Once upon a time.

                    Once upon a time

                                   Gabriel Okara 

                                

                               

                              The poem ‘Once upon a time’ is  written by Gabriel Okara both explore the issue of a relationship between father and son. However, they express this in different situations and forms. ‘Follower’ expresses the relationship with father and son with the son being admired by his father and wanting to be just likes him which suddenly contrasts at the end of the poem.

                                  ‘Once upon a time’ expresses the relationship between each other as if it was some form of fairy tale story. Both poems include certain words and phrases which can evoke different feelings and thoughts of relationship between them. This essay will now explore how ‘Follower’ and ‘Once upon a time’ show father and son relationship.
‘Follower’, written by Seamus Heaney expresses the relationship between father and son through the use of poetic terms. Firstly, we can see the very ambiguous suggestion of the title ‘Follower’. This could show that now the young boy in this poem follows his father literally and metaphorically.

                         The main story of this poem shows how Heaney was a young boy and was allowed to go with his father to work daily. The purpose of this was to mention when he was around his father as he just followed him around the farm with some desperation to learn and eventually take over the role of his father, with Heaney’s choice in the fifth stanza ; ‘I wanted to grow up and plough’. He believes that by imitating his father’s actions on the farm will enable him to soon take over the role, although he learns how skilled the work is. In the first stanza we are introduced in first person narrative with Heaney’s use of ‘My’, this suggests that he is expressing his father as some precious possession.

                          This clearly displays the real bond between these two characters and helps to give us an insight into their relationship. The boy, reflective of Heaney himself, constantly compliments his father.