TELEPHONE CONVERSATION – WOLE SOYINKA
Complete, Simple & Exam-Friendly Notes
1. Introduction:
“Telephone Conversation” is a poem by Wole Soyinka. The poem speaks about racism. A Black man
tries to rent a house, but the White landlady judges him only by his skin colour.
2. Summary:
A man calls a landlady for renting a house. Everything is polite until she asks, “Are you light or dark?”
He becomes shocked. She keeps questioning how dark he is. He uses sarcasm to reply. The poem
shows the stupidity of racism.
3. Themes:
- Racism
- Prejudice
- Sarcasm and Irony
- Communication gap
4. Characters:
The African Man: educated, polite, sarcastic, intelligent.
The White Landlady: rude, prejudiced, racist.
5. Symbols:
Telephone – distance between races
Skin colour – identity
Silence – shame and confusion
6. Tone:
Humorous, sarcastic, angry, critical.
7. 1-Mark Questions:
1. Who wrote the poem? – Wole Soyinka
2. Main theme? – Racism
Complete, Simple & Exam-Friendly Notes
1. Introduction:
“Telephone Conversation” is a poem by Wole Soyinka. The poem speaks about racism. A Black man
tries to rent a house, but the White landlady judges him only by his skin colour.
2. Summary:
A man calls a landlady for renting a house. Everything is polite until she asks, “Are you light or dark?”
He becomes shocked. She keeps questioning how dark he is. He uses sarcasm to reply. The poem
shows the stupidity of racism.
3. Themes:
- Racism
- Prejudice
- Sarcasm and Irony
- Communication gap
4. Characters:
The African Man: educated, polite, sarcastic, intelligent.
The White Landlady: rude, prejudiced, racist.
5. Symbols:
Telephone – distance between races
Skin colour – identity
Silence – shame and confusion
6. Tone:
Humorous, sarcastic, angry, critical.
7. 1-Mark Questions:
1. Who wrote the poem? – Wole Soyinka
2. Main theme? – Racism
