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The poem Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka is the fourth poem in the Poetry section of the NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words textbook. This powerful poem focuses on racial differences through a dialogue between an African speaker and a British landlady over a phone call about renting a flat. In this poem, Soyinka exposes the absurdity and dehumanising nature of racism. This blog provides easy-to-understand NCERT Class 11 English notes with explanations, meanings, and analysis to help students understand the poem’s themes of racial discrimination through humour. You can also download the free PDF for quick revision.
Contents
- 1 Important Word Meanings in Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka
- 2 Line-by-Line Explanation of the NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words Poem 4 Telephone Conversation
- 3 Analysis of the NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words Poem 4 Telephone Conversation
- 4 Summary of Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka
- 5 Poetic Devices in NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words Poem 4 Telephone Conversation
- 6 FAQs
Explore Notes of Class 11 English Woven Words
Important Word Meanings in Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka
In the poem Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka, specific words and phrases are used to highlight racial prejudice and the speaker’s satirical response. Understanding these terms clarifies the poem’s tone and message.
| Word / Phrase | Meaning |
| Indifferent | Neutral or unimportant, referring to the flat’s location |
| Pressurised good-breeding | Forced politeness, strained by the landlady’s underlying prejudice |
| Lipstick-coated, long gold-rolled cigarette holder pipped | Describes the landlady’s affected, pretentious manner of speaking |
| Caught I was, foully | The speaker feels trapped by the landlady’s racist inquiry |
| Stench of rancid breath of public hide-and-seek | The unpleasant atmosphere of concealed prejudice in public interactions |
| Red booth, red pillar-box, red double-tiered omnibus | Vivid imagery of the British setting, emphasising the speaker’s alienation |
| Squelching tar | The sound and texture of the road ground the scene in reality |
| Clinical, crushing in its light impersonality | The landlady’s detached, dehumanising tone in questioning the speaker’s skin colour |
| West African sepia | A witty, invented term for the speaker’s skin tone, referencing a passport description |
| Spectroscopic flight of fancy | An imaginative, scientific-sounding phrase, mocking the landlady’s obsession with colour |
| Peroxide blonde | A light, almost white shade, used humorously to describe the speaker’s palms and soles |
| Raven black | A deep black colour, used sarcastically to describe the speaker’s bottom |
| The receiver is rearing on the thunderclap | The landlady’s shock, likened to a phone receiver reacting violently |
Also Read: NCERT Notes Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 2 The Address (Free PDF)
Line-by-Line Explanation of the NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words Poem 4 Telephone Conversation
Here is the line-by-line analysis of each stanza of the poem ‘Telephone Conversation’
Lines 1–5:
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.’
The poem begins with the speaker, an African, inquiring about a flat. The price and location are acceptable, and the landlady claims she lives elsewhere. To avoid a wasted trip, the speaker discloses his African identity, anticipating potential prejudice.
Lines 6–9:
Silence. Silenced transmission of
Pressurised good-breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully.
A tense silence follows, revealing the landlady’s strained politeness. Her voice, marked by affected sophistication (“lipstick coated, long gold-rolled cigarette-holder”), responds, but the speaker feels trapped by the impending racist inquiry.
Lines 10–14:
‘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!
The landlady bluntly asks, “HOW DARK?” and presses for clarification: “ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?” The speaker, stunned, notes the “stench” of hidden prejudice in society, underscored by the vivid red imagery of the phone booth, pillar-box, and bus, grounding the surreal moment in reality.
Lines 15–20:
Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfounded to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis,
‘ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?’ Revelation came.
‘You mean, like plain or milk chocolate?’
The speaker feels shamed by the landlady’s silence, forced to seek clarification. She repeats her question with varied emphasis, prompting the speaker’s sarcastic response, comparing his skin to “plain or milk chocolate,” exposing the absurdity of her inquiry.
Lines 21–27:
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.’
The landlady’s cold agreement lacks humanity. The speaker, adjusting his tone, wittily calls his skin “West African sepia,” referencing his passport, mocking her obsession with color. Her confusion, “WHAT’S THAT?”, reveals her ignorance, shifting her tone to frustration.
Lines 28–35:
‘Like brunette.’
‘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
The speaker humorously likens his skin to “brunette,” then playfully describes his palms and soles as “peroxide blonde” and his bottom as “raven black” due to “friction,” satirising her fixation. Sensing her shock, he pauses, heightening the tension.
Lines 36–37:
About my ears, ‘Madam,’ I pleaded, ‘wouldn’t you rather
See for yourself ?’
The speaker invites the landlady to “see for herself,” a final witty challenge that underscores the absurdity of judging him by skin colour over a phone call, leaving her prejudice exposed.
Analysis of the NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words Poem 4 Telephone Conversation
The poem Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka uses sharp satire to expose racial prejudice through a phone conversation about renting a flat. The African speaker’s witty responses to the landlady’s racist inquiries highlight the absurdity and dehumanising nature of discrimination, blending humour with social critique.
Theme – Racial Prejudice and Resistance Through Satire
The central theme is the confrontation of racial prejudice, as the landlady’s fixation on the speaker’s skin colour reveals her bigotry. The speaker’s satirical responses challenge her ignorance, using humour to reclaim dignity and critique societal racism.
Symbolism and Meaning
Here, we have mentioned the symbolism used in this poem, along with the meaning behind that.
- Telephone Conversation: Represents the distance and anonymity of modern communication, where prejudice persists despite physical separation.
- Red Booth, Pillar-box, Omnibus: Symbolise the British setting, contrasting with the speaker’s alienation and highlighting the public nature of prejudice.
- Skin Colour Descriptions: The speaker’s playful terms like “West African sepia” and “peroxide blonde” mock the arbitrary categorisation of race, exposing its absurdity.
- Silence: Represents the landlady’s discomfort and the suppressed prejudice in “polite” society.
Human Experience
The poem captures the universal experience of facing discrimination and the resilience required to confront it. It resonates with readers who have encountered prejudice, highlighting the power of wit and intellect to challenge injustice and reclaim agency.
Tone and Mood
The tone and mood of the poem have been given as follows:
- Satirical and Witty: The speaker’s tone is sharp and humorous, using irony to expose the landlady’s prejudice.
- Tense and Confrontational: The mood reflects the underlying tension of the racist encounter, tempered by the speaker’s clever retorts.
- Critical: The poem critiques societal racism, urging reflection on prejudice and its absurdity.
Summary of Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka
In Telephone Conversation, Wole Soyinka portrays a tense yet humorous exchange between an African speaker and a British landlady over a phone call about renting a flat. The speaker, aware of potential prejudice, discloses his African identity to avoid a wasted journey. The landlady’s blunt questions, “HOW DARK? ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?”, reveal her racism, prompting the speaker’s satirical responses, comparing his skin to “plain or milk chocolate” and “West African sepia.” He humorously describes his palms as “peroxide blonde” and his bottom as “raven black,” mocking her obsession with colour. The poem ends with the speaker inviting her to “see for herself,” exposing the absurdity of her prejudice and reclaiming his dignity through wit.
Poetic Devices in NCERT Class 11 English Woven Words Poem 4 Telephone Conversation
Soyinka employs several poetic devices to convey the poem’s message and enhance its satirical and emotional impact.
| Device | Example | Effect |
| Imagery | “Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered omnibus” | Creates a vivid British setting, emphasizing the speaker’s alienation |
| Irony | “‘West African sepia’, and as afterthought, ‘down in my passport’” | Mocks the landlady’s fixation on skin color with a witty, invented term |
| Satire | “Palm of my hand, soles of my feet / Are a peroxide blonde” | Uses humor to expose the absurdity of racial categorization |
| Personification | “Receiver rearing on the thunderclap” | Gives the phone human-like reaction, amplifying the landlady’s shock |
| Alliteration | “Rancid breath of public hide-and-speak” | Enhances rhythm and underscores the unpleasantness of concealed prejudice |
| Enjambment | “Caught I was, foully. / ‘HOW DARK ?’” | Reflects the abrupt shift to the landlady’s racist inquiry, heightening tension |
Download more NCERT Solutions of Class 11 English ‘Woven Words’ here!
| Poem 1: The Peacock Solution |
| Poem 2: Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds Solution |
| Poem 3: Coming Solution |
| Poem 4: Telephone Conversation Solution |
Explore Notes of Other NCERT Class 11 Subjects
| History | Geography | Political Science | Psychology | Sociology |
FAQs
The main theme is racial prejudice and resistance through satire, as the poem exposes the absurdity of the landlady’s fixation on the speaker’s skin color and his witty retorts reclaim his dignity.
Soyinka employs satire, with the speaker humorously describing his skin as “West African sepia,” “peroxide blonde,” and “raven black,” mocking the landlady’s obsession with colour and highlighting the ridiculousness of racial prejudice.
The red imagery symbolises the British setting, contrasting with the speaker’s alienation and emphasising the public, pervasive nature of prejudice in the society he navigates.
For NCERT study material, follow the NCERT Notes and Solutions Class 11 English by Leverage Edu now.
