Exploration of Race and Identity in Telephone Conversation
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
Starter:
How would you feel if
someone would not let you
rent their home because of
your race?
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
Learning Goals:
You understand what is happening in the poem (G+)
You also understand the emotions conveyed and can use quotes to show
this (E+)
You can also explore the imagery and structure in the poem and how
they show the ‘message’ of the poem (C+)
You can be detailed in your exploration of the effect of the imagery (B+)
You explore layers of meaning behind language and structural choices
and how these contribute to the themes in the poem
(A)
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
Telephone Conversation
Wole Syinka
The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. “Madam,” I warned,
5 “I hate a wasted journey—I am African.”
Silence. Silenced transmission of
Pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully.
10 “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! Shamed
15 By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfoundment to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis—
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
“ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?” Revelation came.
“You mean—like plain or milk chocolate?”
20 Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wavelength adjusted,
I chose. “West African sepia”—and as an afterthought,
“Down in my passport.” Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent
25 Hard on the mouthpiece. “WHAT’S THAT?” conceding,
“DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.” “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
30 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
About my ears—“Madam,” I pleaded, “wouldn’t you rather
35 See for yourself?”
First
impressions:
What is the
poem about?
First
impressions:
What do you
think of it?
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But
self-confession.
“Madam,” I warned,
5 “I hate a wasted journey—I am African.”
Silence.
Silenced transmission of
Pressurized
good-breeding.
Voice,
when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully.
What is a confession?
Why does he feel he has to
‘confess’ his race?
Why is silence
on its own like
this? What is
her reaction?
Why does it say
‘voice’ instead of she
said?
What do these quotes
suggest about the woman’s
social standing compared to
the man’s?
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
10
“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!
Shamed
15 By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfoundment to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis—
What emotions
do the ellipsis
suggest?
Why does ‘light’
come first?
Why is ‘red’
repeated?
What does this
suggest about
society?
What does the
exclamation
suggest?
Is it really a yes or no question?
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
“ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?”
Revelation came.
“You mean—like plain or milk chocolate?”
20 Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality.
Rapidly, wavelength adjusted,
I chose.
“West African sepia”—and as an afterthought,
“Down in my passport.” Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent
25 Hard on the mouthpiece.
“WHAT’S THAT?”
conceding,
“DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.”
“Like brunette.”
Has she really changed the
question?
How is she
treating
him?
Does he
really have
any choice
or power
in this
situation?
Why?
Why is this painful to admit?
What simile must he now
resort to?
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
“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
30 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
About my ears—“Madam,”
I pleaded
, “wouldn’t you rather
35 See for yourself?”
Is this negative or
positive? Why?
Pick out the different colours
he uses to describe himself…
What does this suggest?
What does he think will
happen?
Why is he pleading?
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
1.
Sum up what is happening in the poem in 30 + words (G+)
2.
What emotions are conveyed in the poem?
Write a PEE
paragraph which explores the emotions of either the speaker.
Or the woman on the phone. (E+)
Challenge: discuss imagery or structure in your PEE (C+), in
detail (B+), consider layers of meaning (A+)
3. List three ways the poet makes you aware of the prejudice in
this poem. How effective do you think they are?
Learning Aim:
To explore the ideas presented in ‘Telephone
Conversation’.
Plenary:
1.
Why do you think the man reacts this way? Why does he not
get more angry at the way he is treated?
2.
Do you blame the woman for the way she reacts? What do
you think of her?
The poem "Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka delves into the themes of race, identity, and societal prejudices through a phone dialogue between a man and a landlady. The man's experience of discrimination based on his skin color unfolds in a conversation filled with subtle and overt racism, highlighting the impact of such biases on individual self-worth and dignity.
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Presentation Transcript
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . Starter: How would you feel if someone would not let you rent their home because of your race?
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . Learning Goals: You understand what is happening in the poem (G+) You also understand the emotions conveyed and can use quotes to show this (E+) You can also explore the imagery and structure in the poem and how they show the message of the poem (C+) You can be detailed in your exploration of the effect of the imagery (B+) You explore layers of meaning behind language and structural choices and how these contribute to the themes in the poem (A)
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . Telephone Conversation Wole Syinka The price seemed reasonable, location Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived Off premises. Nothing remained But self-confession. Madam, I warned, 5 I hate a wasted journey I am African. Silence. Silenced transmission of Pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came, Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully. 10 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! Shamed By ill-mannered silence, surrender Pushed dumbfoundment to beg simplification. Considerate she was, varying the emphasis 15
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT? Revelation came. You mean like plain or milk chocolate? Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light Impersonality. Rapidly, wavelength adjusted, I chose. West African sepia and as an afterthought, Down in my passport. Silence for spectroscopic Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent Hard on the mouthpiece. WHAT S THAT? conceding, DON T KNOW WHAT THAT IS. Like brunette. 20 First impressions: What is the poem about? 25 First impressions: What do you think of it? 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 About my ears Madam, I pleaded, wouldn t you rather See for yourself? 30 35
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . What is a confession? Why does he feel he has to confess his race? The price seemed reasonable, location Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived Off premises. Nothing remained But self-confession. Madam, I warned, 5 I hate a wasted journey I am African. Silence. Silenced transmission of Pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came, Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully. Why does it say voice instead of she said? Why is silence on its own like this? What is her reaction? What do these quotes suggest about the woman s social standing compared to the man s?
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . What emotions do the ellipsis suggest? Why does light come first? What does this suggest about society? 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! Shamed By ill-mannered silence, surrender Pushed dumbfoundment to beg simplification. Considerate she was, varying the emphasis 10 Why is red repeated? What does the exclamation suggest? 15 Is it really a yes or no question?
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . Has she really changed the question? ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT? Revelation came. You mean like plain or milk chocolate? Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light Impersonality. Rapidly, wavelength adjusted, I chose. West African sepia and as an afterthought, Down in my passport. Silence for spectroscopic Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent Hard on the mouthpiece. WHAT S THAT? conceding, DON T KNOW WHAT THAT IS. Like brunette. situation? Why? Why is this painful to admit? How is she treating him? 20 Does he really have any choice or power in this 25 What simile must he now resort to?
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . Is this negative or positive? Why? Pick out the different colours he uses to describe himself What does this suggest? 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 About my ears Madam, I pleaded, wouldn t you rather See for yourself? 30 35 What does he think will happen? Why is he pleading?
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . 1. Sum up what is happening in the poem in 30 + words (G+) 2. What emotions are conveyed in the poem? Write a PEE paragraph which explores the emotions of either the speaker. Or the woman on the phone. (E+) Challenge: discuss imagery or structure in your PEE (C+), in detail (B+), consider layers of meaning (A+) 3. List three ways the poet makes you aware of the prejudice in this poem. How effective do you think they are?
Learning Aim: To explore the ideas presented in Telephone Conversation . Plenary: 1. Why do you think the man reacts this way? Why does he not get more angry at the way he is treated? 2. Do you blame the woman for the way she reacts? What do you think of her?
