which outwardly seem warm and welcoming, however in reality, they do not mean it. Even if the poet returns once or twice, eventually he finds that the doors are closed to him, showing that their words were only empty promises. This shows how adults often behave politely on the surface but are not truly sincere. Their friendliness is only for show, and real warmth and honesty are missing.
Poem:
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.
Word Meanings:
conforming (v): behaving or thinking in the same way as most other people in a group or society
portrait (n): (1) a painting, drawing or a photograph of a person, especially of the head and shoulders (2) a detailed description of something
riddance (n): an unkind way of saying that you are pleased that somebody has gone
bored (adj.): feeling unhappy because something is not interesting or because you have nothing to do, or showing that you feel like this
Explanation of the stanza: Gabriel explains to his son how he has learned to behave falsely as an adult. He says he wears many “faces” like different clothes, like the face he has at home, at office, on the street, as a host, and when going to cocktails, thus changing his behavior depending on where he is, but all with fake smiles, similar to a fixed portrait that never changes. He mentions that he has learned to laugh without feeling joy, to shake hands without sincerity, and to say polite words which he does not mean. For example, he says “Goodbye” when in reality he is happy to leave, or “Glad to meet you” even when he is not glad to meet the said person. These lines show how adult life often forces people to hide their true feelings and act in a false, artificial way.
Poem:
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!
Word Meanings:
unlearn (v): to make an effort to forget your usual way of doing something so that you can learn a new and sometimes better way
muting (adj.): silent or not speaking; here, things which the poet has lost over the years like his emotions and innocence
relearn (v): to learn something again
fangs (n): long sharp teeth at the front of a snake’s mouth
Explanation of the stanza: The poet continues to tell his son that he wants to go back to the way he used to be as a child. He wishes to unlearn all the false behaviors and habits he has adopted as an adult, which he believes are the “muting things” that stop him from being honest and happy. Most importantly, he wants to relearn how to laugh with true joy, because now his laughter in the mirror looks fake and frightening, like a snake’s bare fangs. This shows his deep desire to return to innocence, honesty, and genuine happiness, just like children naturally have.
Poem:
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.
Word Meanings:
once upon a time (phrase): something happened or existed a long time ago or in an imaginary world
Explanation of the stanza: Lastly, Gabriel asks his son to teach him how to laugh and smile with true happiness again. He wants to remember the way he laughed and smiled naturally as a child, which was honestly and freely, without any pretense. By addressing his son, he shows that children still have the innocence and joy that adults often lose. The poet’s request shows his deep desire to return to the honest and genuine emotions of his early life.
Once Upon A Time Poetic Devices
The poem “Once Upon A Time ” by Gabriel Okara consists of the following poetic devices:-
Imagery
Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.
- “Shake hands without my heart / While their left hands search my empty pockets.”
The poet uses vivid imagery to show the insincerity and greed of people, allowing readers to visualize the false gestures and hollow interactions.
Simile
It is a figure of speech that compares two unlike or different things.
- “My laugh in the mirror shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!”
The poet compares his fake smile to a snake’s bare fangs to show how deceitful and cold his laughter has become.
Repetition
It is a literary device in which a word or phrase is used multiple times to create rhythm or emphasize a word or phrase.
- “I have learned many things, son. I have learned to wear many faces like dresses…”
The poet repeats “I have learned” to highlight how he has adopted many artificial habits as he grew older, emphasizing the loss of his original, sincere self.
Contrast
It highlights the differences between two people, places, things, or ideas to create emphasis, emotion, and vivid imagery for the reader
- “But now they only laugh with their teeth / While their ice-block-cold eyes search behind my shadow.”
The poet contrasts the honesty of childhood laughter with the false smiles of adulthood, highlighting the change in human behavior over time.
Conclusion
This post provides the students with a comprehensive understanding of the Poem 4 – Once Upon A Time By Gabriel Okara from the PSEB Class 12 English A Rainbow of English Book. It provides the students with the introduction, theme, summary, poem explanation with word meanings, ensuring that the students comprehend the chapter effectively.