Wole Soyinka – The Telephone Conversation
Wole Soyinka’s The Telephone Conversation is a sharp, humorous and biting satire on racism. The poem presents a telephone dialogue between an African man and a white landlady in London. What begins as a simple call about renting a house turns into a shocking comic display of racial prejudice.
Summary of the Poem
The poem opens with a man of African origin calling a white landlady to enquire about renting a house. Everything goes smoothly—rent, location, and facilities—until the landlady hesitates and asks:
“ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?”
This blunt, racist question stuns the narrator. Soyinka uses humour and irony to show his frustration. The man tries to answer politely, even joking about the different “shades” of skin colour.
The landlady continues her interrogation, asking:
- If he is dark like chocolate
- If he is dark like milk cocoa
- How black exactly he is
Her voice becomes abrupt and mechanical—representing blind racism rather than real human dialogue.
The narrator finally mocks her obsession by saying his bottom is “peroxide blond,” leaving her speechless. The phone conversation collapses into awkward silence, exposing the absurdity of racism.
The poem ends with the narrator’s laughter, a symbol of resistance and intellectual victory.
Major Themes
- Racism – Everyday discrimination, shown through a simple rental enquiry.
- Prejudice & Ignorance – The landlady reduces a human being to a skin colour.
- Identity & Dignity – The narrator maintains humour and self-respect.
- Colonial Attitudes – The poem critiques post-colonial racial hierarchies.
- Power of Language – Satire becomes a weapon against injustice.
Symbols in the Poem
- Telephone – Distance, lack of real connection, faceless prejudice.
- Skin Shades – Absurdity of racial classification.
- Silence – The landlady’s shock when confronted with truth.
Literary Devices
- Satire – Exposes racism through humour.
- Irony – The polite renter is judged by a rude landlady.
- Dramatic Dialogue – Poem reads like a mini-play.
- Imagery – “Red booth, red pillar-box, red double-tiered omnibus.”
- Contrast – Calm narrator vs. tense landlady.
- Symbolic Silence – Represents guilt and exposed prejudice.
Critical Analysis
- Soyinka uses simple conversation to show deep racial bias.
- The poem is humorous, but the issue is serious and painful.
- The narrator defeats racism through wit, not anger.
- The landlady represents institutional racism in modern society.
- The poem remains relevant today, showing how prejudice survives even in polite settings.
Quick Revision Table
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Poet | Wole Soyinka |
| Poem | The Telephone Conversation |
| Published | 1963 |
| Genre | Satire / Dramatic Monologue |
| Setting | Telephone call between renter & landlady in London |
| Theme | Racism, prejudice, language, power |
| Tone | Humorous, ironic, critical |
| Message | Racism is absurd, cruel, and rooted in ignorance. |
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