WAEC & NECO Literature-in-English 2026–2030 | African Poetry
Poetic Devices in Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara
Twelve devices explained simply, each with an example and its effect.
This guide covers the poetic devices in Once Upon a Time, Gabriel Okara’s poem about a father who has lost his sincerity. For each device, you will find a short definition, an example from the poem and the effect it creates. Those three steps are exactly what examiners want to see.
Before you begin, make sure you know the poem well. Our stanza-by-stanza summary is a good place to start.
Note on line numbers: References follow the standard 43-line layout of the poem. If your textbook sets the lines out differently, count from the first line of your copy.
Form and language at a glance
Okara writes in free verse, with no fixed rhyme or metre. His language is plain and conversational, so the poem sounds like a real father speaking. Because the words are simple, the poetic devices in Once Upon a Time stand out clearly and carry most of the meaning.
1. Apostrophe
Apostrophe means speaking directly to a listener who does not reply. In this poem, the whole speech is addressed to the father’s son.
Example: Stanza 1, line 1; stanza 2, line 9; stanza 4, line 19; stanza 6, line 33; stanza 7, line 40. Each time, the speaker calls out “son”.
Effect: It makes the poem feel personal and intimate, like a private talk between parent and child.
2. Simile
A simile compares two things using like or as. Okara uses several to make the speaker’s behaviour easy to picture.
Example: Stanza 4, lines 20–21 (many faces “like dresses”); stanza 4, line 24 (“like a fixed portrait smile”); stanza 6, line 39 (“like a snake’s bare fangs”).
Effect: These comparisons show how false and even dangerous the speaker’s manners have become.
3. Imagery
Imagery is language that appeals to the senses. Vivid pictures appear throughout the poem.
Example: Stanza 1, line 5 (“ice-block-cold eyes”); stanza 2, line 12 (“my empty pockets”); stanza 3, line 18 (“doors shut on me”); stanza 6, line 38 (his laugh “in the mirror”).
Effect: Readers can almost see the coldness and greed of the people he meets.
4. Contrast
Contrast places opposite ideas side by side. It is the backbone of the whole poem.
Example: Stanza 1, lines 2 and 4 (laughing “with their hearts” versus “with their teeth”); stanza 2, lines 8 and 10 (handshakes with and “without hearts”); stanza 6, lines 36–37 (“unlearn” versus “relearn”).
Effect: Each contrast highlights how much has been lost and why the father envies his son.
5. Irony
Irony occurs when words or events mean the opposite of what we expect.
Example: Stanza 3, lines 13–18 (told to “Come again”, he later finds “doors shut”); stanza 5, lines 28–32 (“Goodbye” that means “Good-riddance”, and “Glad to meet you” said without being glad).
Effect: The gap between words and meaning exposes the hypocrisy of modern social life.
Get the full Once Upon a Time exam pack
Likely WAEC and NECO essay questions with model answers, plus objective questions with answers for revision and class tests.
6. Repetition
Repetition means using a word or idea more than once for emphasis.
Example: “Laugh” in lines 2–4, 26, 38 and 41–42; “learned” in lines 19–20, 25 and 28; “I want” in stanza 6, lines 34–37; “show me” in line 41; and the title phrase again in line 43.
Effect: It stresses the father’s regret and gives the poem a rhythm like natural speech.
7. Coinage
Coinage is the creation of new words. Okara joins ordinary words to invent new ones.
Example: Stanza 4, lines 21–23: homeface, officeface, streetface, hostface and cocktailface. Stanza 1, line 5 also joins words in “ice-block-cold”.
Effect: These made-up words show how deliberate and practised the speaker’s pretence has become.
8. Enumeration (listing)
Enumeration means listing several items one after another.
Example: Stanza 4, lines 21–23 list the speaker’s many faces. Stanza 5, lines 28–32 list his false polite phrases.
Effect: The long lists suggest that pretence fills every part of his life.
9. Synecdoche
Synecdoche uses a part of something to stand for the whole.
Example: Stanza 1, lines 2–5 (hearts, eyes and teeth) and stanza 2, lines 8–11 (hearts and hands) stand for whole people.
Effect: By focusing on body parts, the poet shows how people have become cold and mechanical.
10. Symbolism
A symbol is an object or person that stands for a bigger idea.
Example: The son (lines 1 and 40–43) stands for innocence. The mirror (stanza 6, line 38) stands for honest self-examination. The snake’s fangs (line 39) suggest deceit and danger.
Effect: These symbols add depth and help carry the poem’s main message.
11. Allusion
An allusion is an indirect reference to something the reader already knows.
Example: The title and line 1 echo the opening of fairy tales, and the phrase returns in line 43.
Effect: It suggests that sincerity now belongs to a distant, almost unreal past.
12. Personification
Personification gives human actions or qualities to things that are not human. Many teachers and study guides point to it in this poem.
Example: Stanza 1, lines 5–6 (eyes “search behind my shadow”) and stanza 2, lines 11–12 (left hands “search my empty pockets”), as if these body parts act on their own.
Effect: Parts of the body seem to have their own greedy intentions, which makes people appear cold and calculating.
Exam tip: Because the eyes and hands belong to people, some examiners treat these lines as synecdoche instead. Either label can earn marks if you explain the effect clearly.
How to answer questions on poetic devices in Once Upon a Time
Examiners usually ask you to identify a set number of devices and comment on them. For each one, follow three steps. First, name the device. Next, give a clear example from the poem. Then explain the effect it has on the meaning or mood.
Never list devices without explaining them, because naming alone earns very few marks. Linking each device to a theme will lift your answer further. To see those links, read our guide to the themes in the poem.
For practice with real exam-style questions, visit Once Upon a Time questions and answers. You will find everything about the poem in the complete study guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main poetic devices in Once Upon a Time?
The most important are apostrophe, simile, contrast, irony, repetition and coinage.
What figure of speech is homeface?
It is a coinage, a new word made by joining two existing words.
Is there personification in Once Upon a Time?
Yes. Eyes and hands are described as searching, as if they act on their own. Some guides call this synecdoche instead.
Does the poem rhyme?
No. Okara uses free verse, without a regular rhyme scheme or metre.
How many devices should I mention in an exam answer?
Follow the question. If it asks for four, discuss four well rather than listing many without explanation.
Teaching this poem?
Get ready-made lesson notes, class tests and exam questions with marking guides for Once Upon a Time and all 12 prescribed poems.
