Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka: ISC Rhapsody Short Answer Questions

 Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka 

 Short Answer Questions :

 Question 1 : What were the things about the house that the speaker find attractive ?

Answer:

The speaker finds the rent of the house is quite reasonable or can be said that the rent is quite affordable. Even the location of the house does not matter much, and does not have any drawback. Another important thing that the landlady has already assured that she lives away from the house and the tenant could enjoy more freedom. All these things about the house seemed attractive to the speaker.

Question 2 : What comes as a shock to the speaker ? Why ?

Answer:  

  After the speaker’s revelation about his identity as an African, the landlady’s direct and abrupt inquiry about his colour shocked him. 

   She asks “HOW DARK ?” The speaker is shocked and  dumbfounded by her reply.  He can not believe that he  “had not misheard”. The man is left in silence. The silence emphasise the awkwardness and the unspoken discrimination that the speaker anticipates and experience.

  Question 3 : Why does the man think that he will have a wasted journey ?

 Answer:  

   The man is aware of the discriminatory attitude of the white people towards the black Africans. He doubts that he may be denied the house on rent just because of the black colour of his skin. Thus he fears that his journey to get the house on rent will be wasted. 

 Question 4 : What does the lady want to know about the speaker’s colour ? 

  Answer:  

   As soon as the speaker reveals his identity as an African, the landlady becomes more concerned about the colour of his skin. The woman repeatedly wants to know whether the speaker’s skin colour is dark black or light black. It seems that the landlady’s only concern is to know the colour of his complexion and his social background.

  Question 5 : How does the speaker explain the colour of his skin to the woman ?

  Answer:  

   The speaker explains the colour of his skin to the woman by referring to it as “West African sepia”, as it is mentioned in his passport. But the woman could not understand the colour of his skin and still confused about his colour. So the man sarcastically continues to describe himself, trying to simplify it for her by telling her that his face is  “brunette”, his palms and soles of feet are “peroxide blonde”.

Question 6 : Why does the speaker say that his colour is not altogether black ?

 Answer:

  The speaker sarcastically tells the woman that the colour of his skin is not altogether black, but the colour of his face is  “brunette”. He admits that the palms of his hands and soles of his feet are  “peroxide blonde”. At the peak of his sarcasm he mocks the lady by saying that his bottom is “raven black” due to the fraction caused by his foolish long sitting.

  Question 7 : Comment on the ending of the poem.

Answer:

  The ending of the poem is quite ironical and satirical. Though out the poem, the woman is only concerned about the colour of the prospective tenant’s skin. While the African man is sarcastic about the colour of his skin but the landlady could not accept the fact that he was black. When his sarcasm reached a peak, he senses that the landlady is going to hang up on him. He suddenly stops and says,    “Madam, I pleaded, wouldn’t you rather /

   see for yourself ?”

   But the woman puts the receiver down without giving any clear response about renting out the accommodation. Her silence at the end of the poem is suggestive that she doesn’t bother to tell the speaker whether she is to let the accommodation to him or not. It indicates that she believes that everybody understands, realises and perhaps accepts racist thoughts. It also reveals her prejudiced mindset against the man based on his race.