Once Upon a Time

Grade 9R
English Literature
February 25, 2022
Objectives
By the end of the lesson you should be able to:
❖ Assess how meaning is expressed through the poet’s choice of language and the use
of structural elements of poetry.
❖ Summarize a given poem
❖ understand the thought and imagination contained in the poems
❖ Identify and explain poetic forms
❖ Strengthen their vocabulary through practice with adjectives through tone and mood.
❖ Understand the historical context of the poems
❖ Understand the writer’s intent of the poems
❖ Garner meaning through subject and themes.
❖ Answer short answer questions on a given poem
The Poet
Two truths and a lie. Spot the lie!

Gabriel Okara is Nigerian.

Gabriel Okara loves the European way of life.

Gabriel Okara was a self educated man who started out as a book binder.
Activity
Research the poet Gabriel Okara and use the information to create an
identification card or social media profile. Include relevant details eg. D.O.B.
nationality, job, issues he writes about etc. You may design it using Google Slides
or Google Drawing.
Background
● Loss of authentic Nigerian identity
and behaviour
● Nigeria colonized by Britain in 1885
● Nigeria gained its independence in 1960
● Nigeria still influenced by western
culture, attitudes and values,
likely as a result of its past and ongoing
global trade
Situation

The poem explores the impact of western development and the change in cultural
attitudes, values and traditions. A father addresses his son outlining the changes
that have taken place in society and himself. He stresses that people have
become fake, insincere and greedy. They present different faces in different
contexts (hypocrisy). He explains that he too has learned these behaviours, but he
longs to become more like his son (innocent and genuine) so he asks him to teach
him to do so.
Tone and Mood
Nostalgic
Mood
Regretful Reflective
Sympathy
Bitter
Themes
Change

Loss of cultural identity

Innocence
Poetic Devices Activity

Find at least 5 pictures that portray striking images from the poem. Identify
poetic devices used to create imagery. Explain the type of image and how it
contributes to the meaning of the poem.
Poetic Devices-Explaining Similes
“I have learned to wear many faces/like dresses”

“with all their conforming smiles/like a fixed portrait smile.”

“my laugh in the mirror shows only my teeth like a snake's bare fangs.”
Explaining a Simile
Similes are powerful analogies that spark the imagination. Writers use them to paint vivid
images, evoke emotion or memory, and clarify or explain ideas through comparison. In doing
so, similes give readers a fuller understanding of the subject and help them connect to the
text. “He was hungry” is a plain assertion, but “He was as hungry as a pig” leverages
common perceptions to express a more robust idea of hunger, one characterized by gluttony
and greed.

Writers also use similes to make intangible concepts more accessible to readers.
“Happiness” is abstract, but “Happiness is like sunshine” uses the concrete image of
sunshine to convey a sense a warmth and light.
You have not fully expressed the effectiveness of a device until you state the
images, emotion/memory, or ideas being conveyed through the comparison.

Ask yourself:

What am I able to vividly see, hear, feel, taste or smell through this comparison?

What emotion am I feeling?

What idea is the poet communicating about first item of comparison?