Once by Alice Walker

First published: 1968, in Once: Poems

Type of poem: Narrative

The Poem

“Once” is a poem consisting of fourteen numbered sections in free verse. The sections range from fifteen to forty-one lines, each presenting one image or short narrative from Alice Walker’s work in the 1960’s with the American Civil Rights movement. Together, the sections add up, like the pieces in a stained-glass window, to a complete picture.

“Once” opens with Walker in a Southern jail. Her companion points out the irony of the pretty lawn and flowers outside the jail, while Walker dryly comments on the irony that “Someone in America/ is being/ protected/ [from me].” This ironic tone informs most of the poem. At this point, the reader knows only that someone, assumed to be Walker (although no name or gender is specified), is in jail in the South. There is no reason given and no mention of when this happened.

In the next two sections, hints of the Civil Rights movement and the 1960’s begin to emerge. The speaker appears carrying a sign as she runs through Atlanta’s streets, and there are daily arrests. The fact that there is a “nigger” in the company of “white folks” is observed. By the end of the fourth section, the setting for the poem is clear. As soon as the reader becomes aware that this poem is about the Civil Rights movement, it is time to contemplate the title, “Once.” Does Walker intend to conjure up the atmosphere of a fairy tale, to say that this happened “once upon a time” in a land long ago and far away, or does she want to emphasize that this movement is only one fight for justice among many? The answer is that she intends both meanings.

The reader is introduced to Walker’s associates as the poem unfolds: the white friend who has been shunned by her family for her activism (section 4); Peter, a Jewish worker in the movement who is killed at seventeen (section 6); the arrogant black man with a smart mouth (section 2); the woman who smiles at little ironies (section 1). Introduced in the poem as well are an assortment of bigoted white Southerners: the absurdly “liberal” white woman and the stripper, who insist they are not prejudiced (sections 10 and 12); the driver who hits a young black girl with his truck and makes it seem to be her fault (section 13); the “understanding cops.” The Southern blacks presented in “Once” tend to be powerless in one manner or another. They are poor and hungry (section 8); arrested (section 11); struck down (section 13). The term “nigger” is used throughout the poem, spoken both by “liberals” and by bigots.

The anecdotes are presented simply, with no interpretation. Many lines are direct quotations. Walker expects the reader to notice the ironies, to feel anger or sadness, based on the facts alone. Because most of the characters, including many speakers, are identified only by gender, race, or type, each image becomes more universal: These terrible moments are typical; they could have happened to many people, in many lands, at many times. Yet the poem ends on a hopeful note. The final scene finds a young black girl waving an American flag—timid, but just daring enough to celebrate the freedom that someday may be hers.

Forms and Devices

“Once” is written in very short lines that combine to form generally straightforward sentences. Often, a numbered section will contain only one sentence, as section 14, which closes the poem, does: “then there was/ the/ picture of/ the/ bleak-eyed/ little black/ girl/ waving the/ american/ flag/ holding it/ gingerly/ with/ the very/ tips/ of her/ fingers.” Some commentators have wondered whether, in fact, this is poetry at all. Clearly, this poem is neither as substantial nor as sophisticated as those in Walker’s later collection, Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems (1973). There is much to recommend “Once,” though, and its simplicity is essential to its beauty and power.

One effect of the very short lines is that they force the reader to slow down, to notice each element in the stanza. A child holding a flag is a common enough sight—so common that people tend not even to see it. Walker presents simple images in a simple style, but alters the typography so that the reader is forced to notice, to ponder. Thus, “american” is spelled with a lowercase letter and set off in a line by itself. The reader cannot help but pause over that line, stopped for a moment by the lowercase a. By forcing the reader to pause, Walker emphasizes the word so that the irony (this integration battle is going on in America) is not lost in hasty or careless reading. Walker creates similar effects, drawing attention to particular words and phrases, by using italics (“tips/ of her/ fingers”), dashes, and eye-catching alignment on the page. The short lines also help bring out sound effects that might otherwise be missed. In the stanza quoted above, the assonance of “bleak-eyed/ little black” is heightened by the way in which the words are arranged on the page; the sound effect calls attention to those two essential characteristics of the girl.

Walker does not use many common poetic devices, such as rhyme, meter, metaphor, or simile, which create a heightened but artificial language for poetry. “Once” and the other poems in this collection are written in a very straightforward style—the language that people actually use when they speak. The occasional obscenity is intended not to shock but simply to be realistic. If the words sound harsh, it is because the reality of racial hatred is harsh.

Walker does not use much figurative language in her poetry either. She does not say, “This is like that”; she says, “This is.” By presenting images simply and honestly, Walker forces the reader to look.

Bibliography

Banks, Erma Davis, and Keith Byerman. Alice Walker: An Annotated Bibliography, 1968-1986. New York: Garland, 1989.

Christian, Barbara. “Novel for Everyday Use: The Novels of Alice Walker.” In Black Women Novelists: The Development of a Tradition, 1892-1976. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980.

Lauret, Maria. Alice Walker. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.

McMillan, Laurie: “Telling a Critical Story: Alice Walker’s In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens.” Journal of Modern Literature 23, no. 1 (Fall, 2004): 103-107.

Noe, Marcia. “Teaching Alice Walker’s ’Everyday Use’: Employing Race, Class, and Gender, with an Annotated Bibliography.” Eureka Studies in Teaching Short Fiction 5, no. 1 (Fall, 2004): 123-136.

Parker-Smith, Bettye J. “Alice Walker’s Women: In Search of Some Peace of Mind.” In Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, edited by Mari Evans. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor, 1984.

Tate, Claudia. Black Women Writers at Work. New York: Continuum, 1983.

Willis, Susan. “Black Woman Writers: Taking a Critical Perspective.” In Making a Difference: Feminist Literary Criticism, edited by Gayle Greene and Coppelia Kahn. London: Methuen, 1985.