Discussion Topic: Deconstructing Absurdity and Prejudice in Wole Soyinka’s "Telephone Conversation"

Background In Wole Soyinka’s poem "Telephone Conversation," the speaker attempts to rent an apartment, but the transaction quickly derails when he reveals his race. Rather than an outright rejection, the landlady subjects him to an absurd, pseudoscientific interrogation about the exact shade of his skin ("HOW DARK? . . . ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?"). Instead of responding with explicit anger, the speaker turns to wit, satire, and literal descriptions of his body to highlight the ridiculousness of her prejudice.Instructions

1. Read the poem carefully.
2. Submit your initial post answering the prompt below by Sept. 3, at 11:59 P.M. PROVIDE BETWEEN 100-150 WORDS IN YOUR POST.

Discussion PromptTone and Microaggressions: The landlady’s tone is described as having "pressurized good-breeding" and "clinical, crushing... light impersonality." How does Soyinka use her polite, detached demeanor to illustrate how systemic racism and microaggressions operate in everyday interactions?