Prof. Patrick Johansson
Writing 3
2017.10.23
Homework 1
Task 1
Most of people want believe world is fair and integrated multiracial. Even some of people enjoy to argue how society was equal. This ignorance shows that they want run away from reality. The reality is cruel, and bitter like Wole Soyinka’s poem. The “TELEPHON CONVERSATION (1962)” is quiet, but powerfully exposing the ugly truth. The poem is a provocative interrogation of racial prejudice. he writes using a simple phone conversation to emphasize the problem of racial discrimination in Britain. Most of the time when people describe prejudice ways it is expressed in a negative way with anger and disappointment. But his tone is not angry at all. he maintains the humorous tone …show more content…
he directly speaks that he is African and it is not general phone call conversation at all. Through this abnormal conversation, the writer put stress on the dark side of society: racial discrimination. The landlady sked him how dark he was. At first, he thought that he had misheard her. Then, she repeated her question this time with varying emphasis. She asked him, “ARE YOU LIGHT, OR VERY DARK?” The writer was so humiliated. In this part, the writer chose to highlight the words how dark in capital because he wants to convey as to how much prejudice existed in that …show more content…
However, the writer has to “confession” and “caught” even he’s done nothing wrong. He still has to make clear who is he and what he is. When she was hesitated, he intuitively knew that there is problem. “button A, button B” indicate two meaning: the hesitate of writer and treating him as a machine not a human being. He considers hang up the phone or keeping continue to answer. On the other hand, it is possible to say that two button signify landlady’s ignorance. We can’t be dived skin colour into two colour which is very dichotomous way of thinking. Also, her tone seems to like forcing the confession. It is very inhumane and aggressive