Unwritten Rules

Unwritten Rules "Just five decades ago, most black Americans could not work, live, shop, eat, seek entertainment or travel as they chose (Jaynes and Williams 3)." This statement reflects the plight of African Americans during the time period described in " Incident" by Countee Cullen and "Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka. These two poems show how black people were treated during a particular era in American history. In these two poems one can see how black people …

…in both poems. The white child in "Incident" demonstrates his prejudice through name-calling and sticking out his tongue. The woman in "Telephone Conversation" shows her prejudice in her reluctance to rent property to a black person. These two poems demonstrate two acts of prejudice that were common in this time period. The situations in these poems show how prejudice constantly plagued African Americans. Both "Incident" and "Telephone Conversation" portray the prejudices faced by black people.