The poet of the verse form “ Once upon a clip ” is Gabriel Okara who is a Nigerian. He was born on 24th or 21st of April in the twelvemonth 1921.In that twelvemonth Nigeria got independency from Britain so at that clip they were still influenced by the British civilization. The background of the verse form is that he is retrieving the manner people used to act and interact with each other and he is comparing it with how people interact with others now. How the people used to make things with their Black Marias and with pleasance and felicity. It describes what happens when a traditional African civilization and civilization meets with the western civilization. My personal sentiment of the intent of this verse form is to sketch the behavior and personality people have at the minute and attempt and convey them back to the personality that people used to hold, when they used to make things with emotion and with their bosom

The verse form is a conversation between a male parent and his boy where the boy does things with emotion and the male parent wants to bury his bogus personality and re-learn and make existent personalities from his boy. And he is inquiring the boy to demo him how to show true love and demo existent personality to others.

It the first stanza the writer references that people used to laugh with their bosom they used to laugh with their emotions, when they would laugh they would make it wholeheartedly and with heats and they used to laugh with their eyes and demo pleasance with them. And know they do it with merely their dentitions non with their bosom, intending they do non truly desire to express joy but make it merely to acquire closer to you and with their darky gloomy cold eyes they watch you and wait for you from the corner of their eyes waiting for you to go forth “ hunt behind my shadow ” . In my sentiment the words “ they ” refer to the white people who had invaded their state and influenced them with their civilization. In this stanza the words “ ice-block-cold eyes ” is used these words emphasize the coldness and the inner hatred they have for you like they can stop dead H2O with their regard. These besides make the verse form experience a spot dark and cold and a little spot sinister

In the 2nd stanza he farther talks about the personalities of the people of the yesteryear he says “ they used to agitate with their Black Marias ” here he is seeking to state that when you would run into each other you will agitate their custodies with pleasance and with heat and make it volitionally. “ While their left custodies search my empty pockets ” from this we can see that they are seeking to utilize him to acquire to his money or receive something from him. This besides shows that the people ‘s personalities are non existent and true

In the 3rd stanza he is speaking about when people ask you to come once more and state “ experience at place ” you go at that place one time, twice and the 3rd clip they will non allow you in believing that you are a plague and that they do non wanted to see you any longer. The words “ feel at place ” is used for when you want a invitee to experience welcomed and that they belong in that family. Here he mentions that “ I find the doors shut on me ” this shows that they do non even open the door to state him that he is non wanted and the minute but alternatively leaves the door closed maintaining him standing outdoors. This besides shows that when people speak they lie non stating the truth but merely stating something nice to hold on their bosom.

In the 4th stanza he talks about how he has learned to set on faces like how outfits and masks are put on at different times, and with different people you act otherwise, for illustration in the office you act in one manner to a individual but when you meet them on the street you act another manner to them, and how all the faces that people have on different occasions. He says “ I have learned excessively ” which is proposing that he has besides changed with the alteration of the people around him. he besides mentions “ with all their conforming smilings like a fixed portrayal ” proposing that they all have the same smiling all the clip non demoing any true emotion.

In the 5th stanza he says that he has besides been influenced by the people around him and he has learned to maintain his true personality a secret and demo the universe a bogus personality, “ to express joy with merely me teeth ” this portion is connected with the portion in the first stanza “ they merely laugh with their dentitions ” from this you can see a comparing of what people do and what he does now. This besides shows that he has changed to intermix in with the environment. Here in the portion where he says “ I have besides learned to state `Goodbye ‘ when I mean `Good-riddance ‘ that is indicating out to the fact that they will, without thought and without intending it they will state “ Goodbye ” . He mentions frontward “ that Glad to run into you ” intending that he is happy to see you and is happy with your presence “ without being glad ” significance that the did non wanted to speak to you and they disliked your presence and if they could they would of avoided you and “ it ‘s been nice speaking to you, after being bored ” stating that they say things that they do non intend

In the 5th stanza he concludes it all stating that he does non wish what he has become and he wants to be like he used to be when he was like a kid so little and guiltless. He points out that he truly wants to larn how to express joy with emotions like you truly intend it and he compares his laugh like that of a serpent ‘s Fangs that shows merely the dentition serpents are those endangering animals that are full of venom and can ne’er be trusted and to compare his laugh with a serpent gives the image that the adult male truly does non wish his bogus personality. This stanza sums it good by giving the image to the reader that he is non happy and satisfied with himself

The last stanza is the farther inquiring and pleading to his boy to demo him how to express joy and smile like he did when he was a kid. The last line sums up the full verse form truly good doing certain that all strings are tied

The construction of the verse form is truly good and consistent most of the stanzas have 6 lines in them. It is a really nice verse form with a nice smooth flow