The Telephone Call

Analysis and Literary Devices

Fleur Adcock

1. What is the poem The Telephone Call about?
2. What is the theme of the poem The Telephone Call?
3. What is the structure of the poem The Telephone Call?
4. Line-by-Line Analysis and Literary Devices in the Poem The Telephone Call

What is the poem The Telephone Call about?

Fleur Adcock’s The Telephone Call was first published in The Incident Book (1986). The poem is about a person who receives a sudden phone call that creates the illusion of wealth and fortune in his mind. However, the speaker is greatly disappointed by the end of the poem, as the prize is merely the experience of winning. The contrast between the idea of winning and the harsh reality cautions us to be careful about what we believe to be true.

What is the theme of the poem The Telephone Call?

Unpredictability of life

The speaker gets a surreal phone call, manipulating his hopes with false promises of winning a million pounds only to have his expectations shattered by the reality of the situation. Life itself is like a lottery as we are unable to control the chance factors that determine outcomes.

Illusion vs Reality

The illusion of sudden wealth and fortune is created by the phone call. But the call seems to be a scam as the prize is merely the experience of winning. This contrast between illusion and reality proves that everything is not as it seems, therefore we should be cautious about what we believe to be true.

What is the structure of the poem The Telephone Call?

The poem has six, eight-line stanzas. The poem is in free verse which means it does not follow any strict rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. The lack of rhyme conveys the casual nature of the phone call and also the conversational tone as it is written in a dialogue form between the speaker and the representative of Universal Lottery.

Line-by-Line Analysis and Literary Devices in the Poem The Telephone Call

They asked me ‘Are you sitting down?
Right? This is Universal Lotteries’,
they said. ‘You’ve won the top prize,
the Ultra-super Global Special.
What would you do with a million pounds?
Or, actually, with more than a million –
not that it makes a lot of difference
once you’re a millionaire.’ And they laughed.

• The poem begins with a dialogue that prepares the reader for the conversation that follows.
• Hyperbole – the description of the prize as “the Ultra-super Global Special“
• Repetition – “million” emphasizes the large sum won.

The poem begins with the speaker recounting a conversation on the phone with a representative from the Universal Lotteries. In the first two lines, the representative asks the speaker if they are sitting down (an action necessary when the news is shocking) and then confirms that the call is from Universal Lotteries. In the third line, the representative makes the big revelation that the speaker has won “the top prize” described hyperbolically as “the Ultra-super Global Special“. This line creates a sense of excitement in the reader as well, as they wonder what the prize may entail. The next two lines, reveal the amount of money won by the speaker with an emphasis on “million” through repetition of the word. The representative does not say the exact amount won by the speaker, instead the word “actually” in the line “Or, actually, with more than a million” blurs the difference between the idea of a million pounds and the even larger sum won by the speaker. The laugh of the representative unsettles the reader as it is not clear why the representative finds the situation amusing or incredulous.

‘Are you OK?’ they asked – ‘Still there?
Come on, now, tell us, how does it feel?’
I said ‘I just…I can’t believe it!’
They said ‘That’s what they all say.
What else? Go on, tell us about it.’
I said ‘I feel the top of my head
has floated off, out through the window,
revolving like a flying saucer.’

• Metaphor – I feel the top of my head / has floated off, out through the window, (comparing the dizziness on hearing the news with a flying object)
• Simile – revolving like a flying saucer (the head is likened to a flying saucer as he is overwhelmed by the news). It is also an exaggerated image.

The speaker continues to narrate the conversation with the representative. The representative urges the speaker to recount his emotional reaction to the news. There is a sense of urgency and eagerness in the representative’s voice to know more as is suggested by the phrase “Come on, now, tell us…”. The speaker’s response “I just…I can’t believe it”  indicates that the speaker is having trouble processing the fact that she is the recipient of a significant amount of money. The representative replies with “That’s what they all say” suggesting a sense of skepticism or even cynicism. It might be that the representative has heard similar responses from the other winners and may be unconvinced or jaded by the speaker’s response. On being further prodded for reaction, the speaker conveys his sense of shock and disbelief by comparing the feeling to his head “revolving like a flying saucer”. The comparison is somewhat exaggerated and comical and contrasts with the serious tone of the representative.

‘That’s unusual’ they said. ‘Go on.’
I said ‘I’m finding it hard to talk.
My throat’s gone dry, my nose is tingling.
I think I’m going to sneeze – or cry.’
‘That’s right’ they said, ‘don’t be ashamed
of giving way to your emotions.
It isn’t every day you hear
you’re going to get a million pounds.

• sensory imagery – My throat’s gone dry, my nose is tingling (the speaker’s physical reaction to the news is described vividly through imagery)

As the speaker processes the news of the win, the representative encourages her to express her emotions. The speaker states that she is finding it hard to talk and her throat has gone dry. She has a tingling sensation in her nose and she is unsure whether that might lead to a sneeze or a cry. The representative assures her that it is natural to be overwhelmed as it is not every day one hears that one has won a lottery of million pounds.

Relax, now, have a little cry;
we’ll give you a moment…’ ‘Hang on!’ I said.
‘I haven’t bought a lottery ticket
for years and years. And what did you say
the company’s called?’ They laughed again.
‘Not to worry about a ticket.
We’re Universal. We operate
A retrospective Chances Module.

In this stanza, the representative on the phone encourages the speaker to take a moment to process the news of winning a million pounds. The representative tells her to relax and have a little cry if she needs to. The speaker expresses her disbelief, as she hasn’t bought a lottery ticket in years. The representative reassures her that their company, Universal, operates a retrospective Chances Module. This means that the speaker may have unknowingly entered into a lottery and won. The phrase “retrospective Chances Module” serves to underscore the surreal and dreamlike quality of the speaker’s experience.

Nearly everyone’s bought a ticket
in some lottery or another,
once at least. We buy up the files,
feed the names into our computer,
and see who the lucky person is.’
‘Well, that’s incredible’ I said.
‘It’s marvelous. I still can’t quite…
I’ll believe it when I see the cheque.’

In this stanza, the representative explains how their company, Universal, operates “A retrospective Chances Module”. They inform the speaker that nearly everyone has bought a ticket in some lottery at least once in their lifetime. The company buys the files, feeds the names of the participants into a computer system, and determines the name of the winner. The speaker, still overwhelmed, mentions that she will only truly believe it when she sees the physical proof of the money in the form of a cheque. This stanza highlights the universal appeal of lotteries (another reason why the company is called “Universal”) and the excitement that winning can bring, even if it is unexpected.

‘Oh,’ they said, ‘there’s no cheque.’                                                                                                                                                     ‘But the money?’ ‘We don’t deal in money.
Experiences are what we deal in.
You’ve had a great experience, right?
Exciting? Something you’ll remember?
That’s your prize. So congratulations
from all of us at Universal.
Have a nice day!’ And the line went dead.

The stanza explores the disillusionment and confusion of the speaker upon finding out that the prize for winning the retrospective Chances Module is not money, but rather an experience of winning. The sudden shift in tone is conveyed through the abruptness of “Oh,” which signals a change in direction in the conversation. The phrase “there’s no cheque” further emphasizes the disappointment of the speaker at not receiving a tangible reward. Finally, the line going dead signifies the abrupt end of the call and the speaker’s inability to clarify or negotiate the terms of the prize. The poem ends with anticlimax and disappointment.