EPISODE 4 (MISS D—— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL, AYETORO. TUESDAY, 23, SEPTEMBER, 2014.

EPISODE 4 (MISS D—— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL, AYETORO. 
TUESDAY, 23, SEPTEMBER, 2014.
The third day of resumption—the date prefixed at the head of this episode—found MISS D—— taking lectures in a class. I need not trouble myself to reveal how many she took that day, inasmuch it is of no possible consequence to the suspicion of the reader. Only that it is worthy of record that this writer only switched on his camera almost at the end of the last lecture.
The last lecture was Civic Education. And Mr A——, the teacher, was warning the new students the importance of writing his notes. It was not unusual, afterall. Every teacher in Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro used to tell the students the rules and regulations that guide his or her class right from the beginning of each term. Some might insist they want the students to write it at the back of their notes. Such were they, the great teachers.
Mr A—— was only frightening the students with his words. And the students, quiet and very desponding in their ways—the ways of those who have just been transferred from ‘junior school’ to ‘senior school’. Quiet and very obedient such that no soldier had to trouble himself over their course—were shuddering from their seat as the teacher thundered his words with great energy.
‘I am TEMPERAMENTAL,’ the teacher was saying, emphasising the last word every now and then. ‘Nature determines my actions. I address you the way you present yourself—‘ He coughed and brushed his nose while the students watched with curiosity stirred perfectly with enthusiasm in their frames. ‘Yes,’ He pursued. ‘We will be friends, if you please, by cooperating with me. And we can be otherwise if you are otherwise.’
He let a moment of silence passed, then he continued, moving about the class with an air of revered authority. ‘I will be something, if you are something,’ he said. ‘I will be anything, if you are anything. And I will be nothing, if you are nothing. I'm simple. Simply simple. And if you are difficult to conduct. I'm also difficultly difficult.’ The last words he said while clamping his notebook by his side and supporting it with the left arm. He walked outside the classroom with the students packing their lots to leave as well.
MISS D——, sitting by the window side was not indifferent to his spell. In fact, she had her head in her palm reflecting on all that he had said when she felt a gentle touch behind her.
‘Excuse me, sister,’ said a young female voice from her back.
‘Yes,’ returned MISS D as she twisted her face to the other.
‘I'm sorry. I'm K——. What's your name?’
‘You are welcome, K——. I'm D——.’
‘Oh, D——. Good to meet you. Please, did you take the second lecture today?’
‘You mean physics?’ enquired MISS D——, knitting her brows unconsciously from confusion.
‘Exactly, the physics class.’
‘Yes, I was in the class. Hope there's no problem.’
‘Oh, not at all. I only want to borrow the note. I don't know if you will be kind to do that,’ said K——, tightening her lips.
‘Ah, that's not a problem,’ said MISS D——, drawing her black school bag nearer. She opened the bag and brought out a clean 60leaves note. ‘This is my seat. I will sit here tomorrow as well. You will return it tomorrow, I suppose?’
‘Yes, thank you.’ said K——, forcing a smile. Then gathering her face together, she continued in a tender voice: ‘But when will you pay?’
‘I have paid already,’ said MISS D——, avoiding the eyes of K—— and smiling at a distance.
‘You have paid?’ exclaimed the astounded K——, growing more interested in MISS D——. Obviously, she knew her new friend must be hiding an intelligence.
‘Yes, I've paid,’ said MISS D, smiling more complacently at the distance.
‘So, why are you here?’
‘A long story. K——, don't stress yourself about me jare. Thank you.’
‘You did physics today. The science class students have moved to their class. Why are you here?’
‘A long story,’ repeated MISS D——, backing her bag and still smiling, but now at the entrance. K—— shook her head significantly at MISS D——, but the latter only returned a charming smile.
‘Good to meet you K——. Remember I'm D——. Until tomorrow, have a nice day. Bye.’ said MISS D—— walking perfectly on her toes towards the entrance. K——, disgusted at the strange conduct of her new friend, shook her head significantly again as she watched MISS D—— leaves the classroom.

EPISODE 3 OF MISS D—— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL, AYETORO

EPISODE 3 OF MISS D—— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL, AYETORO
Having taken the trouble to provide useful information that can aid us in understanding the character and the features of MISS D——, it should not be difficult to recognize her among other students present in Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro(snr) on a day in September, 2014—the first day of resumption to the 2014/2015 session—as said somewhere in the preceding episodes. If anyone had wanted to see MISS D—— on that day, such a person could have easily be on the look out for the newly transferred JSS3 students. And watch them closely as they jumped and roamed about the school premises in their new uniforms. MISS D——, to be certain, was not jumping that morning. She was walking. And among those walking, such a person could have look for the one that was walking perfectly on toes, with her head moving up and down rhythmithically. That was our protagonist. She was walking like that with one of her friends arm in arm that morning, moving from one class to another, to see her formal friends. Remember, this is ‘senior school’, and I believe my readers are not ignorant of the fact that the most of the SS1 students would have to make new friends. Yes, they had to. For it was at that point that they parted their formal friends to pursue their dreams. Their friends might have different ambitions, and they must part. MISS D—— had lost many of her formal friends; and that morning, the first day of resumption, she was visiting them all with her new friend, MISS S——, whom fate demanded of to choose the same department with MISS D——. But which department? SG, CG, CW, or HG. No one could tell. And the department where she was visiting her formal acquaintances, is of the dimmest apprehension at this moment. Only one clue could lead us in this circumstance, and it was the conversation that passed between MISS D—— and one of her formal acquaintances while she was visiting them that morning.
MISS D—— had walked into a class, still arm in arm with MISS S——. While some students in the class were moving with uncompromising gratitude from one place to another, some were standing in groups, and some, sitting on tables, were jesting in their ways—the childhood way. Oh, what a happy life of youth. If many of us had known, we would have begged our teachers not to promote so that we could be with our secondary school friends all our lives. Only if you know how depressed I am writing this. At the verge of shedding tears, though. A good time it was, our secondary school days in Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro(snr). But it is gone, and, sad to say, it is not to be seen again. We have parted, I hope all of us will be happy in the midst of those we find ourselves today and in the future.
The class was heavy with indistinct noise of prospective compronians. Every now and then, chuckles would be perceived from this corner of the classroom, and a youthful loud voice heralding a sense of togetherness and satisfaction from that corner. MISS D—— stood stupefied at the entrance of the classroom with her eyes wandering about for familiar faces. ( readers please, can you imagine the figure standing at the entrance of that classroom? A student goddess in green pinafore! How perfect was MISS D—— in her school uniform that morning took me a great deal of hours to express in words, yet I could not. The words to use are really not in Oxford advanced learners dictionary—the book I treasured after religious ones. Yes, a student goddess was all I could write).
It took MISS D—— a great deal of minutes before she recognized one of her former acquaintances and ran to hug her. MISS D—— was just friendly. She disliked no one. Even when offended, she was always ready to steady the blame on her head at the expense of her right. And that consequence made her a brilliant moon among the stars of her friends. She did not believe in beauty or ugliness, once you are a human being, you are her friend. Not only human beings, even little insects gain from her philosophy. She had once sprained her ankle while trying to save an ant. What a simple girl!
‘D——,’ exclaimed her friend as she saw MISS D—— running towards her, the friend. They folded themselves in their arms for some moment, then MISS D—— curtsied with her eyes as a sign of greeting to other students about her.
‘See your apples,’ exclaimed MISS D—— with a fat smile, tickling both sides of her friend's chest with an index finger. ‘What did you used on them during the holiday, Constance?’ she joked, revealing her charming eyebrows as she raised them at her friend.
‘That's your way, stop kidding jors,’ said Constance with her eyes set on MISS D——’s flat chest.
‘Tell me, you used gulusho on them.’
‘Forget that, jors. Are you coming from CW?’
‘See,’ said MISS D, avoiding her friend's eyes with tightened lips, ‘Constance, I don't think I can cope in CW.’
‘Why?’ said Constance, folding her arms such that they concealed her small apples with great consternation.
‘I don't think I can cope,’ repeated MISS D. Motioning MISS S—— who had come to her to sit beside her. ‘This is S——, Constance. Constance meet S——, my new friend.’
‘Hi, S——,’ said Constance, extending her hands to the other.
‘It's nice meeting you,’ said MISS S— as she released her hands from the other.
‘But D——,’ said the agitated Constance, gathering her brows together, ‘Why did you leave CW? Which class are you choosing now? But you told me you would love to be in the technical class.’
‘Constance, I hope you understand me.’
‘What do I have to understand, D——.’
‘That I can't cope with those boys. I was the only girl with them this morning. I had to leave the class and started looking for you all. You've deserted me.’
‘You can't cope with the boys,’ whined Constance, trying vainly to repress a smile. ‘So, what department are you going now?’
‘In fact, for now, imagine me being in any department save CW.’
Thus we gathered from the conversation that passed above that MISS D—— of CHSA was—by no means—from CW. And it will be good at this point to imagine our protagonist in any of CG, HG or SG.

EPISODE 2 (MISS D— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL

EPISODE 2 (MISS D— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL’
A few lines of words, if we get the appropriate vocabulary, would really go a long way in telling us both the inward and outward constitution of MISS D—— of C. H. S. A. MISS D——’s character is one of such we can simply pin with the adjective of ‘normal’. And of what circumstances is the personality of this great protagonist that this story have been entitled after her name could not be conceived. We should have started the story of MISS D—— right from her first day in C. H. S. A, or better still, the day she came to check her name whether she had passed her common entrance or failed. But I resolved to cross that section out of this piece with a reason I hope it will appeal to my readers’ understanding (that MISS D——, in her junior secondary days, was a seed concealed in the ground, whose leaves are yet to gain the strength to quake the earth for the writer to behold). Perhaps, why should we go that length because her story is interesting? In what form should I have designed my research to know whether she actually came to check her name herself or her parents checked for her? Even this writer who knows much more than any other person regarding MISS D—— only has a dim reflection of her ‘junior school’. To this end, it is thus good to start her story when she was transferred from the ‘junior school’ to ‘secondary school’.
Before we tag the person of MISS D—— as ‘normal’, it is worthy to relate an important passage that could serve as a glimpse to her world. I beg of my readers to pardon me, as I have failed in my research, which class exactly did MISS D— belong when she was in Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro. I hope the little intelligence that she was part of the 11/17set could expiate for the excess of this place.
Now, without much stress, MISS D——’s character is simply ‘normal’. Yes, ‘normal’ is the right word. And she had made the title of this story because her ‘normal’ was ‘rare’. And this story has been designed to discover the mystery of how normal and rarity could form a perfect harmony in the constitution of MISS D——.
The fact is this: MISS D—— of C. H. S. A was not that beautiful. But there was that amazing charm in her appearance that used to bewitch male students and render their brains blank, such that, they themselves would never comprehend the gravity of force that had overpowered them until they lost their composure and traced her figure with their eyes whenever she passed by them. When MISS D—— was in SS1, she was simply a girl of 13 or 14. A simple girl. Not really fair nor dark in skin. Hers was a natural beauty that she can manipulate anytime to draw the attention of any male student to herself. She is not so much beautiful, but there was that thing in her appearance that used to throw people off guard. Lips, not rosy, but attracting with the tiny lines such that all male students, even corpers and teachers, yearned for. When she walked, it was always like sauntering, but she suffered no deformity. It was a style—teen style, I call it. And many ladies then tried to impersonate her, but no, they would come out more ugly than they had been. That style of walking only suited MISS D——. She was ever perfect in carrying the legs, just one after another, always on tiptoes, and her head and well shaped frame bouncing simultaneously as she picked her steps. She was neither tall nor short. Neither fat nor slim. Just normal. Normal is really the word for her.
Such was MISS D——’s beauty; and I must relate an important passage of event that this strange beauty informed when she was in SS1. Though it was being rumored. Such topic in C. H. S. A is always rumored. They are the latent activities in the school that everyone knew it existed, but such topic was never announced in the public. It was always rumored. When she was in SS1, it was rumored that her school mother had refused to be her mother at a time. For what? no one really knew. But it was the latent, the topic that was never announced. Her school mother had perceived a considerable friendship between her boyfriend, the school mother’s, and MISS D——. But as MISS D—— was such a girl of high character, many requested to be her mother like applicants seeking for jobs.
MISS D——’s brain could be active beyond range sometimes. And if engaged in such state, a serious topic might turn out to be a joke and you will start laughing on what you ought to cry for. For instance, MISS D——’s brain had been over-active one afternoon and it happened that an English Teacher with the name of Mr. J—— asked her a question.
‘What is combat?’ said the teacher, leaning forward in his chair and drawing his pair of tortoise shell glasses to rest on his grammatical nose.
‘Sir, wh—?’ MISS D was beginning to enquire of him again when she was cut short.
‘What is combat, D——?’ interposed the teacher, beating his pen on a desk angrily.
‘Combat,’ stammered MISS D——, trembling on her feet. ‘It is a game, sir. A game,’ she broke out, dancing unconsciously as the teacher aimed his cane at her head.
‘A game?’ said the teacher on a pitched voice.
‘Yes, sir,’ returned MISS D——.
Then the teacher threw his cane away—without paying much attention at his action—and went into a peal of laughter.
Yes. What else do we need to know of MISS D—— before we begin the story? Oh, yes. MISS D, remember, was normal. If it is brilliancy, it is important to know that MISS D—— was a prefect, but her post, I conceal at this point.

MISS D—— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL’ EPISODE 1

‘MISS D—— OF COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL’ 
by Odubiyi Sodeeq.
EPISODE 1
The student’s faces beamed with happiness, and as some embraced themselves in their new uniforms—obviously the new intakes and those in their last year in school—some stood in groups, pointing, jesting, and walking along the corridor with an air of seniority. It was the beginning of a new session—and the first day—the exact date it is difficult to recall, but I knew perfectly well, it was one of the declining days in September. I need not aid the reader of what happens on the first day of resumption—I believe the reader had been to school. The story is not different in Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro(snr), where our curiosity as to the purpose of this story shall find proper gratification. Students were in high spirits as some old faces had vanished the school, and new faces—the formal JSS3 students—have been transferred to the ‘senior school’—thus we call it. Mingled together in such freshness of disposition, the new SS3 students—in their pairs of trousers—carried their legs uncommonly as they walked in front of their juniors, who, as it is to be expected, are extremely happy with the green lines worked in the hands of their new shirt—to distinguish them from the junior school students.
 Before we start our story in earnest, it is worthy of record—though not uncommon—that there is a considerable difference in the structure of ‘junior school’ and ‘senior school’ in Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro. The consequence of which placed the senior school students above, in many respects, the junior school students. In junior school, we have five classes which can be mentioned in the following terms: HG, SG, CW, CG and HW—each having its own meaning that will be related sometimes later in the course of this story. And these classes are in no way different from one another, only that a structure was divided into five to avoid over-population in a classroom. It is however a belief among the students that these classes can be regarded in terms of the students that constituted them. SG is known to be the poorest among all and CG, as the constitution states, inhabited bright scholars. Rumor, flying batlike in the school premises, had it that a considerable percentage of prefects in the school are chosen from CG. How the other classes are regarded, I consider it unnecessary at this point.
There is, however, a marked difference in the structure of ‘senior school’. Each class represents a department. Such that CG is the Commercial Class; SG, Science Class; HG, Art Class; and CW, Technical Class. Strange to say, the clear difference in these classes doesn't convey that they cannot be ranked as we have seen regarding the junior school. There are ranks. But here, I beg your pardon to only reveal the best of all. The SG class. That's according to the constitution, from time immemorial, SG has been the best of all and has continue to maintain the standard in the course of time. Giants the scholars were, that no class has never lead any session, lest it is the formidable ES-GEE.
Such was the situation of things when this story opens with our protagonist, whose actual identity, this writer has dared to conceal and whose person, I have given the fictitious name of MISS D——.

ADEOTI'S PRESENTATION OF HIS CONCERNS IN HIS POEM ENTITLED "AMBUSH"

Abstract/Background of the poem

         The betrayal of independence hopes by the African ruling elites after the success of the resistance waged against colonialism and imperialism, in different African countries, to secure a full-fledged independence for the betterment of all Africans in the fifties informs the idea of "NEO-COLONIALISM" which conceptually denotes the governing ideal that reflects that of white imperialists in the colonial period. In the post independence Africa, many scholars like Ngugi Wa Thiongo, Chinua Achebe, Frank Ogodo Ogbeche among others are undecided, whether to describe African rulers as "black skin with white mask" or "white skin with black mask". The independence of nations did not bring about any fundamental changes, it is independence with the rulers holding a begging bowl and the ruled holding a shrinking belly. The citizens are more of being enslaved as it was in the colonial period. Promises are left unfulfilled and the citizens are being extorted. The beliefs and hopes of the people for a better life after the colonial period are persistently sway off by those who pledged thoughtlessly to serve among them. The politicians are rather corrupt and elephants in guise, that crunches smaller animals(maybe ten at a time) with its bare foot and never seem to have make a questionable choice. They amass wealth suffered for and cooked by the masses. One of the major clogs confronting leaders of new African states is their heinous idea of using positions of privilege for personal rather than collective gain. Therefore, the repression in the economic and political faculties in the new African states could be said to be the soil in which Adeoti's "Ambush" is rooted.

How adeoti presented his concerns in the poem

Introduction

     "Ambush" metaphorically depicts the frustrations faced by citizens of new African states and the repressions in the system of governance of post independent Nigeria. Leaders destroy hopes and abort dreams of striving citizens. Workers are purely salaried and the cost of living is at its peak. The "land" which concures the government of the land is likened to many predatory animals like "The Giant Whale", "Sabre toothed Tiger" ,"Giant Hawk" etc. Who are the lords and rulers of the forest, frustrating weak animals and making them "snatch their guts from the bayonets of tribulation ".

Evaluation

In the first stanza of the poem, Adeoti likens the land to a Giant Whale.
"The Land is a Giant Whale"
The land which connotatively denotes the governing body is equated to a very great predatory animal--The Whale, preceded by the word "giant" to pictorialize its influence and suggest "Nigeria as a Giant of Africa".
The metaphorical depiction of government is said to be the one" that swallows the sinker/with hook, line and bait"(line 2-3). The sinker could be representing the working people while their "hook, line and bait" connotes their aims and hopes. The lines could therefore be interpreted as the working citizens being exploited by the government together with their aims and hopes. This shows how citizens are being exploited and made to "abort their dreams".
" fishers turn home at dusk
blue Peters on empty ships
all Peters with petered out desires".
The above lines simplifies the useless struggle of hardworking people. The "fishers" being pluralized symbolises all the strugglers for a better life and their turning home at dusk suggests they work through out the day tirelessly. And coming home on empty ships suggest the people's waste of effort, those struggling for education are rather jobless and the people desiring a better life by working hard have their desires "petered out".
"The Land is a sabre-toothed tiger "
Here, the Adeoti likens the land to a sabre-toothed tiger, whose sound alone makes smaller animal shudder home or quickly find somewhere to hide, while the "grizzled ones" of course take to their heels so as not to be devoured, running helter-skelter to save themselves from the pranks of the tiger. In a neutral sense, this is frustration suffered by the masses from the government, who want, at all cost to opprtunistically satisfy its own endless desire by freely making use of its citizens for sacrificial purposes.
 "the land is a giant hawk
That courts unceasing disaster
As it hovers and hoot on space".
The government is also likened to another harmful animal here-the hawk, that moves with "unceasing disaster" as it hovers and hoots in space.
"the land lies patiently ahead
Awaiting in Ambush
Those who point away from a direction
Where nothing happens
Toward the shore of possibilities".
 The above lines evoke the imaginary faculty of the reader here, it creates a picture in the mind, where a predatory animal hide hopefully in a secret place, waiting for smaller animals in anticipation to devour. And the picture of a weak animal is also presented.Rather confuse,  the weak animal is unsure where the predatory animal maybe hiding but aware of its hiding somewhere. Adept later declares that the weak animal has a wrong assertions and unrealistic hopes as it "point away from a direction / where nothing happens /towards the shore of possibilities "(line 19-21). This is to present the government as a freaky entity which deceives its citizen for it's personal gain. Manifested will be churned out by contestants before they will be elected . And it is only after they are elected and they off their shoes that electorate will see whether their foot is pure white or stained.

FEMINISM IN BOSEDE ADEMILUA-AFOLAYAN'S "ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT"

INTRODUCTION 
              The portrayal of female characters as "servile-beings" in novels and drama texts written by men brought up the theoretical idea of "Feminism". Many of the African female writers therefore write to correct the ugly pictures of women drawn by men in the literary canon into right posture. The case is not different in Nigerian literature. One of the most popular novels, "Things Fall Apart", is evenly regarded by the Feminists as a product of a masculine society. The relationship between Ezinma(Ekwefi's daughter) and Okonkwo is a suitable example for this notion. "Feminism" as a concept has been in existence since the days of Virginia Woolf in the 18th and 19th century. Feminists fights for the equality of right and opportunity for men and women. It undermines the "marriage-plot" where women are subjected to men by marrying them. Feminists correct the maltreatment and the restricted lifestyles of women in the society. This paper therefore do a clean examination on the concept of "Feminism" in Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan's "Once Upon An Elephant".

FEMINISM IN "ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT"

           In the play, some female characters like Iya Agba, Omoyeni and Desolate are not presented in a good light. Afolayan dramatically expresses the frustrations faced by women in the society.
         The instances by which female characters are portrayed as mere instruments for attaining men's pleasure and that of the society are enumerated below. At first, seven female virgins must be sexually assulted and sacrifice their lives for Ajanaku to be immortal. The virgins that fall victims will not even die immediately, they will pass through months of agony and pain. Ajanaku, being in a position of authority, forcefully marries Omoyeni as a wife without her consent and he only sees her as a carrier of "another elephant that sired from his loins"(page 61). It's Agna is lied against and accused of being an adulterer. Serubawon later changes her name to "a mad woman" to cover up his atrocities. Female characters in the play are not given voices in the governing of the land, therefore men manipulate and direct autocratically.
           In her bid to correct this anomalies in the land, Afolayan eventually elevates the female characters to bring them into a limelight. She fights for the freedom of the female characters and exposes the foolishness of honourable male characters in the play through "Iya Agba"(a female character in the play). She redefines the image of "Iya Agba" in the land. "Iya Agba" is sought after to provide solutions to the problems in the land. The treacherous "Serubawon"(the king's medicine man) becomes dejected at his exposition as a plotter and kills himself. Sedona regains her life back from the tyrant Ajanaku and Ajanaku dies a shameful death. Omoyeni eventually marries Delani(her choice) and leaves Ajanaku whom she is forced to marry.
          However, in the play, Afolayan speaks on the odds of a masculine society by expressing the inappropriateness in the administration by men and the frustrations faced by women in the society. People believe "Iya Agba" is really mad because of their trust in "Serubawon". Afokayan further argues that men cannot be perfect in a society by killing the idea of making Ajanaku immortal.

SOYINKA'S TELEPHONE CONVERSATION : A COMMENTARY ON INTER-RACIAL RELATIONSHIP

Introduction 
             Racism is a very dreadful concept that hampers the relationship between groups and societies. The concept is however universal for it could be seen in our various homes and societies. Religious tolerance has become a difficult task to maintain among ourselves. Racial segregation is one of the themes African writers have been writing about since the inception of African literature. The fact of knowing the content of a book by its volume is logically nonsensical, the same applies to differentiating the mentality of people with the colour of their skin.
             The third world countries' relationship with the western world has always been hampered by race. The fact of our colour being black and their's being white suggests to them that they are in every way superior to us and therefore they must own cars and we be their drivers, they must be managers and we be their cleaners, we must not live together,for our black sense could affect them etc. One of the first racist texts to be recognized in African literature is "Heart of Darkness", where African people are described as animals because of the authors illiteracy on the culture of the people. In response to "Heart of Darkness", Chinua Achebe evidently supports and elevates the African culture over European's in Things Fall Apart. This paper carefully examine how Wole Soyinka's "Telephone Conversation" could be regarded as a commentary on inter-racial relationship.

TELEPHONE CONVERSATION AS COMMENTARY ON INTER-RACIAL RELATIONSHIP

              Soyinka's "Telephone Conversation" is a poem depicting the relationship between two different races -the whites and the blacks. We know the conversation is between two people of different races when in line 5 of the poem, the poet persona declared "I hate a wasted journey -I am African" and in line 8-9, the poet persona describes the receiver as a white woman, "lipstick coated, long gold-rolled /cigaratte holder pipped...". The poet persona is an African and the receiver seems to be somewhere in the metropolis of the western world. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet persona seems to have negotiated with a landlady on a place he could stay when he moves to a new society. He tells us there is nothing to ask about the house again but to confess his identity. "Nothing remained/But self confession ". At this point, there is the need to ask the question, If all about the houses has been negotiated  and it all "seemed reasonable", why does he needs to confess his identity. This suggest a kind of poor relationship one may have with another person where one knows that the benefactor may denies one favour if he knows where one belongs. This suggests the poet persona from Africa is restricted in securing accommodation in the place where the receiver belongs. When the poet persona tells the receiver to be considerate of his being an African, there is a long silence. The receiver becomes silent to show she is undecided. It becomes pressure on the landlady when the poet persona confesses that he is an African-which he knows the landlady will not be willing to accommodate Africans. "Silenced transmission/of pressurise good breeding"(line 6-7). As is expected of the receiver to cancel the offer immediately,the poet persona "was caught foully"(line 9) when he heard her asks "HOW DARK?This shows the landlady is conscious to know how African is the poet persona if she could still accept him. The landlady emphasizes the question again, "ARE YOU LIGHT/OR VERY DARK? "(line 10-11) to know how African he is. The poet persona goes on satirising the place of the receiver who wants to know how African he is. He describes the place as "full of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak". The land lady is ashamed when the poet persona refuses to answer her, "shamed/By ill-mannered silence"(line 14-15). The receiver asks him question again to make it more simplified, "ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT? Now,"Her assent was clinical"(line 20), she speaks as fast as she could to show her superiority over the poet persona. But the poet persona waves her rapidly and tells her colour he knows she might not have heard of. "Rapidly, wavelength adjusted/I chose. West African Sepia"(line21-22). Sepia is a colour that could be seen in the hairs of some women in the  western world. The poet persona deliberately use "West Africa" as an adjective to the "Sepia" mainly to tell the receiver that they are the same and cannot be segregated by the colour of their skin. On the other hand, he uses the colour - West African Sepia - to mock the white woman that she do not know colours.
              Late in the last stanza of the poem, the poet persona speaks against the foolishness of racists who distinguish between black and white people. He explains that African are not altogether black. "Facially,  I am brunette, but madam, you should see/ the rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet/ Are a peroxide blonde. Friction caused / by sitting down has turned/My bottom raven black".(line 28-32)
              Through the poem, "Telephone Conversation", Soyinka is able to correct the foolishness of racists in separating groups of people because of their particular race, religion, which among others. Stylistically, the poet equalizes the blacks and the whites with the use of "sepia" and offering explanation that he is not totally black. As a matter of fact, the whites' palms and soles of their feet are exactly the same colour as his. He there more argues against the sick relationship between peoples of different races.

THE USE OF ORAL LITERATURE IN BOSE AFOLAYAN'S "ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT ": A CRITICAL REVIEW

INTRODUCTION
          There is the general belief, particularly in African literary world, that written literature cannot exist without borrowing some aspects from oral literature. Many critics of literature in the western world, in stark contrast to their own view, have therefore filed this great assumption among other baseless assumptions that are seen as impalpable to sense. However, as far as African literature is concerned, literature must reflect the culture and tradition of its society. In one of his books, Eshete Gemeda argues that"in order to treat African indegenious literature in its own right, our main focus of attention should be on the established cultural traditions and historical experiences, together with those aspects of the social and political life of the Africans which are the most helpful sources of our inspiration and techniques ". This paper therefore carefully examine the elements of oral literature in the written literary piece of Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan tittled "ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT". Oral literary elements in written literature includes the use of folktales, proverbs, incantations, festivals, rituals among others.

ELEMENT OF ORAL LITERATURE IN
 "ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT"
             RITES OF PASSAGE
The opening of the dramatic text (Event 1) evokes an atmosphere where a rite of passage is being performed in the mind of the reader. "Metallic clinking of gong"(pg 13) is an evidence of oral literature. In a typical African society," metallic gong" is used at times for sound effect. We know a rite of passage is going on as we can read that Ajanaku is sitting on a stool, bare-chested and two elderly men are standing by his sides. Rites of passage is a ritual performed to mark important transitional periods in a person's life. We later know that the rites performed is meant to transform an ordinary Ajanaku  into an immortal human being.(page 13-14).
             A rites of passage is also performed almost at the end of the play during "Jobele" festival and a time of ascension into immortality for Ajanaku (page 78). The ritual is performed to snatch "Desola's life back from the tyrant Ajanaku". The process of the ritual goes thus, "A lone voice chants a very powerful dirge. Desola walks in slowly. She is naked except for a short pant and a girdle that covers her bossom, Demoke and Yosola are all dressed in white with girdles round their waists. Desola suddenly lurches forward and embraces Ajanaku. They both stagger. Desola pulls back but holds on to the neck of his white apparel, and tears into shreds. She staggers and falls face down on the throne. Odekunle quickly opens the calabash, brings out a red cloth sewn with the gourds and charms, rums to Ajanaku and places it round his neck. Ajanaku screams as odekunle steps away. Ajanaku dies"(page 78-79).
              The atmosphere of event 3 depicts a typical African setting during coronation ceremony. Drumming, Singing and Dancing in the public are all forms of oral literature.
            FOLKTALES
Folktales are stories in oral tradition shared by a particular group of people. It encompasses the tradition common to that culture. It includes oral traditions such as tales, riddles, and jokes. Iya Agba uses folktale to explain reality to Ajanaku in event 5. She explains that "Ajanaku can only fool himself when he claim to have done the impossible " by telling a tale which goes thus, "the leper said two things, one of which is a lie; he said after he had struck his child with his palm, he also pinched him severely with his fingernails"(page 34).
            Also in event 7, Ogundele tells a tale to correct Odejimi of his hatred to Ajanaku. The tale goes thus, 'they asked the bird Awoko,"Did you insult the King?" Awoke replied "when would I have time to insult the king, given the task of singing two hundred songs in the morning; two hundred in the afternoon and two hundred at night?"(page 48).
             USE OF PROVERBS
Proverbs are simple traditional sayings that express a truth, based on common sense or experience. African literature is branded with the use or proverbs to elevate the African culture. Some of the proverbs used in the text are cited below.

    Odejimi uses a proverb to speak against falsehood and treachery. The proverb goes thus;
"it is falsehood that earns a gash on the head "(event 1,pg 18).
Iyale also uses proverb to explain the carelessness of the people about things that happen in the society. The proverbs are;
"Nobody tells the blind that fire is burning"
"when fire burns the dog, it will also burn the hunter holding the rope attached to the neck of the dog if the hunter is foolish enough to hold on the rope as the dog burns".(event 4, page 29).
Iya Agba also says some proverbs and here are they;
"they deceive themselves greatly, whoever collects rain water from a sieve".(pg. 34)
"the lizard may resemble a crocodile, but they are certainly different"(pg. 40).
"the nose cannot become so big that it takes speech out of the mouth"(pg. 40).
Dele also says a proverb in event 9 and it goes thus;
"the snake that travels alone gets killed by the farmer".(pg. 52).
Iya Agba in event 12;
"that the calabash faces downward is no antisocial behaviour; the calabash is only acting according to its nature"(pg. 68).
Iyale in event 13;
"as the sky does not grow grass, so the soul of the graveyard does not afford the dead an opportunity to read trails"(page 71).

IN CONCLUSION

                 The use of oral literary elements in written form of African literature contributes to the aesthetic of the piece. In one of his books, Eshete Gemeda clearly states that "the aim of exploring oral literature in a contemporary setting is to transform it from abstract narrative to expressive form (intellectual discourse); and in this respect, it seems hard to make a distinction between the intriguing nature of oral art and modern art". African literature must also reflect African tradition and culture for historical reasons.