Telephone Conversation Summary and Explanation
CBSE Class 11 English (Elective) Poem 4- Telephone Conversation Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from Woven Words Book
Telephone Conversation Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and lesson explanation for CBSE 11 English (Elective) Poem 4 – Telephone Conversation from English Woven Words Book . Get Telephone Conversation Poem summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings. This poem is also included in ISC Class 12 English Syllabus.
CBSE Class 11 English (Elective) Poem 4 – Telephone Conversation
by Wole Soyinka
Telephone Conversation is a poem by Wole Soyinka that uses a humorous yet criticizing satirical approach to expose the prevalent nature of racism. The poem depicts a telephone conversation between a prospective black tenant and a white landlady, revealing how quickly the landlady’s behavior changes when she learns the tenant’s race, potraying the dehumanising effects of racist prejudice.
- Telephone Conversation Summary
- Telephone Conversation Summary in Hindi
- Telephone Conversation Theme
- Telephone Conversation Explanation
- Telephone Conversation Poetic Devices
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Telephone Conversation Summary
Wole Soyinka’s “Telephone Conversation” is a powerful poem that exposes the casual yet deeply deep-rooted racism faced by a Black man in 1960s England, specifically during a phone call about renting a room.
The poem starts with the speaker, an African man, looking for a room for rent at a reasonable price and an acceptable location. The landlady confirms she doesn’t live in the building. Before anything else, the man feels it’s important to be upfront about his race to avoid wasting time for both of them. He warns her directly, “Madam… I am African.”
After he says this, there’s a moment of heavy silence on the line. When the landlady’s voice returns, it’s clear she’s refined and proper, almost exaggeratedly so, as described by her “lipstick coated, long gold-rolled Cigarette-holder pipped” voice. But then, she asks a shocking question, revealing her true concern: “HOW DARK?” The speaker is taken aback, initially wondering if he misheard. She repeats the question, clarifying, “ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?”
This brazen question makes the speaker feel trapped and disgusted, like being in a “public hide-and-speak” booth filled with “rancid breath.” He looks around the red telephone booth, red pillar-box, and red double-tiered omnibus, grounding himself in the reality of the situation. Ashamed by her rude silence and his own suprise, he tries to get her to simplify her question.
She obliges, rephrasing it slightly: “ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?” The speaker then has a sudden, ironic idea of how to describe his skin tone in a way she might understand: “You mean—like plain or milk chocolate?” Her agreement is cold and detached, showing her impersonal, almost scientific, approach to his race.
Adjusting to her narrow-mindedness, the poet decides to play along. He describes his skin as “West African sepia”—and adds, almost mockingly, “down in my passport.” There’s another silence, as if she’s trying to process this unusual, seemingly sophisticated term. When she speaks again, her accent has changed, becoming harder and more direct: “WHAT’S THAT?” She admits, “DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.” The speaker then offers a simpler, more common term: “Like brunette.”
Her next question is direct and judgmental: “THAT’S DARK, ISN’T IT?” The speaker, now fully committed to exposing her prejudice through absurdity, responds that it’s “Not altogether.” He then launches into a satirical, exaggerated description of his varied skin tones: his face is brunette, but the palms of his hands and soles of his feet are “peroxide blonde.” He claims that “friction, caused—Foolishly madam—by sitting down, has turned My bottom raven black.” Just as he senses she’s about to hang up in anger, he quickly pleads, “Madam… wouldn’t you rather See for yourself?” This final question is a powerful, sarcastic challenge, directly confronting her prejudice and turning her offensive questioning back on her, highlighting the absurdity and insensitivity of her racial categorization.
Summary of the Poem Telephone Conversation in Hindi
वोल सोयिंका की “टेलीफोन कन्वर्सेशन” एक शक्तिशाली कविता है जो 1960 के दशक में इंग्लैंड में एक अश्वेत व्यक्ति द्वारा सामना किए गए अनौपचारिक लेकिन गहराई से अंतर्निहित नस्लवाद को उजागर करती है, विशेष रूप से एक कमरे को किराए पर लेने के बारे में एक फोन कॉल के दौरान।
कविता की शुरुआत वक्ता, एक अफ्रीकी व्यक्ति के साथ होती है, जो उचित मूल्य पर किराए के लिए एक कमरा और एक स्वीकार्य स्थान ढूंढता है। मकान मालकिन पुष्टि करती है कि वह इमारत में नहीं रहती है। किसी भी चीज से पहले, आदमी को लगता है कि उन दोनों के लिए समय बर्बाद करने से बचने के लिए अपनी दौड़ के बारे में स्पष्ट होना महत्वपूर्ण है। वह उसे सीधे चेतावनी देता है, “मैडम… मैं अफ्रीकी हूँ। ”
उसके यह कहने के बाद, लाइन पर एक पल के लिए भारी खामोशी छा जाती है। जब मकान मालकिन की आवाज़ वापस आती है, तो यह स्पष्ट होता है कि वह परिष्कृत और उचित है, लगभग अतिरंजित रूप से, जैसा कि उसकी “लिपस्टिक लेपित, लंबे सोने से लुढ़की सिगरेट-धारक” आवाज़ द्वारा वर्णित है। लेकिन फिर, वह अपनी वास्तविक चिंता का खुलासा करते हुए एक चौंकाने वाला सवाल पूछती हैः “कितना अंधेरा है?” वक्ता चकित हो जाता है, शुरू में सोचता है कि क्या उसने गलत सुना है। वह यह स्पष्ट करते हुए सवाल दोहराती है, “क्या आप प्रकाश में हैं या बहुत अंधेरे में हैं?”
यह स्पष्ट प्रश्न वक्ता को फंसा हुआ और घृणा महसूस कराता है, जैसे कि “सार्वजनिक रूप से छिपकर बोलने वाले” बूथ में होना जो “खराब सांस” से भरा हुआ हो। वह लाल टेलीफोन बूथ, लाल पिलर-बॉक्स और लाल दो-स्तरीय सर्वव्यापी बस के चारों ओर देखता है, और स्थिति की वास्तविकता में खुद को स्थापित करता है। उसकी अशिष्ट खामोशी और अपनी खुद की घबराहट से शर्मिंदा होकर, वह उससे उसके प्रश्न को सरल बनाने की कोशिश करता है।
वह मानती है, इसे थोड़ा दोहराती हैः “क्या आप काले हैं? या बहुत हल्का? ” फिर वक्ता को अचानक, विडंबनापूर्ण विचार आता है कि उसकी त्वचा के रंग को इस तरह से कैसे वर्णित किया जाए कि वह समझ सकती हैः “आपका मतलब है-सादे या दूध चॉकलेट की तरह?” उसका समझौता ठंडा और अलग है, जो उसकी जाति के प्रति उसके अवैयक्तिक, लगभग वैज्ञानिक दृष्टिकोण को दर्शाता है।
उसकी संकीर्ण मानसिकता के अनुरूप, वक्ता साथ खेलने का फैसला करता है। वह अपनी त्वचा को “पश्चिम अफ्रीकी सेपिया” के रूप में वर्णित करता है-और लगभग मजाक में, “मेरे पासपोर्ट में नीचे” जोड़ता है। एक और खामोशी है, जैसे कि वह इस असामान्य, प्रतीत होने वाले परिष्कृत शब्द को संसाधित करने की कोशिश कर रही है। जब वह फिर से बोलती है, तो उसका उच्चारण बदल गया है, और अधिक कठोर और अधिक सीधा होता जा रहा हैः “वह क्या है?” वह स्वीकार करती है, “पता नहीं यह क्या है।” इसके बाद वक्ता एक सरल, अधिक सामान्य शब्द प्रस्तुत करता हैः “श्यामला की तरह”।
उसका अगला सवाल सीधा और निर्णयात्मक हैः “यह अंधेरा है, क्या यह नहीं है?” स्पीकर, जो अब बेतुकेपन के माध्यम से अपने पूर्वाग्रह को उजागर करने के लिए पूरी तरह से प्रतिबद्ध है, जवाब देता है कि यह “पूरी तरह से नहीं” है। इसके बाद वह अपनी त्वचा के विभिन्न रंगों का एक व्यंग्यात्मक, अतिरंजित वर्णन करता हैः उसका चेहरा श्यामला है, लेकिन उसके हाथों की हथेलियाँ और पैरों के तलवे “पेरोक्साइड सुनहरे” हैं। उनका दावा है कि “मूर्खतापूर्ण रूप से मैडम-बैठने के कारण हुए घर्षण ने मेरे नीचे के कौवे को काला कर दिया है।” जैसे ही उसे एहसास हुआ कि वह गुस्से में फोन बंद करने वाली है, वह तुरंत विनती करता है, “मैडम… क्या आप खुद नहीं देखेंगे?” यह अंतिम प्रश्न एक शक्तिशाली, व्यंग्यात्मक चुनौती है, जो सीधे उसके पूर्वाग्रह का सामना करता है और उसके नस्ली वर्गीकरण की बेतुकी और आक्रामकता को उजागर करते हुए उसके घुसपैठिया सवाल को उस पर वापस कर देता है।
Theme of the Poem Telephone Conversation
Racism and Prejudice
One of the central themes of the poem is racism and prejudice, specifically the subtle but deeply hurtful everyday racism faced by Black people. The landlady in the poem doesn’t openly insult the speaker; instead, her prejudice is revealed through her offensive and dehumanizing questions about his skin color: “HOW DARK?”, “ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?”. She is more concerned with his skin tone than with his character or ability to pay rent. This shows how prejudice can be prevalent in society, leading people to judge others based on their race rather than their individuality. The landlady’s cold, “clinical” tone and her inability to understand descriptive terms beyond “dark” or “light” highlight her narrow-mindedness and the absurdity of her racial categories. The speaker’s discomfort and eventual satirical response reveal the humiliation and frustration caused by such encounters, where one’s identity is reduced solely to skin color.
Dehumanization
The poem powerfully explores the theme of dehumanization, showing how racism strips individuals of their humanity. When the landlady asks “HOW DARK?”, she reduces the speaker to a mere color, not a person. She doesn’t care about his profession, his manners, or his character; only his racial shade matters. Her impersonal “clinical” approval to his “chocolate” analogy further emphasizes this. The speaker feels “caught… foully” and “shamed by ill-mannered silence,” indicating the intense humiliation of being treated as an object to be categorized rather than a human being deserving of respect. His later, exaggerated description of his body parts (peroxide blonde palms, raven black bottom) is a desperate, sarcastic act to force her to see the absurdity of cutting open a person by their skin tones, highlighting how her prejudice makes him feel fragmented and less than whole.
Identity and Self-Assertion
The poem digs into themes of identity and self-assertion in the face of prejudice. The speaker begins by stating “I am African,” a direct and proud declaration of his identity. However, this identity is immediately challenged and distorted by the landlady’s racist questioning. He then struggles with how to define himself within her prejudiced system. His sarcastic and exaggerated descriptions of his skin tones (“West African sepia,” “plain or milk chocolate,” “peroxide blonde,” “raven black”) are acts of reclaiming his identity. He uses humor and absurdity not only to expose her racism but also to assert his own complex, varied existence, which cannot be neatly boxed into her simplistic “light or very dark” categories. His final question, “wouldn’t you rather See for yourself?”, is a defiant act of self-assertion, turning the tables on her and demanding that she confront the reality of his being, rather than hiding behind racial stereotypes.
Communication Breaks Down
The poem is set during a “telephone conversation,” a medium that relies solely on voice and words. Initially, the communication is polite, but once the speaker reveals his race, the conversation breaks down. The landlady’s prejudiced mind cannot grasp exact descriptions of skin tone; she is fixated on a simple, binary “dark or very dark.” Her hardened accent and inability to understand “West African sepia” or “brunette” show that her preconceived notions prevent genuine communication. The “silence” that follows the speaker’s revelation and after his sophisticated description highlights the void created by her prejudice. Ultimately, their communication is not about finding a room, but about the conflict between an open identity and a closed, prejudiced mind.
Telephone Conversation Poem Explanation
Stanza
The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. ‘Madam,’ I warned,
‘I hate a wasted journey—I am African.’
Silence. Silenced transmission of
Pressurised good-breeding.
Word meanings
Indifferent: an average, not good, not bad; neutral. The location wasn’t particularly appealing or unappealing.
Off premises: not living in the same building as the property being rented. The landlady lived somewhere else.
Self-confession: the act of revealing something personal or significant about oneself, which in this case, was the narrator’s race.
Wasted journey: A trip or effort that turns out to be pointless or useless because of some unforeseen problem.
Silenced transmission: The sudden cutting off of the sound or flow of the conversation, implying the landlady’s immediate, unspoken reaction.
Pressurised good-breeding: It refers to the landlady’s polite, well-mannered, and refined behavior that was usually well-controlled and evident. “Pressurised” suggests it was being held in check due to the unexpected revelation.
Explanation of the above stanza—The poem begins by describing a room for rent. The narrator, who is the one looking for the room, found that the price seemed fair, and the location was neither particularly good nor bad – it was just average. The landlady, the woman renting out the room, clearly stated and promised that she did not live in the same building as the room. At this point, everything seemed in order, and there was only one thing left for the narrator to do: tell her something important about himself. So, the narrator spoke to her directly, saying, “Madam”, and then explained his reason for being so direct: he disliked wasting time or making unnecessary trips. He then delivered the crucial piece of information: “I am African”. As soon as he said this, there was a complete lack of sound on the phone line. The polite, well-mannered tone that had been present in the conversation from the landlady’s side suddenly vanished. It was as if her cultivated manners, which were usually very noticeable, were now being held back or suppressed because of what she had just heard.
Stanza
Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully.
‘HOW DARK ?’… I had not misheard… ‘ARE YOU LIGHT
OR VERY DARK ?’ Button B. Button A. Stench
Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.
Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered
Omnibus squelching tar. It was real! Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfounded to beg simplification.
Word meanings
Lipstick coated: her voice sounded as if it came from someone wearing lipstick, implying a refined or artificial tone, rather than a natural one.
gold-rolled Cigarette-holder pipped: a fancy, elegant cigarette holder, usually used by sophisticated people. “Pipped” suggests it was held tightly or emphasized the sound. It highlights the landlady’s outwardly refined appearance, which contrasts sharply with her prejudiced question.
Caught I was, foully: the speaker felt trapped or unfairly cornered. “Foully” emphasizes the unjust and unpleasant nature of the situation.
Button B. Button A.: the buttons on old public telephones for making calls or getting money back. They represent the speaker’s internal confusion and feeling stuck, unable to simply hang up.
Stench: A very bad smell.
Rancid breath: The smell of something that has gone bad or rotten, like old fat or butter. Here, it’s a metaphor for the offensive and morally decayed nature of the hidden racism.
public hide-and-speak: This refers to the public phone booth where people could speak anonymously, potentially hiding their true, prejudiced selves. It suggests a place where ugly truths are revealed.
pillar-box: A public mailbox
double-tiered Omnibus: A double-decker bus
squelching tar: The sound of the bus tires making a wet, sticky sound as they move over warm tar on the road.
ill-mannered silence: The landlady’s prolonged and judgmental silence, which the speaker finds rude and shameful, though the shame is directed at her behavior, not his own.
surrender / Pushed dumbfounded: The speaker felt forced to give in because he was so utterly confused and shocked (“dumbfounded”) by her question.
beg simplification: To desperately ask for a clearer, simpler explanation of her question.
Explanation of the above stanza—After the moment of silence, the landlady’s voice finally came back. The speaker describes it as if it were covered in lipstick and as if it came from someone using a long, fancy cigarette holder, giving the impression of a very refined, almost artificial, person. At that moment, the speaker realized he was trapped in an unfair situation. The landlady’s next words confirmed his fear: she directly asked, “HOW DARK?” The speaker was shocked but immediately knew he hadn’t misunderstood her. She repeated the question, giving him options if he was light or very dark: “ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?” The reference to Button on the telephone portrays the speaker’s internal confusion and feeling stuck, unable to simply hang up. The speaker felt a strong surge of disgust, comparing the situation to the unpleasant smell of old, bad breath in a public place where people can say prejudiced things anonymously (like in a phone booth). He looked around the phone booth, seeing its red walls, then a nearby red mailbox, and a red double-decker bus making a squelching sound as it drove over the hot tar. These details made him realize that this upsetting, racist encounter was truly happening. He felt ashamed, not because of himself, but because of the landlady’s rude and prolonged silence. This feeling of being disrespected pushed him, confused and speechless, to simply ask her to explain her question in simpler terms.
Stanza
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis—
‘ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?’ Revelation came.
‘You mean—like plain or milk chocolate?’
Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted,
I chose. ‘West African sepia’—and as afterthought,
“down in my passport.” Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness changed her accent
Hard on the mouthpiece. ‘WHAT’S THAT?’ conceding
‘DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.’ ‘Like brunette.’
Word meanings
Considerate: Showing careful thought for the rights and feelings of others; thoughtful. Here, it’s used ironically, as her “consideration” is actually a thinly veiled attempt to get a specific racist answer.
Varying the emphasis: Changing where the stress or importance is placed in a sentence or question. In this context, she’s trying different ways of asking the same offensive question about skin color.
Revelation: The act of revealing or disclosing something, often surprising or enlightening. Here, it refers to the speaker’s sudden, ironic realization of how to communicate his skin tone to her.
Assent: The expression of approval or agreement. She’s agreeing to his “chocolate” analogy.
Clinical: meaning it lacks warmth, empathy, or personal connection.
Crushing: Overwhelming or devastating. Here, it implies the emotional impact of her cold, impersonal agreement on the speaker.
Impersonality: The quality of not being personal; lacking human feeling or warmth. Her impersonal manner makes the speaker feel like an object being categorized, not a human being.
Rapidly: at a fast pace.
Wave-length adjusted: This is a metaphorical phrase, borrowing from radio or communication technology. It means the speaker quickly adapted his communication style or “tuned in” to her prejudiced way of thinking to respond effectively.
Sepia: A reddish-brown color, often used in old photographs. The speaker uses “West African sepia” as a more refined, precise, and culturally specific way to describe his skin tone, contrasting with her crude “dark/light.”
Spectroscopic: Relating to a spectroscope, an instrument used to analyze light by separating it into a spectrum of colors. Here, it’s used metaphorically to suggest a detailed or scientific analysis of the word “sepia,” implying the landlady is trying to mentally process or categorize this new term.
Flight of fancy: An imaginative but unrealistic idea or notion; a whimsical thought. The speaker ironically calls his sophisticated description a “flight of fancy” because it’s clearly beyond the landlady’s comprehension or interest.
Truthfulness changed her accent: This is a metaphorical way of saying that her true, prejudiced nature or lack of sophistication came through, causing her polite accent to disappear and be replaced by a harsher, blunter tone.
Conceding: Admitting that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it. Here, she’s admitting her ignorance.
Brunette: A person, especially a woman, with dark hair, and often, by extension, a darker complexion. The speaker uses this common term as a last resort to make his skin tone understandable to her.
Explanation of the above stanza—The landlady tried to seem helpful by changing the way she asked the question, saying if he was dark or very light. She questions, “ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?” At that moment, the speaker suddenly understood how to deal with her strange question. He asked her if she meant something like “plain or milk chocolate.” Her agreement was very cold and impersonal, which felt quite disheartening to him. Quickly adapting to her narrow-mindedness, the speaker chose a term to describe his skin color: “West African sepia” and then added as a side thought that it was also written “down in my passport.” There was a brief silence as the landlady seemed to try and understand this unusual phrase, but then her true, blunt nature came out, and her voice became harsh on the phone. The speaker’s reference to his ‘Spectroscopic Flight of fancy’ where “Spectroscopic” implies a scientific, detailed analysis (like a spectroscope analyzing light), which is ironic when applied to the landlady’s limited understanding. “Flight of fancy” here is a metaphorical description of the speaker’s elaborate, almost poetic self-description, which he knows will be too complex for her. It’s ironic that the landlady is discriminating against the speaker on racial prejudice, while on intellectualism, he has an upper hand, where he has outdone her. She demanded what that was. She questions “WHAT’S THAT?” She admitted she didn’t know what that was. She quotes, “DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.” So, the speaker offered a simpler comparison: “Like brunette.”
Stanza
‘THAT’S DARK, ISN’T IT?’ ‘Not altogether.
Facially, I am brunette, but madam, you should see
The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet
Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused—
Foolishly madam—by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black—One moment madam!’—sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears—‘Madam,’ I pleaded, ‘wouldn’t you rather
See for yourself ?’
Word meanings
Facially: Referring to his face
Brunette: A person with dark brown hair, often also implying a dark complexion (though the speaker plays with this meaning).
Peroxide blonde: A very light, almost bleached-looking blonde color, suggesting extreme fairness. Here, it refers to the very light color of his palms and soles.
Friction: The rubbing of one surface against another. Here, used comically to explain a change in skin color.
Raven black: A very deep, shiny black color, like the feathers of a raven. Used here for extreme darkness.
Receiver rearing on the thunderclap about my ears: This is a vivid image. “Receiver” refers to the phone handset. “Rearing” suggests it’s about to fly off or be hung up violently.
Plead: To make an earnest or emotional appeal.
Explanation of the above stanza—The landlady asks if “brunette” means the speaker is dark. The speaker replies that he’s not entirely dark. He then ironically explains that his face is “brunette,” but if the landlady could see the rest of him, she would notice that the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet are very light, like “peroxide blonde.” He goes on to playfully and satirically suggest that “friction” from sitting down has turned his bottom “raven black.” As he senses the landlady is about to hang up in anger, he quickly stops her and asks, half-jokingly and half-challengingly, if she would prefer to see his various skin tones for herself.
Telephone Conversation Poetic Devices
Irony
Irony is a literary device where there’s a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant, or between what appears to be and what is actually true. In “Telephone Conversation,” irony is a central and powerful poetic device used to expose the absurdity and hypocrisy of racism.
The most obvious example of irony comes from the landlady’s initial questions about the speaker’s skin color. She asks, “HOW DARK?” and then offers choices: “ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?” and later, “ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?” On the surface, these seem like simple questions, but the devastating irony lies in their underlying racist assumption. Her supposed “good-breeding” and polite behavior are utterly undermined by the rude, racially motivated inquiry. She is trying to categorize a human being based purely on skin pigmentation for the purpose of renting a room, revealing her prejudiced mind beneath a facade of civility. The speaker’s sarcastic “Considerate she was, varying the emphasis” further highlights this, as her “consideration” is actually a deeply offensive attempt to box him into a racial stereotype. Another layer of irony appears in the speaker’s own responses. When he offers descriptions like “plain or milk chocolate” or “West African sepia,” he is using sophisticated or acceptable terms to describe something the landlady has reduced to a rude, two-fold choice. This is ironic because his civilised language is lost on her, and his attempts to elevate the conversation only lead to her blunt, accent-changing questions like “WHAT’S THAT?” or “THAT’S DARK, ISN’T IT?” His sophisticated attempts to define his identity are met with ignorant bluntness, exposing the tragicomic gap between their worlds. The final ironic moment comes when the speaker describes his varying skin tones, crucial in the shocking claim that his “bottom raven black” due to “friction.” This exaggerated, absurd description is deeply ironic because it directly confronts the landlady’s obsession with color with an image so rude and personal that it forces her to confront her own offensive prejudice. The ultimate irony is that she is so concerned with his “darkness” for a property rental, yet the speaker reveals a “darkness” that is comically ordinary and private, turning her racial scrutiny into an object of ridicule. The poem, through its masterful use of irony, doesn’t just state that racism is wrong; it vividly portray its illogical, dehumanizing, and utterly ridiculous nature.
Imagery
Imagery refers to the use of descriptive language that appeals to our senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) to create vivid mental pictures and sensory experiences. In “Telephone Conversation,” Soyinka uses rich and often contrasting imagery to paint a picture of both the physical setting and the underlying emotional and racial tension.
Visual Imagery
The poem is rich in visual details. We see the “Lipstick coated” and “gold-rolled Cigarette-holder” associated with the landlady’s voice, painting a picture of her civilised, almost artificial, appearance. This contrasts sharply with the bluntness of her questions. The setting of the phone call is brought to life with “Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered Omnibus.” The repetition of “Red” is striking. Red can symbolize anger, shame, and the speaker’s heightened emotional state, or perhaps even the blood of racial injustice. This stark, vibrant red setting makes the abstract racial prejudice feel very real and inescapable. Later, the speaker’s self-deprecating but ironic description of his skin tones—”plain or milk chocolate,” “West African sepia,” “peroxide blonde” palms, and “raven black” bottom—creates a complex and memorable visual portrait that challenges the landlady’s simplistic worldview.
Auditory Imagery
The “Silence. Silenced transmission” after the speaker’s confession of being African is a powerful example of auditory imagery, conveying the landlady’s shock and judgment more effectively than words. When her voice returns, it’s described as “Lipstick coated,” suggesting a smooth, artificial sound, later becoming “Hard on the mouthpiece” when she loses her composure. The thought of her “receiver rearing on the thunderclap” about his ears conveys the imagined harshness of her reaction.
Olfactory Imagery
The “Stench / Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak” is a vivid olfactory image. “Rancid” suggests something rotten, stale, and offensive, while “hide-and-speak” refers to the anonymity of the phone booth which allows for such prejudice. This powerful image conveys the speaker’s disgust and the moral decay associated with hidden racism.
Tactile Imagery
Tactile imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive language to evoke the sense of touch such as texture, temperature, and pressure, allowing readers to imagine how something might feel. Although less explicit, the feeling of being “Caught I was, foully” hints at a sense of being physically trapped or being captured by the landlady’s prejudice. The description of his “bottom raven black” due to “Friction, caused… by sitting down” brings in a subtle tactile element, grounded in a physical sensation that leads to the absurd visual.
Personification
Personification is a poetic device where human qualities, emotions, or actions are attributed to inanimate objects, abstract ideas, or animals. It makes non-human things seem alive and relatable. In the lines “Silence. Silenced transmission of / Pressurised good-breeding,” the abstract concept of “good-breeding” is personified.”Good-breeding” is described as being “pressurised.” This implies that it’s under stress, being held back, or being forced to maintain a certain facade. It’s as if the “good-breeding” itself is struggling to contain the landlady’s underlying prejudiced thoughts and feelings. In the lines “Voice, when it came, / Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled / Cigarette-holder pipped,” the landlady’s voice is personified. A voice, being an abstract sound, cannot literally wear lipstick, hold a cigarette holder, or “pip”. By saying “Revelation came,” the poet gives this abstract concept a sense of independent existence and action. It suggests that the understanding wasn’t just a passive thought in the speaker’s mind; it arrived actively, almost as if it were a distinct entity entering his consciousness. This makes the moment of insight feel more dramatic, sudden, and powerful for the speaker, emphasizing the cleverness of his “chocolate” analogy. The “receiver” (the phone handset) is personified. It’s described as “rearing,” like an animal or a horse about to bolt or react violently, and poised on a “thunderclap.” This vividly conveys the speaker’s sudden awareness of the landlady’s predicted angry reaction or her about to hang up, giving the inanimate object a threatening, almost alive quality.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect. The “Palm of my hand, soles of my feet Are a peroxide blonde.” is a clear hyperbole. While palms and soles are lighter, they are not literally “peroxide blonde.” This exaggeration is used for comic effect and to highlight the absurdity of categorizing skin color with such literal exactness. The line “My bottom raven black” is another hyperbole. While some areas of skin might be darker, “raven black” is an exaggeration, again used to push the landlady’s obsession with color to a ridiculous extreme.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in words close together. Some of the instances of alliteration are ‘Silence. Silenced’, ‘silence, surrender’, ‘clinical, crushing’, ‘Silence for spectroscopic/Flight of fancy, till truthfulness’, ‘Friction, caused—Foolishly’ and ‘receiver rearing’.
Assonance
‘The price seemed reasonable’, ‘Silence. Silenced transmission of/Pressurised good-breeding’, ‘Voice, when it came’, ‘long gold-rolled/Cigarette-holder pipped’, ‘Red double-tiered’, ‘ill-mannered silence, surrender’, ‘Pushed dumbfounded’, ‘clinical, crushing in its light/Impersonality’, ‘African sepia’—and as afterthought’, ‘see/The rest of me’ and ‘Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap’.
Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within nearby words, regardless of the vowel sounds. Some of ghe instances of consonance are ‘reasonable, location/Indifferent’, ‘Nothing remained/But self-confession’, ‘Silence. Silenced transmission of/Pressurised good-breeding’, ‘Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled/ Cigarette-holder pipped’,
‘Stench/Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak’, ‘Red double-tiered’, ‘ill-mannered silence, surrender’, ‘Pushed dumbfounded’, ‘Considerate she was’, ‘like plain or milk chocolate’, ‘Hard on the mouthpiece’, ‘peroxide blonde’, ‘Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap’ and ‘rather/See for yourself’.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. The phrase “squelching tar” directly imitates the sound of the heavy bus tires moving through or flattening soft tar, making the sensory experience of the street more realistic.
Repetition
Repetition is the recurrence of words, phrases, or ideas. It is used for emphasis, rhythm, or to create a particular effect. The repetition of “Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered Omnibus” is a strong example of repetition. This repeated “Red” emphasizes the oppressive, alarming, or even shameful atmosphere surrounding the speaker as he confronts direct racism. It makes the setting feel obvious and unforgettable.
Metaphor
A metaphor is a direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other, without using “like” or “as.” The line “Voice, when it came, Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled Cigarette-holder pipped.” is a metaphor. The voice itself isn’t literally coated in lipstick or holding a cigarette holder. Instead, these descriptions create a metaphorical image of the voice’s quality – it’s artificial, perhaps affected, smooth but hinting at underlying hardness, reflecting the speaker’s perception of the landlady’s persona. The line “Stench Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak” is a metaphor. The “Public hide-and-speak” is a metaphor for the telephone booth itself, or the anonymous nature of phone conversations that allows for prejudiced speech without direct answerability. The “rancid breath” is a metaphor for the foul, disgusting nature of the prejudice being expressed. ‘Revelation came’ implies that understanding or insight “came” to him like a sudden arrival, a metaphorical epiphany, on how to deal with her prejudiced question. ‘Wave-length adjusted’ is a metaphor borrowed from radio or communication. It suggests the speaker quickly “tuned in” to the landlady’s narrow, prejudiced way of thinking, adjusting his own communication style to try and meet her on her terms. ‘Spectroscopic Flight of fancy’ is a metaphorical phrase. “Spectroscopic” implies a scientific, detailed analysis (like a spectroscope analyzing light), which is ironic when applied to the landlady’s limited understanding. “Flight of fancy” here is a metaphorical description of the speaker’s elaborate, almost poetic self-description, which he knows will be too complex for her.
Simile
Simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things, using the words “like” or “as.” In this line, ‘You mean—like plain or milk chocolate?’ the speaker explicitly compares different shades of human skin color to “plain or milk chocolate” using the word “like.” It subtly highlights the absurdity and dehumanizing nature of her question, as she is reducing human identity to the shades of a commercial product. The speaker is effectively mocking her limited racial vocabulary by providing an analogy (comparison between things that have similar features) she might comprehend.
Wordplay
Wordplay often involves using words in a way that is intended to be funny or witty. This can be achieved through puns, double entendres, or other forms of verbal humor. The phrase “public hide-and-speak” in “Telephone Conversation” is a brilliant example of wordplay, specifically a pun or a neologism (a newly coined word/phrase) that plays on a well-known children’s game. The most obvious connection is to the game “hide-and-seek.” This game involves players hiding while another seeks them, then revealing themselves. By twisting it to “hide-and-speak,” Soyinka immediately creates a sense of something familiar yet distorted, implying a darker, less innocent version of the game.
Conclusion
Telephone Conversation is a poem by Wole Soyinka that uses a humorous yet prevalent satirical approach to expose the persistent nature of racism. The poem depicts a telephone conversation between a black tenant and a white landlady, revealing how quickly the landlady’s behavior changes when she learns the tenant’s race, potraying the dehumanising effects of racist prejudice. Students can take help from this post to understand the poem and also learn the difficult word meanings to get a better grasp of Telephone Conversation. This lesson includes a summary of Telephone Conversation, which will help students in class 11 to get a quick recap of the poem.