Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.9. S1. 2021
Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Special Issue)
Email:editorrjelal@gmail.com; ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
Vol.9. Issue.S1. 2021
The Impact of Racial Discrimination in Wole Soyinka’s poem
‘Telephone Conversation’
Dr. Vishnu M. Chavan
Assistant Professor, Dept. of English,
Taywade College, Koradi- Nagpur.
Email- vishnuchavan138@gmail.com
Abstract
During the history of human race and civilization, no people have devised a system to get themselves victimised.
But the racial and cultural history of a man do not lack in illustrations which reveal that some man -made systems
and conspiracy have been devised by cunning men to get their fellow beings victimised. Cultures of racism have
been propped up in the world to bring about unblock victimisation of Blacks and downtrodden people. But, great
saints, philanthropists, philosophers, social thinkers, writers, poets of the world have written volumes together
to inculcate a positive vision and accommodative attitude with humanistic touch in their writing. Wole Soyinka
through his poem Telephone Conversation gave us message of understanding inhuman and manmade evil issue
of racism discrimination. A humble attempt has been made in this research work to show the burning issue of
racial discrimination in Soyinka’s poem, Telephone Conversation.
Key words: racism, inhumanity, victim, fight
Wole Soyinka is a prominent African writer. clarifying the essential information about location,
He is the first African writer who was awarded by the the cost and other details as in the following lines:
Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. In his acceptance
The price seemed reasonable, location
speech at Stockholm, he speaks of race relations as
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
he says,“They come to that point where a social
Off premises. (Line-1-3)
reality can no longer be observed as a culture on
slide beneath the microscope, nor turned into The poem describes the telephonic
aesthetic variations on a page, canvas or the stage” communication between a landlady and the speaker
(Ramaswami, 158). He has contributed a great deal who is a black man who wants to know about
mainly to African drama, African novel and poetry. apartment on rent. The irony of the poem is in that
This poem is a fight against manmade inhuman racial the landlady is pleasant until she knows that the
discrimination. This poem is a conversation between speaker is African. As poet writes in the following
an African black man and probably a white landlady lines:
with accommodation to rent. This poem reveals the “Madam," I warned,
rise of racial tensions of the African immigrants "I hate a wasted journey--I am African."
throughout the post-war decades in Europe. There is Silence. Silenced transmission of
unfamiliar conversation between the speaker and a Pressurized good-breeding. (Line-4-6)
landlady. The poem opens with the African speaker
395 Special Issue on “𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬”
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.9. S1. 2021
Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Special Issue)
Email:editorrjelal@gmail.com; ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
In further conversation, she wants to know how “their color is a diabolic dyw.” Remember,
‘Black’ or ‘Dark’ the speaker’s skin is. This poem is a Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be
very severe irony for whole humanity. It is very refined, and join the angelic train. (Line
shameful where this incident has happened in reality no.,-5-8)
or is happening somewhere under the name of
The present poem is not only the communication
caste, colour, religion or nationality. If this type of
between white landlady and a black man, but in
racial discrimination is happening somewhere on the
depth, it is a conversation between a prejudiced,
basis of above manmade hurdles, it is a blot for
socially evil narrow -minded mentality and a person
whole humanity. Joseph Conrad, a very great
who is suffering on the basis of racial discrimination.
novelist writes this severe condition in his novel
the following lines of the poem reveals the
Heart of Darkness as in the following lines:
prejudiced traditional mind of a white landlady to
A burst of yells, a whirl of black limbs, a know the ratio of darkness as she asked and the
mass of hands clapping, of feet Stamping, speakers reply as:
of bodies swaying, of eyes rolling, under the
Hard on the mouthpiece. "WHAT'S THAT?"
drop of heavy and motionless foliage. The
conceding "DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS."
steamer toiled along slowly on the edge of
"Like brunette." "THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?"
a black and incomprehensible frenzy…it
"Not altogether. Facially, I am brunette,
was unearthly and the men were-No, they
but, madam, you should see the rest of me.
we’re not inhuman. Well, you know, that
was the worst of it-this suspicion of they’re This conversation is humorous and ironical. But in
not being inhuman. (Conrad 37) reality, it is a contrast. After reading this poem,
reader can understand the reason behind writing
The poet used the literary device ‘irony’ which mean
this poem. There is sociological approach of the
a way of speaking that shows you are joking or that
poet. This poem reminds the lines by great American
you mean the opposite of what you say. Here in this
poet, R. W. Emerson as he said about himself: “I am
poem also, the poet has used to decrease
a poet, of a low-class without doubt, yet a poet. That
psychological burden from this type of racial
is my nature and vocation. My singing be sure is very
discrimination. It is very shameful for whole
‘husky’ and is for the most part in prose. Still am I a
humanity that someone asked any person’s caste,
poet in the sense of a perceiver and dear lover of the
colour, religion or nationality to give apartment on
harmonies that are in the soul and in matter and
rent. The present poem described the prejudiced
especially of the correspondences between these
and socially evil mentality of the white landlady as
and those. (Ramanan, 10).
she asked about speaker’s colour in the following
lines: Finally, this poem describes the harsh
reality of racial discrimination by a white landlady of
"HOW DARK?" . . . I had not misheard . . .
the speaker who is a black man as Ramaswami wrote
"ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?" (Line no.,
in his article “Wole Soyinka: The Nobel Laureate”:
10-11”)
“This is a “Social reality” turned into an “aesthetic
As we think naturally and spiritually, we all humans variation” in a poem-the ethnocentric consciousness
are equal. Discrimination, of any types, is manmade of an African poet brought in an encounter with a
and inhuman. If it is happening somewhere in the white landlady- in a racial context.” (Ramaswami,
world, it shows our prejudiced and lower narrow 159). The poem revels the presence of racial
mentality. These above lines remind the speakers discrimination at the individual level in the society
claim in the poem On Being Brought from Africa to even after passing the strict laws against it. It also
America by a great American poetess, Phillis appeals to all the socially narrow, evil and prejudiced
Wheately as in the following lines: mind to broaden their mind towards black people.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
396 Special Issue on “𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬”
Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.9. S1. 2021
Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Special Issue)
Email:editorrjelal@gmail.com; ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
This article describes the severe inhuman
condition of black man who are suffering because of
manmade inhuman racial discrimination. This poem
is a sincere attempt of the poet as it appeals to all
the prejudiced narrow mentality to broaden their
humanitarian point of view towards black people
and to widen their narrow prejudiced mind. The
poem is a conversation between a white woman and
a black man over the telephone. The poet, through
this poem, can capture the essence of human
interaction across racial differences. This poem
becomes significant as it presents both the attitude
of the white woman towards black people. The
speaker, who is a black man, expresses his anger
which the poet Wole Soyinka has beautifully
describes by using literary device irony towards
racial discrimination.
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness, First Pub. Ed.
Joseph Kimborough (New York and Norton,
1988) pg. 37.
Ramanan, Mohan. Four Centuries of American
Poetry, Madras: Macmillan India Ltd. 1996
Ramaswami, S. Commentaries on Commonwealth
Fiction. New Delhi: Prestige Books, 1994.
397 Special Issue on “𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬”
