Brief note on “Telephone conversation”

Brief note on“Telephone conversation” by Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka's "Telephone Conversation" is a thought-provoking poem that explores themes of racism, identity, and social injustice through a simple yet powerful telephone conversation.  In this poem, the writer describes the conversation that ensued between a black man and a racist British landlady when he tried to rent her apartment. It is between a black man seeking a room for rent and a white landlady who had advertised such an offer.Over the conversation, the hypocritical nature of the landlady as a racist is brought to light.

An African man is looking for a room to rent, and he finds an advertisement in a newspaper. The ad says that there is no problem with race – white or black. As the man had bitter experiences with such ads earlier, he makes a telephone call to the landlady from a public telephone booth.

He tells the lady that he is a black man and asks if it is acceptable. The lady hesitates for a while; she wants to know if he is completely black or half-black. When the man says that he is not completely black because his palms and soles are white. The lady goes silent and hangs the phone even though the man pleads with her to at least meet him in person to see for herself if he is totally black.

The poem shows how racial discrimination prevails hidden in the hearts of individuals. Even though there are laws against discrimination in the country, they become ineffective if individuals do not change their mindset. The landlady shows double standards. Publicly, she shows that she is not a racist, but privately, she shows her true attitude. The poem also captures the frustration of the black man.