Once Upon a Time

     The repeated phrase, "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED"in Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer foreshadowed the accident with the little boy.  The repetitiveness of it should make the reader question why it is showing up so much.  In the end, I realized that it was just foreshadowing the coming events of the story.  The Neighborhood Watch gave them a "a plaque for their gates lettered YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" (233).  I believe that this plaque was on the wrong side of the fence.  It should have been facing inside to warn the little boy. I also felt like the phrase was talking to me in a way, telling me that I have been warned for the sad ending.  I mean, it was a child's story.  However, this one did not end in a happily ever after.  I feel like Gordimer was preparing readers for the tragic ending by using this phrase.