Telephone Conversation – Wole Soyinka (Summary)

Telephone Conversation – Wole Soyinka

“Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka, is a poetic satire against the widespread racism, which is still dominant in the modern western society. As the title suggests, the poem depicts a telephone conversation between a West African man and a British landlady who shockingly changes her attitude towards the man soon after he reveals his racial identity.

In the poem “Telephone Conversation”, the mode of telephone conversation is employed by the poet to a broader level where racial bigotry is ridiculed in the context of human intelligence and portraying the poet’s wit and his ingenious sense of humour.

The poem begins on a peaceful note, befitting to the narrator’s satisfaction for having found the right house.

“The price seemed reasonable, location

Indifferent.”

The landlady also emphatically mentioned that she lived ‘off premises’, thereby ensuring that the tenant would enjoy absolute privacy and freedom. The conversation however drifted to an unpleasant turn of events, soon after the man surprisingly decided to make a self-confession to reveal his nationality.

“Madam,” I Warned,

I hate a wasted journey – I am African.”

A sudden unexpected silence followed and the awkward pause in the conversation is strengthened by a caesura, trying to emphasize the impact of the African’s race being revealed to the landlady.  An uneasy atmosphere is created and the word ‘silenced’ reiterates the sudden change in the landlady’s attitude as well as the man’s intuitive sensitivity towards the unfriendliness on the other end of the phone.

“Silence. Silence transmission of

Pressurized good-breeding.”

After considerable period of silence when the landlady spoke again, her words seemed to come from between lipstick coated lips that held between them a long gold-rolled cigarette-holder and impression she gave off was that as if her status in the society was all of a sudden upgraded. Undoubtedly, the poet’s power of imagination enables him to visualize an affluent and sophisticated British landlady belonging to the so-called progressive and urban world on the other side.

Tension rises with the explicit racial discrimination conveyed through the question---

“How Dark?”……

The landlady’s effort in seeking clarification in something quite irrelevant that is, his skin colour, in the course of the conversation is emphasized. She repeated her question, reinforcing the racist overtone in the English society.

The narrator is jolted back into reality from his trance like state and he makes a frantic attempt to ascertain the situation. The revelation comes with the repetition of the question by the landlady with varying emphasis.

“ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT? You mean-like plain or milk chocolate?”

It was soul shattering to the narrator that the landlady could so insensitive to his feelings. Fuming with anger, the man decided to inflict similar humiliation in the racist woman choosing a superior vocabulary and replying in an acutely sarcastic tone.

“West African Sepia – and as afterthought, ‘down in my passport.”

He quickly forces her into submission and exposes the ignorance of the landlady clearly illustrating that beneath the lady’s glossy and lavish exterior, she was just a shallow judgmental racist. Paying no attention to the landlady’s disrespect for him, he took a firm control over the conversation defending the dignity and integrity of his ethic identity form the ruthless onslaught of the landlady. He goes on to describe the various colours one could see on him;

“Facially, I am brunette, but, madam, you should see the rest of me.”

Unabashedly, he goes on to state that the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet are peroxide blonde and that friction by sitting down had turned his bottom – raven black. With a slow but furious realization the lady began to set the receiver down. ‘sensing….’ the man rushed to ask sarcastically:

“Madam”, I pleaded, “Wouldn’t you rather see for yourself?” 

The quasi politeness of the tone of the poet can hardly conceive the ultimate insult inflicted on the land lady and shows how indignant the man was, also ending the poem with a tremendous sense of humour apart from the obvious sarcasm.

“Telephone conversation” is a favourite, both for its excellent use of rich language and the timeless message it conveys, that is to avoid silent resignations to such policies of the racist society and also that intellectual superiority is not determined by racial colour.

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Courtesy: I$C English