Running head: compare and contrast 1

Prejudice Poetry
Daniel P Gagnon
Excelsior College

compare and contrast 2

Prejudice Poetry
The poems Telephone Conversation and On the Subway have a comparative theme.
The theme is that of the prejudices that people have based on skin color and how people perceive
someone based on how they are dressed. Prejudices come in all variations based on ethnic
backgrounds, countries of origin, color, religion, sex and age just to name a few. Often times
these controversial themes make for good stories in the form of poetry. I will be comparing and
contrasting the theme of prejudice in both of the stories.
The poem Telephone Conversation is written in free verse because it tells a story and
rhyming and set verses are not needed in order to get their point across. In this poem the writer
assumes that the landlord could discriminate based on the color of the callers skin when they
call to find out more about renting an apartment so the caller tells the landlord "I hate a wasted
journey - I am African" (Soyinka, 1963), in case the landlord doesnt rent to people from Africa.
His suspicions are correct when the landlord confirms their suspicions by asking "HOW
DARK?" (Soyinka, 1963). All of the prejudicial questions and comment in this poem are written
in capitals to show the absurdity of the comment themselves.
In the poem On the Subway is also a free verse poem that exhibits prejudices based off
of color. The differences in these two poems is that in Telephone Conversation the prejudices
are implied because of the situation, that is, it is a telephone conversation. Neither person can see
the other so both of the prejudices are based on the conversation they are having and spoken out
loud. In the poem On the Subway the prejudices are in the first person and spoken in the main
characters mind. Another difference in the Telephone Conversation is the use of imagery
where writer describes how the caller believes the landlord to be upper class with the verse
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled Cigarette-holder pipped (Soyinka, 1963). The use of long

compare and contrast 3

gold-rolled cigarette is the call describing the landlord as being better than himself and this
shows that the caller seems insecure and even ashamed of himself. He also captures the fury in
the callers mind by the verse Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered Omnibus squelching
tar (Soyinka, 1963). This verse shows the sudden burst of anger he feels by seeing red and the
tires squealing makes in feel like hes ready to let loose but instead uses his wit to silently mock
the landlord with the verse "West African sepia"_ and as afterthought. "Down in my passport"
(Soyinka, 1963). This remark is a symbol that he should not be judged by the color of his skin or
what his passport says. On the Subway uses imagery but differently. The poem uses several
light and dark imagery as a theme for the poem when the writer uses the verses And he is black
and I am white, and without meaning or trying to I must profit from his darkness (Olds, 1987),
the way he absorbs the murderous beams of the nation's heart as black cotton absorbs the heat
of the sun and holds it (Olds, 1987) and There is no way to know how easy this white skin
makes my life (Olds, 1987). This imagery is of the mind of the white woman and the light and
dark battle going on in her mind. This battle is fed by the prejudice that is in her and represents
how she feels.
These two poems share a common theme but the way they present it are very different.
The tone of the poem are also different. In the Telephone Conversation the tone was light and
On the Subway has a dark one. These poems tell of the racism that was suffered at the hands of
a landlord and of a person on a subway just thinking of horrors someone may cause them. Both
of these are based on skin color and both mention light and dark which is the silent battle theme
of these poem and meant to show how absurd prejudices and racism are.

compare and contrast 4

References
Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2015.

Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage. (n.d.).
Retrieved July 13, 2015.