The poem 'Once Upon a Time' ends with the father asking his son to teach him to laugh again. Explain the significance of this ending.

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SIGNIFICANCE: The ending of 'Once Upon a Time' is a profound reversal that carries the poem's central message. Normally in a parent-child relationship, the PARENT teaches the CHILD. But here, Gabriel Okara's father-speaker admits that he has LOST his ability to be genuine — to laugh and smile with his heart, not just with his teeth. He asks his young SON to teach him how to be authentic again. WHY IS THIS SIGNIFICANT? (1) ROLE REVERSAL: The child becomes the teacher of the adult. This shows that children are naturally MORE authentic than adults who have been socialized to be artificial. (2) CRITIQUE OF ADULTHOOD: The poem suggests that growing up in modern (and possibly post-colonial) society means learning to be FAKE — to wear masks, to smile with eyes that don't match the smile. The adult has mastered these hollow performances. (3) THE CHILD AS SYMBOL: The son represents lost INNOCENCE and AUTHENTICITY. He has not yet learnt to pretend. By asking to be taught by the child, the father recognises that innocence is superior to sophisticated social performance. (4) HOPE: The ending is not entirely pessimistic — it suggests the father WANTS to return to authenticity. He has not given up. He is asking for help to 'unlearn' the artificiality.

Practice — Once Upon a Time — Gabriel Okara

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