Telephone Conversation

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?"

Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka uses irony to depict the absurdity of racism in his poem, "Telephone Conversation.

1. These colours in the poem signify the racism that whites have for black. It is clear that the author knows how whites look down on blacks so in the first line he states that he is black and "hates a wasted trip" obvilously whites have rejected him for his skin colour which enrages him. When the landlord land hear that he was a black, she asked how black. the man said "West African sepia," citing his passport . She claims not to know what that means. She wants a quantifiable expression of his darkness. plain or milk chocolate would be a better description. His response, feigning simplicity is that his face is "brunette," his hands and feet "peroxide blonde" and his bottom "raven black". He knows that she just wants a measure of his overall skin-color so that she can categorize him, but he refuses to give it to her. Instead he details the different colors of different parts of his body. So at last he said. "i plead, wouldn't you rather see for yourself?"

2. The dialogue in this poem reveals that the white women has prejudices against blacks. The question "HOW DARK" shows alot. This very question shows that probably the was not going to accept a black man living in her apartment. She also seems to not understand what west sepia means as she thinks that there are only a few kind of blacks. light skinned and dark skinned. She asked him to describe clearly but all she wants to is to categorize him into a group.

Whereas for the men. He is a very calm man. he seems to know that white landlords has prejudices towards black men, so he states in the call that he is African and he hates wasted journeys. probably he has gone to rental apartments before just to find out that they dont accept blacks. He does not seem to be enraged at how naive the women is when she just wants a general colour of his skin when it was very difficult to categorize him into any group. He finally gives in by saying wouln't you rather see me?

3. In this poem. The landlord seems to win. The men was unable to explain to her his situation so he finally says wouldn't you rather see for yourself, even at the fact that he might be rejected again due to his race and skin colour