THE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
Wole Soyinka
The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. "Madame," I warned,
"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.
"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 --
"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, wave-length adjusted,
I chose. "West African Sepia" -- and as 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."
"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?"
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The selection above shows how the landlady judged the caller easily. She asked about how dark or how light the guy is before thinking if she will really accept him. It even reached to the point where the caller needs to explain every detail about every light and dark color of his body, right? You may agree or not, but if you are in the position of the guy, I know that somehow, you will feel insulted.
Now, for those who are presently being bombarded by racism, I believe that at some points, these pieces of advice would help you. Do you remember how God created Adam and Eve? He gave them everything. He showed how great His love is. Remember: He didn't make you just to be isolated and hated. You were born for a special purpose and for a good living. Set aside those people who are trying to keep on judging you. It doesn't make them prettier in doing that, though. You should be loved for you are special, okay? Don't ever dare to forget that.
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Days continue to pass-by. Time continues to strike its long and short hands. Generations and generations of life keep on going on and on. Yet, racism also continues to be evident in this world of ours. Am I right or not?
As you can all see, this selection is quite unique. It seems like, it's hard to understand, right? To tell you, there are a lot of meaningful thoughts behind every word. Want to know what those are? Well, you should be able to answer this question first: What is the problem present in the story? Together, let us answer that.
The selection above shows how the landlady judged the caller easily. She asked about how dark or how light the guy is before thinking if she will really accept him. It even reached to the point where the caller needs to explain every detail about every light and dark color of his body, right? You may agree or not, but if you are in the position of the guy, I know that somehow, you will feel insulted.
Now, for those who are presently being bombarded by racism, I believe that at some points, these pieces of advice would help you. Do you remember how God created Adam and Eve? He gave them everything. He showed how great His love is. Remember: He didn't make you just to be isolated and hated. You were born for a special purpose and for a good living. Set aside those people who are trying to keep on judging you. It doesn't make them prettier in doing that, though. You should be loved for you are special, okay? Don't ever dare to forget that.
