Missisipi Burning

Telephone Conversation
by Wole Soyinka


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."
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 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?"
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 blond. 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?"


The poem is a conversation between two people, the narrator, an african male, and a woman. The narrator wants to rent a house from the lady. However, he had difficulties as the woman was racist. This can be seen by her words "How dark?" and "Are you light or very dark?". One can tell from the poem that the lady was not very smart, not knowing what West African sepia is.

I believe that this poem depicts racism well and shows how unfair the "blacks" were treated. One can see the tension between the two characters.

TKAM Blog Prompt

What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read Scout’s experiences?

As I read about Scout's experiences, memories of laughter, fun and games rush into my mind. When I was younger, life was as simple as waking up and going to school, only to come home to watch TV or use the computer. My experiences may be different from Scout's experiences but there are two similarities. We both enjoyed what we did and we both had fun. As I have not had the chance to experience what it is like to live in a small town like Maycomb, I believe that my experiences cannot be compared to Scout's. In a small town like Maycomb, back in the 1900s, there were not much electronical things such as computers or phones. This led the children (Scout and Jem) to find their own ways to spend time and have fun. Now, as electronic devices are everywhere, children of the current generation are blessed.

TKAM Blog Prompt

As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with the most?

I sympathised with Mayella Ewell the most. I believe that she was innocent and her father, Bob Ewell, was treating her extremely badly. She did not do anything but yet had to accuse the man that she liked, Tom Robinson, of rape. Her father was extremely evil and this can be seen in how he does not treat the "blacks" or his daughter with any respect.