Racism in Soyinka's and Olds's Poetry: A Comparative Study
This essay compares two poems that address racial prejudice: Wole Soyinka's "Telephone Conversation" (1963) and Sharon Olds's "On the Subway" (1987). The analysis examines how each poet portrays racism from distinct perspectives — Soyinka responding to discrimination as its target, using wit and irony to challenge a racist landlady, and Olds confessing her own internalized fear and stereotyping of a young Black man on a New York subway. Together, the poems illustrate how racism operates both institutionally and psychologically, and how color symbolism — particularly the use of red and black — functions as an emotional and political device in both works.
- Introduction: Overview of racism themes across both poems
- Soyinka's 'Telephone Conversation': Wit as a Counter to Racism: Soyinka uses irony to challenge a racist landlady
- Olds's 'On the Subway': Fear, Stereotyping, and Self-Awareness: Olds confesses her own fear-driven racial stereotyping
- Color Symbolism in Both Poems: Red and black imagery convey anger and prejudice
- Conclusion: Both poems reject racial stereotyping and intolerance
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay pairs two poems to show racism from opposing vantage points — one from a Black man experiencing discrimination, and one from a white woman confessing her own bias — creating a productive contrast that enriches the analysis.
- The paper grounds its argument in specific textual details (word choices like "self-confession," color imagery, clothing descriptions), keeping the analysis anchored in the poems themselves.
- The essay acknowledges moral complexity: Olds is presented as both complicit in racism and sympathetic to its victims, which avoids oversimplification.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative close reading — analyzing two literary texts side by side to identify thematic parallels (color symbolism, stereotyping) while maintaining attention to each poem's distinct context and tone. This technique shows how juxtaposition can deepen interpretation beyond what either text would yield alone.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a broad thematic framing of racism in both poems, then devotes one body paragraph to each poem before drawing a shared conclusion. The structure is straightforward and suitable for a high school or early undergraduate comparative essay, moving from context and summary to textual interpretation and then to a synthesizing moral claim.
Introduction
"Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka and "On the Subway" by Sharon Olds are two poems that analyze racism and racist perspectives between white and Black people across the last five decades. Racism is depicted in these poems from several different perspectives — through the viewpoints of both Black and white people. The poems demonstrate how widespread racism is, and how intolerant individuals can be of those with different skin colors, while also showing the different ways in which people attempt to reckon with racial prejudice. The issue of racism is explored in two ways: first, through the way ordinary people perceive it, and second, through how social and political forces shape those perceptions. An analysis of both poems reveals how a biased viewpoint can not only distort thinking but also become the basis for authoritative judgment of others.
References
Gupta, K. (2015, September 11). 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. Retrieved from Marked by Teachers: http://www.markedbyteachers.com/gcse/religious-studies-philosophy-and-ethics/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.html
Olds, S. (1987). On the Subway.
Soyinka, W. (1963). Telephone Conversation.
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