Telephone Conversation

The following is the poem,"Telephone Conversation":

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 blonde. 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?'


Q1. This poem is full of colours not just that of skin, what do you think these colours signify?

In line 10, the landlady ask the persona, who was an African American if he was dark and light because she was afraid that a African American was seen in the house. In the past, African American were resented and hated by the white because the Whites thought that they were poor and weak. Also, when a white let a African American stayed in their house, it meant that they were poor and weak and were often teased. This cause the landlady to ask if the persona was light or dark as a white may come from Africa. Or she might be able to disguise the persona as a white if he was light compared to his race. In line 13,the poet uses the word "red" three times, which are "Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered". This was used to express the persona's anger and resentment to the land lay who was insulting his race, the African American, because she thought that the African American are of lesser race, which was false. In other words, from line 10 to line 17, the persona felt insulted by the landlady as he knew that the African American were not weak and poor brutes that everyone knew.

Q2. What does the dialogue in this poem reveal about these two characters?

The dialogue in this poem shows that the landlady was rich but dislike the African American as she feel that they were poor, weak and lazy, which meant that the persona was of a lesser race. She also felt that the persona and his race were not smart and witty, but the poem revealed that the persona was in fact witty and as able to outsmart her, causing her to shrink in shame and fear. And most importantly, he was able to defend himself from the insulting comment of the landlady.

Q3. Who wins in the end?

In the end, the persona won as he was able to use his wits to show the landlady who was boss and that his race was not to be discriminated by others as they were in fact witty and equal to the whites.