Jyra Clarisse L.

David Lit 14 section N

2- AB EU 134953
An Analysis on Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka
!e "oe#$ ele"!one Conversation %ritten &y 'ole (oyin)a is a&o*t a
conversation &et%een a %!ite lady and an A+rican-A#erican #an t!at s!o%s a !ars!
reality on racis# t!at is "resent in t!e society. ,n lines 1-4$ -!e "rice see#ed reasona&le$
location . ,ndi++erent. !e landlady s%ore s!e lived . /++ "re#ises. Not!in0 re#ained .
B*t sel+-con+ession.1 2lines 1-43 s!o%s *s t!at t!e #an is searc!in0 +or a !o*se and !e
as)ed t!e landlady to 0ive !i# a considerate "rice. !ey also a0reed t!at t!e location o+
t!e "lace is an i#"artial and not racially "re4*diced. Also$ t!e #an %anted to live alone so
t!at t!e landlady %ill not live *nder t!e sa#e roo+ as !is. Be+ore !e acce"ted t!is o++er$ !e
sto""ed and ad#it t!at !e is &lac) as "resented in t!e lines 4-5$ -15ada#$1 , %arned$ . -,
!ate a %asted 4o*rney6, a# A+rican.1 24-53 as i+ t!ere !ad &een a &itter "ast t!at t!is
#an !ad &een t!ro*0! d*e to !is color. 7e "re+ers not to %aste t!e ti#e travellin0 to t!at
"lace i+ s!e is 0oin0 to re+*se !i# d*e to !is race. ,n lines 8-19$ -(ilence. (ilenced
trans#ission o+ . :ress*ri;ed 0ood-&reedin0. . <oice$ %!en it ca#e$ . Li"stic) coated$
lon0 0old rolled . Ci0arette-!older "i"ed. Ca*0!t , %as +o*lly.1 28-193 t!ere ca#e a
silence %it!in t!eir conversation %!ic! t!e #an t!o*0!t t!at it %as a si0n t!e %o#an
call-o++ t!eir a0ree#ent 4*st &eca*se !e is &lac). ,t is evident t!at t!e lady$ as t!e #an
descri&es !er$ as so#eone %!o ca#e +ro# a -0ood-&reedin01 is a "art o+ t!e *""er class
in t!e society. Also$ t!e %ay i#a0es -li"stic) coated$ lon0 0old rolled ci0arette !older
"i"ed1 s!o%s t!at s!e is socially s"ea)in0 a&ove !i# as evident in t!e %ay s!e s"ea)s to
!i#. ,n lines 11-12$ -17/' DA=>?1. . . , !ad not #is!eard . . . -A=E @/U L,A7 .
/= <E=@ DA=>?1 B*tton B$ B*tton A.B1 211-123$ it is evident t!at t!e lady disre0ard
all +or#alities and as)ed !i# to eC"lain !o% dar) !e is. Also$ 4*st li)e t!e tele"!one$ t!e
lady as)ed !i# to c!oose %!ic! &*tton !e is. Beca*se o+ t!is$ t!e #an %as so dis0*sted
t!at so#e!o%$ !e can s#ell t!e stenc! co#in0 +ro# t!e dece"tive %ords o+ a %o#an.
7o%ever$ t!e #an t!o*0!t !e !ad #is!eard &*t t!en reali;ed as s!e re"eats !er D*estion
%it! varyin0 e#"!asis. Beca*se o+ t!at$ !e &eca#e so !*#iliated and an0ry as !e sees
red every%!ere as evident in lines 12-15$ -(tenc! . /+ rancid &reat! o+ "*&lic !ide-and-
s"ea). . =ed &oot!. =ed "illar &oC. =ed do*&le-tiered . /#ni&*s sD*elc!in0 tar. ,t %as
realE1 212-153 ,n t!ese lines$ t!e i#a0e o+ a &*s sD*elc!in0 t!e &lac) tar sy#&oli;es !o%
t!e %!ite co##*nity treats t!ose "eo"le %!o &elon0 to t!e #inor &lac) co##*nity. ,n
t!e lines 15-1F$ -(!a#ed . By ill-#annered silence$ s*rrender . :*s!ed d*#&+o*nded
silence$ s*rrender . :*s!ed d*#&+o*nded to &e0 si#"li+ication.1 215-1F3 t!is is %!ere t!e
irony co#es in. !e #an is t!e one %!o is as!a#ed &y t!e silence t!at +ollo%s and as)s
+or clari+ication$ also t!in)in0 sarcastically t!at t!e lady %as !el"in0 !i# &y 0ivin0
o"tions to c!oose +ro# as s!e said in lines 1G-21$ -Considerate s!e %as$ varyin0 t!e
e#"!asis-- . -A=E @/U DA=>? /= <E=@ L,A7?1 =evelation ca#e. . -@o* #ean6
li)e "lain or #il) c!ocolate?121G-213. ,n t!is line$ t!e lady contin*o*sly descri&in0 !i#
in "ositive ter#s$ #a)in0 !i# +eel t!at s!e is o+ a 0ood &reedin0 and *""er class. Also$
t!e #an considered !er as so#eone -considerate1 and !as only a1li0!t i#"ersonality1 as
evident in lines 22-23$ -7er assent %as clinical$ cr*s!in0 in its li0!t . ,#"ersonality.
=a"idly$ %ave-len0t! ad4*sted1 222-233. As t!e lady contin*es to descri&e t!e #anHs color
in variant D*estions$ it is evident t!at t!e #an retains &etter #anners and voca&*lary t!an
t!e %o#an. Also$ t!e only &asis t!at t!e %o#an re4ected t!e #an is &eca*se o+ t!e notion
t!at A+rican-A#ericans are a sava0e and %ild "eo"le. As t!e #an *se t!e %ords
-s"ectrosco"ic1 and -rancid1$ %!ereas t!e lady does not )no% %!at 'est A+rican (e"ia is
and is inconsiderate in !er D*estions to !i#.
,n t!e %!ole "oe#$ it is evident !o% t!e %o#an a&s*rdly 4*d0ed t!e intellect and
t!e c!aracter o+ t!e &lac) #an %it! solely de"endin0 on t!e color o+ !is s)in. Even t!e
-tele"!one1 0ives an i#"ortant #essa0e t!ro*0!o*t t!e %!ole "oe# t!at is$ i+ t!e lady
and t!e &lac) #an %o*ld !ave s"o)en to eac! ot!er +ace to +ace$ t!e conversation li)e
t!is %o*ld !ave not ta)en "lace. !e ins*lts and t!e re4ection %o*ld not !ave occ*rred. ,t
&rin0s +ort! to t!e readers t!at t!e tele"!one is *sed to #a)e t!e iss*e o+ racis# clear and
"rove !o% #eanin0less it is alt!o*0! it !as &een a 0reat iss*e since t!en. ,t #ay not &e a
&i0 iss*e no%adays any#ore$ &*t it does not necessarily #ean t!at t!is !as &een totally
eradicated. !is "oe# leaves a *niversal #essa0e +or *s$ t!at one s!o*ld not 4*d0e a &oo)
&y its cover. J*st &eca*se t!e %o#an does not s!are t!e sa#e color as t!e #an$ it does not
si0ni+y t!at one s!o*ld &e 0reater t!an t!e ot!er.
'or)s CitedI
!tt"I..litC"ert.%ord"ress.co#.2912.91.14.analysis-tele"!one-conversation-&y-
%ole-soyin)a.
!tt"I..%%%.as).co#.D*estion.tele"!one-conversation-%ole-soyin)a-analysis