Compare and Contrast the Following Poems: Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka, In-a Brixtan Markit by James Berry, On the Subway by Sharon Olds and On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria by James Berry.

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Kritank Gupta

Compare and Contrast the Following Poems: Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka, In-a Brixtan Markit by James Berry, On the Subway by Sharon Olds and On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria by James Berry

        These four poems explore the racist views between white and black people during the last fifty years. The racism is viewed from many different angles, through both the perspectives off white and black people. The poems show how widespread the racism is, why some people are so racist and how some people attempt to stop it. The poems tell us about normal day to day racism, which everyone was used to, and of racism involving politics.

 “Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka, is based on an in-personal experience by Soyinka about what common attitudes would be to black people even if they were just trying to rent a place to live in. When Soyinka tells the landlady he is African he starts off by writing, “Nothing remained but self-confession. “Madam,” I warned”. Soyinka uses words like “self-confession” and “warned” because he knows, through his own personal experience, what the landlady’s reaction could be.

 The land lady questions Soyinka on how dark he is, this outrages him, “Stench of rancid breath of public hide and speak”, “Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double tiered Omnibus”, he uses the colour red every time not only to represent the colour of the landmarks of the country which he is in, but also to portray his anger, shame and embarrassment upon being asked the question. But Soyinka gains the moral highground with the landlady using his wit and humour. He asks her if she meant his colour to be  “like plain or milk chocolate” and then answers that it was “West African sepia” which leaves the woman dumbfounded.

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 He then asks the woman not only to look at his exterior but also his inside which like the palm of his hand and the sole of his foot was the same as hers.

 “In-a Brixtan Markit” by James Berry is based on what is probably a personal experience, in which he is confronted by a policeman in Brixton Market and is searched even though he did nothing wrong. The only reason he is searched is because of his appearance being black. This poem unlike the others has more political issues involved to it such as the police abusing their ...

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