The Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka The "Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka is a poem that's title is very casual and straight forward. The poem's title shows the reader that what they are meant to read is realistic and free flowing. Like most poems there is a general theme that is carried on from start to end. The "Telephone Conversation" has two main obvious themes; these are racism and the lack of education and understanding that some people may have. As the reader reads
Season by Wole Soyinka There seems to be a strange contrast between his choice of the word “decay”, which suggests things going to ruin and the final sentiment where the word “promise” indicates hope. I get the sense that Soyinka’s poem is contrived. He feels the urge to speak lyrically about this subject but does not seem to have found his authentic voice, or perhaps the theme is too complex for him to address in a sixteen line poem. This is reflected in lines such as “Pollen is mating
Commentary on Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka recollects vividly in Ake Mrs. Huti talking about white racism. He was thus mentally prepared to cope with the racism before he left for England. The race problem which has been treated with levity in the immigrant poems is treated from the poet’s personal experience in “Telephone Conversation.” “Telephone Conversation” involves an exchange between the black speaker and a white landlady. This poem more than any other is
Colonial Life in Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood and Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman Homi Bhaba writes that "colonial mimicry is the desire for a reformed, recognizable Other, as a subject of a difference that is almost the same, but not quite" (86). The colonizer wants and needs the colonized to be similar to himself, but not the same. If the native continues to behave in his traditional ways, he brings no economic gain to the colonizer. But, if the colonized changes too
The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka The three main characters in ‘The Lion and the Jewel’ are called Sidi, Lakunle and Baroka the Bale. Each character has different thoughts about one another and each views the society in a different way. This essay introduces and describes each character and analyses their role in the play. Sidi ==== Sidi is the first character that the audience meets. She is a very attractive woman, known as the village ‘belle’. Her attractiveness influences
Social Issue on Racism “The Telephone Conversation” Wole Soyinka is a name that is larger than life in the literary world. His masterclass comes to the fore in the poem Telephone conversation (Soyinka 52). The poem has subtitles, irony, and an underlying theme, which is racism. A dark reality that he skillfully reveals and shows is utterly ridiculous. The poem introduces a West African persona to the audience. The poem tells the story of the man who makes a phone call to a potential landlady, as
In his play Death and King’s Horseman, Wole Soyinka shows that women had important and recognized roles in traditional Yoruba society. Women fulfill their social, moral and spiritual roles as mothers, enforces of the discipline, show guidance to the community. Iyaloja, the Mother of the Market, is politically and spiritually critical. Aside from being the enforcer of discipline, her towering image in terms of influence is a great source of nourishment to the entire community. In the play, the women
Student’s Name Professor Course Title Date of Submission Social Issue on Racism Wole Soyinka is a name that is larger than life in the literary world. His masterclass comes to the fore in the poem Telephone conversation (Soyinka 52). The poem has subtitles, irony, and an underlying theme, which is racism. A dark reality that he skillfully reveals and shows is utterly ridiculous. The poem introduces a West African persona to the audience. The poem tells the story of the man who makes a phone call
Colonialism versus Origin Within Wole Soyinka’s and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s intricately weaved novels, both pieces of literature successfully intertwine to portray the estrangement and hardships dealt with through the main characters in settling within a separate environment apart from their origins; culture and adopting the colonial mentality which is imposed upon them. There is a negative portrayal of the colonial mentality that manifests onto the African society. There are three major categories
Both poems entitled Abiku discuss the title child who returns to haunt his family after dying at a young age. However, they are formatted and presented in different manners to give alternate meanings to the story presented. The first, written by Wole Soyinka, is written in stanzas, while John Pepper Clark’s is in block form. However, they also share a variety of qualities in common, such as nature imagery and belief in incarnation. One similarity between Soyinka’s and Clark’s poems is the belief
Aké The Nigerian novelist Wole Soyinka's memoir, Aké, is a story told through the eyes of a child. Many incidents and the dialogues within these incidents are written in a tone which is suggestive of the innocence and actions which would only be performed by someone in a child-like state of mind. Soyinka's masterful use of this tone, and the primary use of first person in story telling combine to form a realistic childhood picture. In the third chapter we find young Wole describing a sort of parade
readers are not used too. Throughout reading these novel, with all the similar messages that are obtained within them, one main message from each other is similar, a better understanding of cultural difference. Authors Dai Sijie, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Wole Soyinka all exemplify what life is like in other cultures and regions of the world. The Machiguenga, The Yoruban tribe, and people involved in the Cultural Revolution era, are all timeframes and people that we will never understand or have to experience
A study of tradition, ritual and politics in Soyinka’s works Wole Soyinka’s involvement in the political history of Nigeria and his coming face-to-face with the struggle for independence can be seen as the inspiration behind his works. He stands out to politically represent his native Yoruba culture as a part of the unending resistance struggle. The inclusion of political oppression in his works can be related back to the period of his imprisonment for twenty seven months for his involvement in
The drama of Wole Soyinka is the creative mixing of Yoruba rituals, dramatic techniques, music and dance with the foreign language, English. The rites, rituals, gestures, music and dance are some of the nonverbal techniques Soyinka employs in order to achieve his dramatic effect. The language is full of wit and graphic insult. Language is not the only thing Soyinka relies on for effective theatre but also on so many techniques. This is an attempt to discuss these techniques in some important plays
Wole Soyinka, like other Nigerian writers, characterizes the conflict of cultural and religious choices in his country and emphasizes the distinct customs of society (Tucker 9). Born into the Yoruba tribe and culture, Soyinka’s writings are clearly influenced by Yoruba culture and practices. Communities and societies in Africa today religiously partake in ancient rituals that some may consider extreme, such as cannibalism and self-mutilation. In the village in The Strong Breed, the extent to which
How do the poems ‘Telephone Conversation’ by Wole Soyinka, ‘War Photographer’ by Carol Ann Duffy and ‘A Mother in a Refugee Camp’ by Chinua Achebe explore the theme of conflict? Conflict is a topic that is often associated with negative connotations. It evokes emotions such as sadness or fear and can make the reader empathetically experience pain or loss. Examples of conflict include war and racism. The poems ‘Telephone Conversation’ by Wole Soyinka, ‘War Photographer’ by Carol Ann Duffy and ‘A Mother
and that of a struggle for power between invader and native inhabitant’s. In summation the above essay has explored the way in with both Wole Soyinka and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o deploy key stylistic and dramatic effects to their work as well as providing a description of the ways in which both the play and novel function. Works Cited • Soyinka, Wole, ed. Simon Gikandi. 2002. Death and the Kings Horseman (Norton Critical Edition). New York and London: Norton. • Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. 2002
The African world-view in Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman In his play, Death and the King's Horseman, Wole Soyinka uses certain literary forms and devices to intermix Yoruba culture and a predominantly European dramatic form to create a play easily understood by the audience, but that allows the introduction of a foreign influence. These devices include the use of a songlike quality in dialogue and the telling of stories, the use of personification and metaphor to give an exotic quality
nation is much more important to their sense of identity as a nation than a few measly perks that may come with full adaption of the Western World’s practices. Works Cited Gibbs, James and Bernth Lindfors. Research on Wole Soyinka. Trenton: Africa World Press, 1993. Soyinka, Wole. The Lion and the Jewel. 1959. Literature the Human Experience Reading and Writing. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. Willis, Robert J. The Lion and the Jewel. Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition
Isolation In The Dance and the Railroad and The Strong Breed An overall theme of isolation permeates through both Wole Soyinka’s The Strong Breed and David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and the Railroad. Every character in these two plays suffers from some form of isolation from the rest of their society. Although Hwang’s Lone and Soyinka’s Girl are isolated for markedly different reasons and take opposite roads in their character growth, they share many similarities including often mirroring their