RIYA FATHIMA.LEC052036 -ANALYSIS OF RACIAL PREJUDICE IN CONTEMPORARY PERIOD THROUGH THE POEM 'TELEPHONE CONVERSATION'.
Analysis of racial prejudice in contemporary period through the poem 'Telephone Conversation'
Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian poet,playwright and political activist. His best works exhibit humor and fine poetic style as well as irony and satire. He was the first black African to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature. He has been a proponent of Nigerian democracy. His decades of political activism included periods of imprisonment and exile and has founded,headed,participated in several political groups like the National Democratic Organization,the National Liberation Council of Nigeria and Pro-National Conference Organization (PRONACO). Soyinka write in English,unlike most of the other African writers who regarded it as a language of colonial power,to reach out to an international audience. The poem Telephone Conversation is noted for Soyinka's witticism and sense of humor. It satirizes the widely spread racism in the modern western society.
The poem Telephone Conversation is about a phone call between a landlady and the speaker who is an African seeking to rent a house. The landlady is polite until she came to know that the speaker is African. Her racial prejudice came forward in the later part of conversation. Instead of discussing prices,facilities,location and other details about apartment ,the entire discussion surrounded on the skin color of speaker. The poet effectively uses irony,pun and sarcasm to ridicule the racial discrimination prevalent in our 'civilized' society.
The peculiar treatment of the subject shaped the poem as noteworthy. Using the sarcasm tool heightened literary effect. The poem is written as telephone conversation in exact way. The sarcasm,pun was applied when the landlady realized that the caller is an African and subsequently she asked the skin color of caller. The irony is used in terms like 'self confession' ,'caught i was foully'. The speaker was reacting ironically as he has done a crime. The sarcastic use of words like 'pressurized good-breeding','plain or milk chocolate'. The speaker revealed his skin color with confusing and metaphorical words. He says that in his passport his color is 'West African Sepia'. Speaker explained his about his color in detailed manner.He sarcastically said that his is color is like brunette and his palms,feet are peroxide blonde and due to continuous sitting ,his bottom is like raven black.The question in the ending line of the poem ,"Wouldn't you rather see for yourself" is a perfect remark to people who are racists.
Racial prejudice was very severe in past compared to contemporary era. There are many examples related to existence of prejudice;during apartheid in South Africa,non-whites were viewed as lesser or inferior than their white counterparts. The prejudiced thought that a black teen is a thug just because of the way they dress or act. The grueling racism of Adolf Hitler created deep wound across the world. He had antisemitic ideas at an early age which fueled his prejudice against Jews. The racism is diminishing compared to history but it still prevails in people's mind. The need of strict law and regulation to abolish racialism is highly necessary.
Critical race theory (CRT) is of the view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist. Instead of being biologically grounded and natural,race is used by white people to put forward their economic and political interests at the expense of people of color. According to Critical race theory (CRT) ,racial inequality emerges from the social,economic and legal differences that white people create between races to maintain elite white interests in labor markets and politics,giving rise to poverty and criminality in many minority communities. The CRT movement officially organized itself in 1989,at the first annual workshop on Critical Race Theory. CRT was inspired by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X , W.E.B Du Bois,Black Panthers and Frantz Fanon. Critical race theory scholars interrogate policies and practices that are taken for granted to uncover the overt and covert ways in which racist ideologies,structures and institutions create and maintain racial inequality. Scholars often push the field to critically examine the dominant narratives produced in schools and the counter-narratives that are silenced. CRT is a theoretical framework that provides policy makers,education researchers an construct better systems for racial equity and justice. This theory could be studied and applied across the world. Like CRT,more research,laws are essential to repress racism and pull off equality.
The deep and sarcastic poem Telephone Conversation has uncovered persisting racial disparities in our modern society. It has successfully presented the issue with the aid of irony,pun and sarcasm. To put an end to this imbalance,which is carried from past,stringent laws and actions are mandatory. Soyinka proved that the racial prejudice is hiding inside people's mind even in this modern era. To get rid of this entrenched notion, theories and studies like CRT and more are required to contribute for creating societal equity. The analysis of racial prejudice among society and how the disparities could be annihilated are analysed through the poem Telephone Conversation.
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