Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka

Telephone conversation by Wole Soyinka is about, as the title suggests, a conversation over the telephone between two people – a West African man and a British landlady. The former was looking for a place to live in London. He felt that the ‘price seemed reasonable’ and the ‘location indifferent’ in the sense that it was impartial. The landlady claimed that she ‘lived off premises’ possibly indicating that it was a source of income for her. The poem is in free verse and appears like a conversation, like an active telegraphic dialogue.It is a poem that takes the support of irony to put across a point strongly, that is, absurdity of racism. The poet has taken this creative idea to convey his anger over how society gives undue importance to a man’s colour and not this culture or intellect. The opening lines of the poem introduce the theme which rests on the irony of the word ‘indifferent’. The speaker wants an apartment a nd in this regard he calls the landlady to speak to her. He finds the ‘price reasonable’ and the ‘location indifferent’. ‘Indifferent’ here possibly indicated ‘impartial’ to race and colour.The landlady emphatically says that she lives ‘off the premises’ – the apartment is a source of income for her. Everything seems alright and the speaker feels that he should tell the lady that he is an African. He does this to avoid ‘a wasted journey’ because he has an apprehension that when the lady sees him she might react negatively and reject him. Hence there is the need for this ‘self-confession’. He has not done any wrong that he should confess – yet he seems apologetic. The response to this self-confession is ironically a heavy silence – a pause – that transmuted ‘good breeding’ of the lady.She is possibly caught unawares. The African is too shocked and hurt t o react immediately and therefore, the heavy silence is broken with questions – ‘How dark? ’ and ’Are you light or very dark? ’ She wants to know the colour of his skin. This was an absurd notion followed by the whites; they thought that the lighter shades of the dark-skinned people were better than the darker ones. The speaker is suddenly conscious of the ‘stench of rancid breath’ of the public booth, its red colour, the ‘red pillar box’ and the red bus – all Red.It is an evocative image that brings out the reality if the prejudice against him. The colour red here symbolises the extent of shock and anger of the African. He is the one looking for acceptance and belonging, and lodging. The colour might also refer to the branding of cattle, where each of them has a red mark on its body that makes it easier for its master to identify them. The man’s silence is an ‘ill-mannered silence’ eloquently int erpreted as bad manners by the landlady. She politely tones down the sharpness of her question but nevertheless seeks to know ‘how dark’ he is.The poet calling her ‘considerate’ is an irony because she does not rephrase her question sensitively and considerately, but it is considerate as so far she converted the phrases. ‘Revelation came’ when the African realised that the whites shall never regard the blacks as human beings as themselves. The African replies in a childish way, resigning himself and simplifying the choices of the landlady. He says, ‘You mean – like plain or milk chocolate? ’ All his anguish, pain and anger takes recourse and he forces to see himself through the eyes of the lady.She answers him in infirmity and then, adjusting himself with the ‘wave-length’ of the white lady, apparently complying with her, he says, ‘West African sepia’ from ‘down in’ his ‘passportà ¢â‚¬â„¢. This is again an irony, as the African in reality faces rejection in Europe by the whites despite having a passport. This depicts that the colour of the skin is an absurdly important parameter for describing humans according to the whites. The answer of the African does not satisfy the lady and she feigns not to understand – ‘what’s that? ’ is her question.He replies that it is similar to brunette and she immediately clarifies that that’s dark. Now the man has had enough of her insensitiveness. He disregards all constraints of formality and mocks her outright, saying that he isn’t all black, the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands are completely white, but he is foolish enough to sit on his bottom so it has been rubbed black due to friction. But as he senses that she is about to slam the receiver on him, he struggles one last time to make her reconsider, pleading her to at least see for herself; only to have the phone slamme d on him.Exasperated by these indifferences he is keen to tell her that but for his brown skin he is like any other normal human being – with palm of the hand, soles of his feet a ‘peroxide blond’. He realises that she wants the details to be able to categorise him. But the process angers him and provokes him to describe how the bottoms ‘raven black’ and asks her to judge for herself. The lady had already sent the receiver rearing on the thunderclap. She had disconnected. The telephone conversation has concluded but the man has to have the last word. He asks if she wouldn’t rather see for herself.

Halloween & Christmas? Similar or Different? Essay

When you think about Christmas and Halloween you think that they are two completely different holidays. But are they really, are they completely different or are they the same thing just celebrated at different times in the year. Well thats what we are going to find out. Christmas celebrated on December 25 and Halloween celebrated on October 31 very unique holidays with many questions to be answered. Lets start with Halloween since that comes first in the year. Halloween is a holiday celebrated at night on October 31st. The word Halloween is shortening All Hallows’ Evening also known as Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve. The traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting â€Å"haunted houses† and carving or painting pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embrace the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as Australia and New Zealand. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. The countries this scary holiday is celebrated in are; Austria, Korea , Belgium, Mexico (day of the dead), Canada, Latin America, China, Spain, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Japan. Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25–Christmas Day–has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.

The University of California Schools: The Complete Guide + Which Should You Choose?

As the University of California (UC) deadline draws near, perhaps you’re wondering whether you should apply. If so, to which campuses? Each school has something very different to offer its students , and you probably want to know which is the best fit for you. In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of UC admissions and then share our thoughts on what makes each campus unique. By the end of this article, we hope you will be confident that your school list includes the right UC schools for you. If you’re working on your essays, make sure to check out How to Write the University of California Essays. The University of California includes ten schools. All of them except UC San Francisco have undergraduate programs. They are: The UC schools make up the most selective tier of California public postsecondary schools. There are also 23 California State Universities, known as CSUs or Cal State schools. Additionally, California has 114 community colleges throughout the state. California has devoted immense resources to all of these, meaning that students all across these 147 campuses have some amazing programs. In this post, we are only going to focus on these ten schools. You can learn more about the Cal State System in another post. Before we dive in, it is also worth noting that California holds a number of private universities as well, including Stanford, Pepperdine, and the Claremont Colleges. Private universities require separate applications and are not in the UC System, even though they are in California. The main advantage of going to a UC school is that you can study nearly any major offered to undergraduates at a fraction of the cost of most private universities. Each UC undergraduate program is fully equipped with coursework in natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. They also have the research libraries and extracurricular program that go along with a traditional liberal arts education. The application filing period is November 1-30. All applications must be submitted by November 30 . All UC schools use the same application. To add a school, all you have to do is check an additional box on the application. The application fee is $70 for each UC school to which you apply. Here is a full list of the UC application requirements: Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. All domestic applicants are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application . The FAFSA is for all residents of the U.S. who would be eligible to federal or state aid. Undocumented students should file the California Dream Act Application for state and school financial aid instead. Students who fill out these forms automatically will be considered for all public financial aid programs , including federal aid, Cal Grants, the Middle Class Scholarship Program , and the Blue and Gold Opportunity Program . You will receive a letter or email if it is determined that you can receive one of these types of aid. There are also private scholarships available from third parties. Check out our related posts on How to Secure Funding for College to find third party scholarships designed for you. In the rest of this article, we explore how the UC campuses compare with one another. UC Berkeley, also known as Cal, is the flagship UC school. Berkeley became famous in the sixties due to a surge of political activism. Students still participate in regular protests, usually left-leaning politically. Lovingly termed the Harvard of the West, this is an academic powerhouse. Cal is especially strong in the natural sciences. Due to high demand, it can be difficult to get into the lectures that satisfy pre-med requirements. GPA cutoffs also make it difficult to declare impacted majors. Even though this school increasingly places an emphasis on hard sciences, non-science majors continue to be generously funded. Among humanities majors, Classics and Music are two very strong programs. We recommend this school if you have an outstanding academic profile, a love of learning, and the thick skin required for navigating a larger university. If Berkeley is the reigning champion of the UC System, UCLA is its most viable challenger. This beautiful campus opens up spectacular internship opportunities to which few have access, particularly in the medical and film industries. This is also a major research university, with many opportunities to conduct research in the humanities as well as natural sciences. Students who are interested in pursuing research should check out their desired department to see what projects professors are leading currently. UCLA operates a vast number of teaching hospitals and research hospitals, including several on campus . This is a great pick for someone who knows they want to go into health care but still wants to explore different types of medicine before committing. We recommend this school if you have a strong academic profile, a desire to take advantage of living in LA, and the independence to thrive in a large university setting. Farther south we have UC San Diego (UCSD), which brings the best of work and play together in the scenic beachside city of San Diego . We cannot understate the value of this school’s location . It’s right beside the Pacific Ocean, and because it’s farther south than the South Bay or San Francisco, the water is warm enough When you sign up for our program, we carefully pair you with the perfect admissions specialist based on your current academic and extracurricular profile and the schools in which you’re interested. Your personal application specialist will help you with branding, essays, and interviews, and provide you with support and guidance in all other aspects of the application process.

Balance score card Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Balance score card - Essay Example Gradually Invest on New Equipments with the Help of a Financer and the Commune. The Mayor could help out in financial matters since both have the same goal on providing the local community with the access to health care services as well as in maintaining the employment of ABC Hospital stakeholders. The Mayor has the power to grant the hospital some money to buy the needed equipments and facilities and lessen the tax collection from the organization. Establish a Strict Guidelines and Random Checking on the Quality of Products & Services that are Currently Outsourced. This will enable the hospital to acquire the best quality products and services at lower costs. It is not wise to reduce the cost by allowing the quality of food being served to the patients to suffer. Encourage Expansion and Investment on Equipments for the Rehabilitation Ward. Allowing further development and investments on specific wards that has a big market potential could minimize opportunity loss. Transferring some beds from the less active wards into a bigger rehabilitation ward will encourage maximizing the use of existing equipments. Reallocation of available resources is important because of the limited funds. Maximize Economies of Scale on Existing Wards. This strategy will help keep down the operational costs. By carefully analyzing and studying the demand for each ward in the hospital, the management could easily decide on whether to expand or cut down the size of each ward. In line with restructuring the size of wards, the number of nurses and doctors should be assigned according to the demand in each ward. Re-establish the Customers’ Confidence on the ABC Hospital. With the use of the media and church, it would be easier for the organization to re-establish the name and reputation of the hospital as the best in delivering quality services to the community. Using the media and advertisements to announce the

Himan Rights Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Himan Rights Law - Coursework Example It is evident from the study that people in the United Kingdom have enjoyed a lot of individual freedoms and liberties which usually fall into conflict with so many other laws. Consequently, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) was drafted in 1950,to integrate these liberties. However, it was not until the year 2000 that the convention rights were adopted in the United Kingdom through the Human Rights Act. In order to use the convention rights, one had to take a case to the European Courts on Human Rights in Strasbourg. This was extremely expensive to citizens and was also extremely time-consuming. The 1997 white paper â€Å"Rights Brought Home† rightly states that: It takes on average five years, to bring a case into the European Court of Human Rights once all domestic remedies have been exhausted; and it costs an average of  £30,000. Bringing these rights home will mean that the British people will be able to fight for their rights in the British courts – without this undue delay and expense. One of the most critical functions is to ensure that, at all times, there is compatibility with the laws as stipulated by the Convention Rights. The Act gives individuals a complete description and summary of the freedoms and liberties that they are supposed to enjoy as citizens. It ensures that everyone’s rights are respected also, just as ECHR does. The Act also goes ahead do state that rights come with responsibility too. This means that there are cases and situations when these rights may need to be limited, such cases being when crime and public health need to be addressed. Apart from protecting the rights of individuals, the Human Rights Act also requires courts of law to obey the laws that Parliament passes. Courts are only allowed to interpret the laws as is, without altering them in any way whatsoever. Nevertheless, the Act allows higher courts the power to determine that a given order cannot be put into use for the sole reason t hat the law contravenes the rights described in the Convention. When this happens, congress is required to amend the various section of that law before it is set to use again6. Since the Human Rights Act was enacted, courts are now obliged to look at The Convention Rights at all times when deciding how cases should go. This is a tremendouslylarge shift from the way things used to be before. Convention rights were looked at only when the UK laws were not clear. Part 2: How does the HRA work? The Act requires all courts and tribunals to interpret laws and effectively put them into use in ways that are compatible to the Convention rights. Rightly so, when this is impossible, a court may revoke or, subordinate legislation or, if it is a higher court, make a declaration of incompatibility. This allows for the amendment of the law to make it in line with

Question Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Question - Personal Statement Example in the environment both in and out of class but hope to stretch more especially out of class so as to fit in the diverse student body and learn from the challenge of diversity so as to as to graduate as a world citizen. As part of the my growth and student life, I have come to appreciate the importance of giving equal opportunities to all people despite of the social class, ethnicity of origin. Having come from China and studied mostly out of my home country, I came to experience instances where opportunities for instance to lead in student organisations could be denied to me because largely because of my origin. In order to overcome the situation I stood high and rose against discrimination of any kind, proved my ability to both teachers and fellow students hence finally won the confidence of both. This is a strength I will be carrying with me to Delaware. One accomplishment that has taken a great deal of my time and effort was learning a second language, fitting in a new learning environment and keeping the pace of native students. As a foreign student in America, I have encountered challenges to do with communication and as such had to put a lot effort towards overcoming the same. My motivation has always been never giving up my academic success and thus I became a friend of teachers as well as other students who assisted me a great deal in learning the new language. Being close to teachers and being able to quickly befriend other students was quite helpful as I was able to overcome the fear of being laughed

Otitis media, analyeses and evaluation the care delivered to a patient Essay

Otitis media, analyeses and evaluation the care delivered to a patient with otitis media - Essay Example Currently, decision-making processes have to be approved by the patient due to the consequences that may arise during treatments. As for otitis, the decisions have to be controlled by the doctor due to the various determinants. Additionally, the doctors use the factors to assist the patients on the decisions they can make on their treatment. Notably, previous research has simplified decision-making processes by having connection between symptoms and specific treatment methods that can be applied. Acute otitis media (AOM) – it is caused by blockages in the Eustachian tube due to poor drainage and ventilation of the inner and middle ear cavity (Rosenfeld 102). It does not take long, and its symptoms are short-term. The symptoms include increased temperature, nausea, ear ache and irritability among others. However, they may vary based on age body resistance. Chronic otitis media – it involves the entry of bacteria into the middle ear leading to infections (Bluestone and Jerome 103). The excreted fluid may cause conductive hearing loss and takes place after a period of more than three months. It is also referred to as the glue ear. Chronic suppurative otitis media – it is also referred to as the runny ear due to the presence of an opening in the eardrum. There is consistent discharge of fluids that may affect the inner bones (Bluestone and Jerome 5). This stage may lead to permanent hearing loss if treatment is not administered. Age is a factor affecting the choice of diagnostic approaches (Block and Christopher 56). Otitis media is commonly found in children below the ages of ten (Bluestone and Jerome 4). Moreover, the approach styles in children are different from those in adults. For example, an adult can explain in detailed the symptoms that he/she is undergoing; hence making it easy for the decision-making process. Children will have different diagnosis styles whereby the doctor will have to carry out tests and