Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka criticises the racial attitudes of his society to ironically highlight the unjust treatment of black people. The poem features a telephone conversation between an African traveller looking for accommodation and a white landlady, whom, upon hearing that the traveller is black, refuses to lodge him a room. Soyinka constructs three key concepts which include the supposed superiority of the white population, the ignorance of white people and the format of a real telephone conversation. Racial prejudice should not be present in any society, and Soyinka writes Telephone Conversation to criticise this issue.
In Telephone Conversation, Soyinka investigates the hypothetical white superiority through the use of …show more content…
The caesura of “I have not misheard” when the landlady first asked for the skin colour of the traveller by questioning: “HOW DARK? … ARE YOU LIGHT / OR VERY DARK?” demonstrates this ignorance. The caesura aims to evoke a nature of calmness when contrasted against the sense of yelling from the landlady indicated the capitalisation of her speech, thus highlighting the ignorance of the landlady’s question. Soyinka also employs didacticism in Telephone Conversation to demonstrate the ignorance. Towards the end of the poem, the traveller says, “[The traveller’s skin colour is] Not altogether [black]”, and then launches into a satirical exploration of the various shades of his body, where he states: “Facially, I am brunette, but madam you should see the rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet. / Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused‐ / Foolishly madam‐ by sitting down, has turned / My bottom raven black.” The persona ends with the question: “Wouldn’t you rather / See for yourself?” This question can illustrate or negate her ignorance. Therefore, such is a question directed to the audience who hold the inability to see anew. Thus, Soyinka condemns the ignorance of the landlady, and asks the audience to alter their …show more content…
To start with, there is no rhyme and rhythm present in Telephone Conversation. This reflects the nature of a telephone conversation, thus creating a more realistic and authentic atmosphere. This atmosphere is furthered by the irregular pace of the poem, evident in the lines: “. The use of pause as demonstrated by the lines: “‘You mean- like plain or milk chocolate?’”, and “Friction, caused- / foolishly madam- by sitting down has turned / My bottom raven black- One moment madam!” also contribute to create a more natural atmosphere. By formatting the poem to reflect a telephone conversation, Soyinka emphasises that the traveller and the landlady do not meet in person. Therefore, the landlady is limited to judging the traveller by his skin colour. This may be the source of the racism exhibited by the landlady because by refusing to meet the traveller, she is refusing personal connection with the traveller.
In Telephone Conversation, Soyinka investigates the hypothetical white superiority through the use of …show more content…
The caesura of “I have not misheard” when the landlady first asked for the skin colour of the traveller by questioning: “HOW DARK? … ARE YOU LIGHT / OR VERY DARK?” demonstrates this ignorance. The caesura aims to evoke a nature of calmness when contrasted against the sense of yelling from the landlady indicated the capitalisation of her speech, thus highlighting the ignorance of the landlady’s question. Soyinka also employs didacticism in Telephone Conversation to demonstrate the ignorance. Towards the end of the poem, the traveller says, “[The traveller’s skin colour is] Not altogether [black]”, and then launches into a satirical exploration of the various shades of his body, where he states: “Facially, I am brunette, but madam you should see the rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet. / Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused‐ / Foolishly madam‐ by sitting down, has turned / My bottom raven black.” The persona ends with the question: “Wouldn’t you rather / See for yourself?” This question can illustrate or negate her ignorance. Therefore, such is a question directed to the audience who hold the inability to see anew. Thus, Soyinka condemns the ignorance of the landlady, and asks the audience to alter their …show more content…
To start with, there is no rhyme and rhythm present in Telephone Conversation. This reflects the nature of a telephone conversation, thus creating a more realistic and authentic atmosphere. This atmosphere is furthered by the irregular pace of the poem, evident in the lines: “. The use of pause as demonstrated by the lines: “‘You mean- like plain or milk chocolate?’”, and “Friction, caused- / foolishly madam- by sitting down has turned / My bottom raven black- One moment madam!” also contribute to create a more natural atmosphere. By formatting the poem to reflect a telephone conversation, Soyinka emphasises that the traveller and the landlady do not meet in person. Therefore, the landlady is limited to judging the traveller by his skin colour. This may be the source of the racism exhibited by the landlady because by refusing to meet the traveller, she is refusing personal connection with the traveller.