What does the poem telephone conversation mean?

‘Telephone Conversation’ is a poem written by Wole Soyinka, a renowned African writer in English. The poem exposes the presence of racial discrimination at the individual level in society even after the passing of laws against it. The poem is a conversation between a white woman and a black man over the telephone.

What does the word red signify in the line red booth red pillar box red double-tiered?

The use of the colour red is magnified to explain the various things which are red in colour like the telephone booth, the double-tiered bus and the pillar-box. It explains the colour of the dark-skinned poet who was not fair-complexioned like the landlady on the other side of the line.

What does the poem telephone conversation tell us about the landlady and the speaker?

Answer: The poem describes a phone call between a landlady and the speaker, who is black, about renting an apartment. In response, the speaker cleverly mocks the landlady’s ignorance and prejudice, demonstrating that characterizing people by their skin color diminishes their humanity.

What is the attitude of the landlady in the poem telephone conversation?

The landlady is pleasant until she learns that the speaker is “African,” at which point she demands to know how “light” or “dark” the speaker’s skin is. In response, the speaker cleverly mocks the landlady’s ignorance and prejudice, demonstrating that characterizing people by their skin color diminishes their humanity.

What is the symbol of Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka?

The colour red is a very important symbol in the poem, as it symbolises the man’s growing anger upon hearing a racist question. The chocolate mentioned by the speaker is a symbol of superficiality, just like the woman’s questions.

Why did Wole Soyinka write Telephone Conversation?

In this poem, Telephone Conversation, Wole Soyinka is trying to highlight the impact of racial discrimination in the micro-structure of society. The title of the poem clearly reveals that two people are talking on the phone and the theme of racial discrimination is carried out through the dialogue form.

What is spectroscopic flight of fancy?

spectroscopic flight of fancy: The word spectroscopy originated from the concept of dispersion of visible light into seven different colours. Thus, the word explains the dispersed flow of thoughts of the lady after talking to the erudite poet.

Why does the poet in Telephone Conversation make use of the colour red repeatedly?

Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered omnibus squelching tar”. Here, the colour red is repeated three times and this is to draw attention to it and emphasize it. Repetition is used throughout the poem as a technique to draw the reader’s attention and make them remember what it says.

How is verbal irony revealed in the poem Telephone Conversation?

The Use of Irony in “The Telephone Conversation” In the beginning of the poem, the speaker starts his “self-confession” when he reveals his skin color to the lady. It is ironic that this is called a self-confession since the poet has done nothing wrong to confess his wrongdoing.

Who is the character in Telephone Conversation?

The poem “Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka introduces readers to the characters of the white landlady and the black African man. The African man is also the speaker in the poem.

What is the theme of Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka?

What is the meaning of the poem telephone conversation by Soyinka?

Wole Soyinka’s “Telephone Conversation” is an eloquent exchange of dialogue between a dark West African man and his British landlady that inexorably verges on the question of apartheid. The poet makes use of the most articulate means to air his views, through that of a telephone conversation,…

How does the poet air his views through a telephone conversation?

The poet makes use of the most articulate means to air his views, through that of a telephone conversation, where there is instant and natural give-and-take. It exhibits a one-to-one correspondence between the two. The interaction between a coloured and a white individual at once assumes universal overtones.

What does the telephone symbolize in the poem?

The telephone symbolises the gap between the two ends of the line, the impossibility for both the ends to meet. The power of poetry lies in suggestion and understatement.

What is the meaning of telephone conversation by William Blake?

‘ Telephone Conversation ‘, as the title suggests, is a conversation over the telephone. 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.