How do the poets convey longing In ‘planar and ‘once upon a time’? In the comparison between the two poems, what they are longing for, what causes the longing and how do they convey longing are the main topics. Firstly, what are they longing for? In ‘once upon a time’ it is a man telling his son about how much times had changed, that he was almost Jealous of his childhood, similar to that of ‘piano. The title ‘once upon a time’ obviously conveys nostalgia, to a possible child flashback, but I also think that it is a happy memory as “once upon a mime” has a very fairytale sense to it. I also think that the father is introducing the son to the artifice of present day, which again reiterates that the father has a sense of longing towards his childhood and that the Joys and honest natures of childhood are lost which adulthood. The narrators repetition of “used to” “when I was like you” and “but that’s gone” conveys a Jealousy and longing to be a child again.
In ‘piano’ it also conveys that the narrator is longing for their childhood again. This message is conveyed, as there are a lot of references to child-issue qualities as the title itself means soft, which reinforces gentleness. I also get the sense that the memory is hard to confront as the “;” implies a pause. The poet also uses the phrase “insidious mastery” which Implies the memory Is almost forcing him back, against his will, and the use of “betray’ obviously conveys a power controlling him. But an emotional memory as “the heart of [him] weeps. I also get a strong impression that the narrator is longing for his childhood, as in the last stanza, he is back in the present day, as he is disapproving of how present day music is very self-centered ND how “it is vain for the singer to burst into clamor” and “the great black piano passionate” which can be contrasted to the first stanza, where the mother Is innocently singing for her child, whereas the “great black Plano passionate’ Is very outstanding and bold, as If they want to be the center of attention, singing for themselves opposed to others.
Passionate is also a very contrasting to piano, which reiterates the point of boldness. In conclusion I think that they have in common that they are both longing for childhood again, and disheartened by the artifice and vanity of present day. Secondly, what causes the longing? I think that the mall reason reflected In both poems is the artifice and vanity of present day. They both convey strongly how much they would relive childhood. In ‘piano’ it is clear as the “now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamor” which conveys that they are so fixated on their own personality and image that there singing is “vain. Clamor also implies that the music isn’t pleasant to listen too, especially with a “great black piano” lurking, as If it was all eyes on me. I do also get the Impression that something Is forcing this memory, as his empowerment over him, and in the first stanza something is “taking me back down the vista of years” which implies it is the woman singing to him. In the last stanza the poet uses the phrase “l weep like a child for the past” which is ironic as weeping is a child quality, but the its ironic as he is “weeping like a child” to be a child.
In ‘once upon a time,’ similar to ‘piano the longing is caused by an almost hatred to the present day, how two-faced the people are and how “they used to laugh with heir hearts and laugh with their eyes; but now they only laugh with their teeth” which again implies how times have changed and it’s all a facade to impress but it’s all on the outside. He conveys peoples “faces like dresses” which implies you almost “wear” them to different occasions.
I also think that the father in this poem is introducing his son to the fastness of reality, and how everything isn’t as it seems, as there is a constant reference to “l have learned” which conveys the father’s had these experiences in the past. The fact that the narrator has to “relearn how to laugh” envoys a lot about the time he’s living, as laughing is a natural procedure one that we learnt from birth, and how his “laugh in the mirror shows only [his] teeth like snakes bare fangs” which to implies, he’s not longing for the past to escape these the atrocities of his surroundings, but I think he also longs to change himself.
A snake is a very sinister, cold-blooded animal, which conveys no feeling, but its society that enforces this change and he is forced to care about the opinions of others. In both poems though, they finish on a very similar ending, longing for their childhood, as once upon a time when I was like you” and “I weep like a child for the past” both convey an obvious longing. Finally, how is this longing conveyed?
In ‘once upon a time’ and ‘piano the longing is conveyed through a very desperate tone the poet puts out, as in ‘piano’ he is weeping like a child. “Weeping,” conveys strong emotion for something, and in this case it’s “for the past. ” there is also a sudden change in mood in the second stanza, as the memory increasingly becomes stronger, forcing the emotion and Jealousy out of him. There is also internal rhyme and rhyming couplets present throughout the poem, which again recognizes the child-like rhythm to the poem.
In ‘once upon a time’ the poet/narrator is obviously in spite of the present day, bitterly describing what people are like, which again gives of a very desperate tone. Also the last stanza in ‘once upon a time’ as the father almost making a request to the son, which isn’t a very ‘role model’ thing to do, as he is the father and he should be teaching the kid “how to laugh. ” The stanza also finishes on “once upon a time when I was like you” which envoys the desperateness the father has for his childhood.
In conclusion, there is a strong sense of longing through every aspect of the poem, and how the artifice and fade people put on are all emotionless and “like dresses” they hide your inner self. In both poems, these two points are reiterated, and they both finish on a longing for their childhood. The differences are ‘piano’ is a man thruster back by his own memory, a strong “insidious mastery’ whereas in ‘once upon a time” it is a father introducing his son into the fastness of reality.
