Racism - Dramatic Situation

Telephone Conversation
by 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?"


The Reading.


The “Telephone Conversation” written by Wole Soyinka is maybe set in London, in America or in places where there are Omnibuses. The time frame of the poem may date until now. The persona in the poem is an African man who is a pacifist.

The poem starts when the land lady and the persona have agreed on terms about the persona’s occupation in the land lady’s apartment. Then, the persona decides to confess (yes, confession as if being black makes you less of a person) that he is an African; there’s a moment of silence after. Then, the land lady asks the persona how dark he is. The persona intelligently answers the land lady’s question in a scientific manner and asks the land lady to see him because he’s not all black. The close minded land lady hangs the phone leaving the unfortunate persona begging for a place to rent and the acceptance of his nature.

The poem depicts racism as to what happens between the persona and the land lady. With this, we can see dramatic situations or conflicts involving the persona and some other factors aside from the land lady. As I have mentioned, one of the obvious dramatic situations in the poem is the conflict between the persona and the land lady which can be classified as individual versus another individual. The persona also has conflicts with the society. In fact, it is the society that sets the idea that a race is superior to the other races and it is because of the society’s thinking that makes the persona less of a person and be discriminated because of his nature. The conflict between the persona and the society is the same as the dramatic situation between the persona and the land lady, only larger in scope.

Speaking of his nature, there’s a conflict between the persona and his race. Even if he has confessed that he’s an African; he finds it hard to tell how dark his complexion is and tries to modify the terms he used so he might be accepted by the land lady. There is also a conflict within him. He is trying to be accepted in the society and find neither an apartment nor a place in society.