Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka: ISC Rhapsody Question Answers

 Telephone Conversation : Character and Behaviour of the Speaker 

Question: Write a note on the character and behaviour of the speaker ? 

Answer:  

The speaker in  “Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka, is a black, African man. He needs an accommodation on rent. For this reason he makes a call to the white landlady. The poem is based on their conversation. Their conversation throws light on some features of his character. 

      The speaker is calm, composed, clear and self aware person. At the beginning of the poem when he is looking for a house on rent and all the things are settled but he still wants to disclose his racial identity to the landlady.  He says –

 “But self confession. ‘Madam’, I warned /

   I hate a wasted journey – I am African.”

    The speaker is a straight forward and open – minded person, who is aware of the discriminatory practice of the society. He knows that the dark colour of his skin may cause some discomfort to the landlady and it can cause a problem for renting a house for him.  May be he has experienced some similar incident before so he doesn’t want to hide his identity. He desire for transparency and a refusal to be complicit in the racial opinion of the time.

   The selection of the word  “confession” also suggests that the speaker is aware of the discriminatory attitude of some people in the society towards the blacks. 

   The above mentioned lines also suggest that the speaker is a practical and worldly person and he is aware of the possible   response of the lady, so he doesn’t want to waste his time and money on travelling and meeting her.

    The speaker is quite positive person. He has a positive attitude for the white landlady. He says – 

  “Silence. Silenced transmission of /

  Pressurised good – breeding.”

     After disclosing his identity to the lady he interprets her silence as – she is trying to maintain good manners by keeping silence. Further in poem when he wants her to simplify her question about his colour and she changes her “emphasis” he acknowledges her as “considerate” for labouring her point.

   The speaker is a responsive person. He is annoyed, humiliated and ashamed by the woman’s derogatory attitude and her discriminatory interrogation. He says – 

  “……It was real ! Shamed”

   Although he is aware of racial discrimination deeply rooted in the society but this time it was him, who is suggested to be discriminated. This is a new variety of colour prejudice in which apparently, the precise shade of his skin matters. The speaker is so incredulous that he looks around him to ensure that he is still inhibiting the real world. He sees – 

   “Red booth. Red piller box. Red double tiered /

     Omnibus squelching tar.”

       The repetition of  “Red” here shows his anger towards the discrimination. He is so taken aback by the derogatory inquiry of the lady that he is  “dumbfounded” and needs  “simplification” from the lady.

    The speaker is so humiliated and reduced by the repeated questions of the lady about his skin colour, that he chose to dehumanise himself further by describing himself like a  “plain or milk chocolate”. Then dissecting his body according to how dark each part of it is. The reader can feel his humiliation.

    The speaker is a clever person, his responses not only reflect his frustration but also his resilience. He appropriately bounces back the lady’s discriminatory attitude. His language shifts from straight – forward to ironic and sardonic, revealing his   resilience, intellect and his attitude towards the absurdity of racism. He quotes – 

   “Friction, caused – 

     Foolishly madam – by sitting down has turned /

     My bottom  raven black”

   He handles the landlady’s offensive questions with a blend of poise and cutting humour. This all dhows his resilience. 

     The speaker is an intelligent man – he uses certain words like “west African sepia” and  “brunette” which the so called high class white landlady can not understand. His ironical responses and sardonic tone also shows his intellect.

   The speaker is a pride man for his racial background. The way he explains himself as  “west African sepia”, shows he has no regret and a sense of being inferior in him. His black colour is his identity and pride, it doesn’t seem a drawback to him. 

    A sense of self respect is also be seen by his conversation with the lady. Instead of making attempt to please the lady, he confidently faces her negative attitude.

   All these characteristic features of the speaker, are assumed by this conversation but the poem itself does not reveal anything about the speaker. The poem illustrates how racism reduces and dehumanises people. It cuts away every thing that is human and vibrant about the speaker, until only skin colour is left.