Telephone Conversation

Wole Soyinka

The price seemed reasonable, location

Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived

Off premises. Nothing remained

But self-confession. "Madam," I warned,

"I hate a wasted journey—I am African."

Silence. Silenced transmission of

Pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came,

Lipstick coated, long gold rolled

Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was foully.

"HOW DARK?" . . . I had not misheard . . . "ARE YOU LIGHT

OR VERY DARK?" Button B, Button A. Stench

Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.

Red booth. Red pillar box. Red double-tiered

Omnibus squelching tar. It was real! Shamed

By ill-mannered silence, surrender

Pushed dumbfounded to beg simplification.

Considerate she was, varying the emphasis--

"ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?" Revelation came.

"You mean--like plain or milk chocolate?"

Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light

Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted,

I chose. "West African sepia"--and as afterthought,

"Down in my passport." Silence for spectroscopic

Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent

Hard on the mouthpiece. "WHAT'S THAT?" conceding

"DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS." "Like brunette."

"THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?" "Not altogether.

Facially, I am brunette, but, madam, you should see

The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet

Are a peroxide blond. Friction, caused--

Foolishly, madam--by sitting down, has turned

My bottom raven black--One moment, madam!"--sensing

Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap

About my ears--"Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather

See for yourself?"

"Telephone Conversation" is a biting satireagainst the racist attitudes of whites in the 20th century. It ridicules the social evil and human weakness of racial prejudice.

Overtly, the poem deals with a black, educated man who is ringing up a white landlady about renting an apartment and, we assume, is not allowed to rent the apartment because of the colour of his skin.

Form and StructureLyric poem – a poem recounting a personal event, usually in the present tense.

Free verse – the lack of structure represents the spontaneity and realism of the conversation, as well as the lack of rhyme.

Caesura – abrupt stops representing the disgust of the speaker or drawing attention to how horrible the woman’s racism is.

Symbolism and ImageryColours - “brunette” “peroxide blonde” “raven black” “West African sepia” “plain or milk chocolate”

"HOW DARK?... ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?“

“spectroscopic” - a spectroscope is a device used to break down and separate the light bounced off from an object. The landlady is drawing a contrast between herself and the speaker of the poem. Their colours are separated, unable to unite.

Symbolism and Imagery

Alliteration - “clinical, crushing.” The ‘c’ sound heightens the sense of the sheer coldness of the landlady towards the speaker.

“long gold-rolled/Cigarette-holder” – extended metaphor for the white landlady. It symbolises her perceived affluence and importance.

Symbolism and Imagery

Symbolism of red. Links to national identity. Consider the connotations of red also – in particular, anger.

Irony

The lady is continuously described in positive terms, suggesting that she is of a good breeding and upper class. Even when the reader finds out that she is a shallow and racist person who exhibits extreme insensitivity by asking crude questions, the man seems to think that she is ‘considerate’ and her clinical response to his question shows only ‘light impersonality.’ The repeated and exaggerated assertions of the woman’s good manners and sophistication drip with irony as her speech contradict this strongly.

Irony

The basis of the woman rejecting to lease her house to the man is because of the prejudiced notion that African Americans are a savage and wild people. This idea is completely discredited by the ironical fact that throughout the poem the man retains better manners and vocabulary than the woman, using words such as “spectroscopic” and “rancid”, whereas she does not know what West African Sepia is and is inconsiderate in her inquiries. Using irony in this manner, Soyinka proves how absurd it is to judge the intellect or character of a man depending on the colour of his skin only.

Themes

Racism

Ignorance