Telephone Conversation

Q1 This poem is full of colours not just that of skin, what do you think these colours signify?
In this poem, the black skin of the African tenant signifies the lower class position he and his race occupy in society, looked down upon and despised by white folk. The landlady of the place he planned to rent evidently places great emphasis upon skin colour, as she seems slightly shocked and angry when the tenant reveals he is African, and proceeds to probe about his skin tone in a blunt, brusque manner. When faced with this question, the tenant becomes uncomforably aware of his surroundings, the red telephone booth, pillar-box, and bus. Nothing around him seems to possess the same colour as his skin. She specifically requests for what shade of brown the tenant is, to which he replies, "West African sepia". This has a great impact upon the landlady, who seems ready to hang up and reject the tenant. However, the tenant pleads with her by describing the lighter colours of his palms and soles. This shows the role skin colour and skin tone play in society and in making an impression. The dark colours mentioned in the poem not only apply to African skin, but also to the darkness in the hearts of people that have led them to discriminate others by race and skin colour.

Q2 What does the dialogue in this poem reveal about these two characters?
The dialogue reveals the tenant's shame at being African, as he is prejudiced and discriminated by others. It is revealed in the second paragraph, when he is questioned about his skin tone, that he is afraid and ashamed of admitting in public, on the phone, his darker skin tone. ( "Stench of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak ... Considerate she was, varying the emphasis..." )

The dialogue also reveals the landlady's prejudice against Africans and their skin colour. She was very specific when inquiring about the tenant's skin colour, and when she realised that her fears of an extremely dark-skinned tenant might be confirmed, she quickly adopted a tone and manner which she would use to speak to one of his kind, blunt and curt. ( "WHAT'S THAT?" ... " DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.")

Q3 The poet dramatises a battle, who wins finally and why?
The landlady is on the verge of rejecting the tenant and putting him out of his misery, when the tenant pleads that she would rather see for herself rather than judge him upon descriptions in a telephone conversation. I would presume that the tenant wins, as the landlady is given the benefit of the doubt. Her curiosity aroused, she may decide to give the tenant a chance and realise, to her relief, that the tenant may not have been as bad as she imagined.