Racism in the Cullen Incident and Soyinka's Telephone Conversation The poem "Incident", by Countee Cullen, deals with the effect that racism has about a young black child on vacation in Baltimore. The child is abused by a white child and so disturbed in his innocence that, after spending seven months in Baltimore, this is all he remembers. A different poem, “Telephone Conversation,” by Wole Soyinka, also addresses this issue, but from a different perspective. In this poem a man is trying to rent an apartment but the owner of the complex doesn't want him to move there because he is African. She asks him "How dark is it? Are you light / Or very dark?". Each person of color in their respective poems addresses prejudice the best way they know how. The way they handle the situation highlights the strength and wisdom they have gained, while casting a negative light on the ignorance conveyed by racist people. In America, at the time "Incident" takes place, people were very against the black population. This was also the case in England, where "Telephone Conversation" takes place, just not so much. The white child in Incident was obviously taught to hate or despise this race of people. He will probably grow up to be as closed-minded and ignorant as the woman in "Telephone Conversation." It is likely that the woman in "Telephone Conversation" also learned this from her youth, although the poem does not specify this. It is also possible that it is a decision she made on her own. She's older, though, and should know better The boogeyman in... middle of paper... and identity insulted is a horrible thing, but being able to hold on strong within yourself and know who you are is the real strength and shows a sense of true wisdom Although the boy from "Incident" could not realize this at his young age, it can be assumed that he eventually did and became confident enough to do so. write it down. These two poems show a timeline of strength and wisdom gained by the black child through the black man, and also a timeline of ignorance and racism gained by the white child through the white woman. These poems fit together perfectly, and each is intended to send the same message, just from different perspectives. Reading them individually can give you a great message about the strength of your identity, but if you read them together you can really see the importance of the intended message..