Setting

Telephone - Wole Soyinka

1)This poem is full of colours no just that of skin, what do you think these colours signify?

One of the colours mentioned in the poem is the colour gold. The gold generally meant that the persona had some wealth as it is believed that gold was for the wealthy people as only they could afford it. The next colour is brunette. Its not really a colour but people with brown-coloured hair. I think it is for the landlord to make herself feel more at ease as I think she prefers brunettes to Africans.

2) What does the dialogue in this poem reveal about the two characters?

This poem reveals the two characters other side of their personality. This is because the landlord, whose skin colour is white, looks down on the persona, whose skin colour is totally different, dark brown, or West African sepia. The persona on the other hand, feels very awkward about talking about her own skin colour.

3) The poet dramatises a battle, who wins finally and why?

The landlord is curious to how dark the skin colour of the African lady is and keeps asking and asking. However, the African lady tries again and again to not answer directly to the landlord. This make the landlord impatient and wants to hang up. So the African lady had no choice but to give in and thus resulting in the landlord being the winner of this ‘battle’.

Civil War

a. Identify the southern states.

South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia,

Arkansas Tennessee and North Carolina.

b. Who was the US president who proclaimed the war against the south?

It was President Abraham Lincoln.

c. Why was the Civil War fought?

The South was taxed way more then the North and the Southerners felt that it was unfair and so the Civil War.

d. When was this war fought?

The Civil War took place between 1861 and 1862.

e. What was the outcome of this war?

The North won and prevented the South from being an independent republic.

f. How does the Civil Right movements relate to the novel (To Kill A Mocking Bird)?

Both talk about the racism in American life.

Identity

It has been years. It has been years that I finally came back. Glad to be back, yet at the same time, I do not know if I am able to blend in as a local like when I was a kid. In those times, people were more adventurous, fit and optimistic. Now, things have changed the way I never imagine it to be. However, it might not be so bad after all. It could be a unique personality of us. A personality that no where in the world has, as I have said, a unique personality, even new words were created just to describe us. In fact, a new language was created.

Coming back was a totally different feeling then leaving. When you arrive, you feel welcomed. Like thousands of people waiting at the airport upon your arrival and greet you when you look at them, but in fact, no one is there but strangers waiting for their relatives and friends. No one would even bother looking at you. However, it just feels good to be back.

This trip back home would just a two-week holiday. Visiting friends, shopping and do everything and anything. And of course, understand how and what my homeland has became after eight years abroad in London. Went over when I was thirteen because my father was posted there to work. Pretty excited at first but leaving behind all my friends, it was hard. All the friendships that took years to build can simply be left behind just like that. However, I had no choice. My whole family was going. I cannot just say no to that. I was thirteen.

The only thing left was to make new friends in London, keep in touch with old ones and come back to visit. And there I was eight years later I am finally back on home ground. A sense of joy and anxiousness runs in me.

Everything has changed. From the old dirty island, to the clean, green and fresh island today. From a world of rural areas, to an island of urbanized city. However, some things still have not changed, that is the multi-racial and multi-cultural we have in Singapore. Not many places are able to cope with 4 or more religions living together because of the much friction caused between two religions, fights and rioting tend to happen and peoples’ lives are at stake. This is a one thing about government that I admire, able to control and races and all live in peace.

The Central Business District is another world famous place. Or at the very least, to me it is. This is because this is the place where the country’s economy depends on. If it crashes, all is doomed. Thus, it takes much consideration and feedback from others before a major change would take place. It is like the New York City’s ‘Wall Street’, but simplified.

Talking about my homeland, the thing that most tourists would talk about is the language we speak. We speak a unique combination of every language here. It started from mandarin, Chinese. It then evolved and other language started coming into this. Reason is simple, because the world is evolving, surely we too have to do the same and thus, English, Malay were slowing added into the language. Furthermore, we even added Chinese dialects, such as Hokkien, Teochew into in! It somehow mange to turn out fine, but only if you speak to locals who say it as well. And this is called none other than ‘Singlish’!

From our Central Business District to our clean and green gardens to our invented language, that's our identity. Once you hear someone speaking in a language you feel that is confusing and at the same time containing a lot of languages and dialect, you know what it is, it’s ‘Singlish’!

I guess you already have a clue to where I come from. I come from Singapore! Have you guessed it right? And this was how I felt after coming back to Singapore after eight years. Eight whole years out of your home country, I mean, who can not feel homesick, even though your home is now else where, your home country is your home country, no other place will be able to replace this significant country in your heart.

And that's our Singapore Identity!