Using two or three poems which you have read explore the ways in which the poets use their poetry as a means of confronting and challenging prejudice

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Naomi Wood        Page         5/1/2007

Using two or three poems which you have read explore the ways in which the poets use their poetry as a means of confronting and challenging prejudice

 In the two poems, ‘Telephone Conversation’ and ‘Dinner Guest-Me,’ each poet uses their poetry as a means of confronting and challenging prejudice. In ‘Telephone Conversation’ by Wole Soyinka, a phone conversation takes place between an African man and a very artificial lady about renting out a room. When the lady finds out he is African she becomes very prejudiced and racist towards him. ‘Dinner Guest-Me’ by Langston Hughes is about a black man going to a dinner party where he is the only coloured person there, like he is the ‘token black.’

        Anger and a sense of humour are shown in both of the poems. In ‘Telephone Conversation’ the African man is angry at the “peroxide blond” and is disgusted at her for being so rude and racist towards him, “HOW DARK? ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?” The capital letters emphasises the loudness in her voice, whereas, in Langston Hughes poem the other dinner guest are not being prejudiced to the only black dinner guest directly. Although they would ask him “the usual questions that come into white mind.” Here they are set apart from him as a different race, “to be part of a Problem on Park Avenue at eight is not so bad.” He’s angry because he is still part of the Negro Problem even though he is with elegant, upper-class people. Hughes is laughing at the white people complaining about not being black, “I’m so ashamed of being white,” also at the democratic process and him self. He uses satirical humour at the dinner party by poking at establishment. He acknowledges that “I know I am the Negro Problem” and is aware they have to be polite about him. Wole Soyinka uses sarcastic humour and makes fun of the landlady when he writes, “Rapidly, wave-length adjusted, I chose West African sepia.” He has to go down to her wavelength for her to be able to understand him. Her response of “DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS” she still doesn’t understand him. “My bottom raven black,” she is offended by this and finally realises he is making fun of her.

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        In ‘Dinner Guest-Me’, Hughes uses onomatopoeia such as “murmuring” and “wondering” to suggest the tension between the other dinner guests and himself, the evening is leisurely and relaxed. In ‘Telephone Conversation’ Soyinka uses “Silence. Silenced transmission of pressurized good breeding” to pause and create perhaps a slight moment of tension between the landlady and the man hoping to lodge. In Wole Soyinka’s poem the landlady puts on a very artificial voice, “pressurized good-breeding” when talking to the man, her voice is emphasized, “HOW DARK? ... ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?” just by using capital letters you can imagine the ...

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