Telephone Conversation‚ by Wole Soyinka is about racism; more specifically‚ it is about the way people both white and black fail to communicate clearly about matters of race. The narrator of the poem describes a telephone conversation in which he reaches a deal with a landlady to rent an apartment. He feels that he must let her know that he is black: Nothing remained But self-confession. "Madam‚" I warned‚"I hate a wasted journey—I am African." This is where the lapses in communication begin.
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Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka. Soyinka’s Telephone Conversation depicts a conversation between a white lady and an African American man which casts a harsh light on the racism and prejudice which grips society. The title reveals the fact that two people are talking on the phone‚ so the beginning of the poem is on a positive note: The man is searching for a house and the land lady has named a considerable price‚ and the area where it is located is an impartial and not racially prejudiced
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“Telephone Conversation” “Madam‚ I warned‚/ I hate a wasted journey- I am African” (4-5). This gives the reader instantly the subtle wit that is being portrayed due to the ignorance of having to be apologetic for something the writer cannot control. Wole Soyinka’s poem “Telephone Conversation” gives us a prime example of the aggressive humor and irony of the racial profiling handed out to the negro community where one’s education and merit does not trump racism in the view of the wealthy white
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“Season” – Wole Soyinka The poem “Season” written by Wole Soyinka makes use of various poetic devices and techniques. The poem is set in the time spent waiting between autumn and winter and is seen through the eyes of a corn garnerer. In the poem‚ Soyinka depicts the feeling of the corn garnerer and the fields he occupies. Primarily‚ this feeling is achieved in marvellous effect thanks to the excellent portrayal of the mood and the superb use of poetic devices such as assonance‚ imagery and rhythm
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The Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka uses the poem the telephone conversation to express the apathy one‚ particularly the black has‚ against Apartheid. Through an ironical dialogue over the telephone the poet criticizes the strong feeling of hatred that has arisen due to racial discrimination. The poem starts on a mild note where the poet negotiates the renting of an apartment with the landlady over the telephone. They were agreeable on the ‘price’ the ‘location’ and privacy. The price was ‘reasonable’
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The poem entitled ’’Abiku’’ is a foreign word that suggest a spiritual child‚who is coming and going from the world(reincarnating).From the title the title we get to know that ’Abi’ means to be born and ’Ku’ means to die‚this butresses that we are all born to die and it also shows the inevitability of death. In the first stanza we hear a(that of Abiku)boasting that no one can stop him from coming and going from the world.From the tone of d Abiku‚we get to know that he is addressing his suppose parent
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Callum Fisher How do the writers Benjamin Zephaniah and Wole Soyinka challenge racism in their poems ‘Neighbours’ and ‘ Telephone Conversation’? In times of great stress or trauma‚ poetry has always proved as a perfect medium for people to voice their views and opinions‚ and to get them heard. Two prime examples of this are Benjamin Zephaniah and Wole Soyinka’s respective ‘Neighbours’ and ‘Telephone Conversation’. Both poems address the subject of racism and attempt to tackle racial stereotypes
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In his play‚ <u>Death and the King’s Horseman</u>‚ Wole Soyinka would have us examine every clash and conflict‚ save for the one involving culture. Certainly this may seem the most obvious part of the play‚ but we would do the general understanding of <u>Death</u> a disservice if we ignored one of the central conflicts in the play. Every element of the play is placed in terms of two extremes‚ and the cultures must be considered one of those pairs. Suicide is no exception to this examination; it must
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once they were under religious control. The English utilized the brilliant ploy of employing Nigerians to spread Christianity to their own people. The Nigerians who compromised and promoted English concepts were rewarded for their deeds. For example Wole Soyinka’s family was rewarded by being given the security of a parsonage. However‚ this was actually given as a result of Essay’s contribution to the spread of English education‚ through his position as headmaster of the school. Education‚ therefore
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Analysis: Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka. Set in the 1960s‚ written in the first person narrative manner‚ the poem “Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka is a poetic satire against the widespread racism in the modern Western society. As a student from Nigeria‚ the poet had encountered firsthand such parochial attitude‚ and had learnt to take it in his stride‚ the poem is thus influenced by his personal experience. The poem is about a telephone conversation in England between the poet‚
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