The following report observes and analyses two works, An Angry Letter In January by Ama Ata Aidoo and Opinion Sonnet by John Yau. Ama Ata Aidoo is a poet and writer from Ghana, born in 1942. Her legacy follows many prominent African female writers, such as Flora Nwapa and Efua Sutherland, who focused on the identity of women emerging from an African background and their roles in politics, society, and the resistance to oppression. As such, much of Aidoo’s work is not only reflective of the hardships faced by African individuals but of African women that find irreplaceable value in their identities as minorities, migrants, women, and Africans. John Yau is a Chinese-American poet and critic, born in New York in 1950, whose work takes from past and modern challenges that Asian Americans are subjected to. This paper observes the thematic and stylistic differences and similarities of both poems in order to discover the recurring themes that both writers find important and relevant to modern culture and society.
An Angry Letter In January by Ama Ata Aidoo, first published in 1992, relates topics such as feminism and anti-racist notions through a response to a letter from a bank. The poem opens with the typical sentiments of a response letter to a bank with lines such as “dear bank manager, I have received your letter. Thank you very much” (Aidoo, 1992). The narrative is suddenly subverted when the author reveals what she is thankful for in an ironic tone: “threats, intimidations, and all.” Aidoo discusses an experience that is familiar to many immigrants, who are automatically labeled as insufficient or untrustworthy by many American institutions. It is an enforced obstacle that has prevented many from receiving loans, employment, disability compensation, education, and more.
Aidoo succinctly illustrates these barriers, or as they are known officially, “special rules and regulations.” However, she remarks that these guidelines exist solely on the basis of excluding those that are not “white, male, or a commercial farmer.” The author remarks that it is the fulfillment of these conditions, of being male, white, and of a privileged background, that would drive the bank to even allow the loan of “two solid millions, and not many questions asked.” Further in the poem, Aidoo begins to unravel her own emotions and how the letter had angered her and ruined the remaining days of the year. Despite this, she prevails and illustrates that it is her existing identity that has made her happy. Regardless of poverty and discrimination, she has been happy to be African, a woman, and a writer. She summarizes the piece by expressing the sentiment that the “racism, sexism, and pragmatism” are not a part of her but belong to those that create intricate and oppressive structures that dehumanize those that do not fill an expected mold.
Opinion Sonnet by John Yau is a short poem that carries an ironic tone while recounting the ideals and extreme measures that certain anti-minority groups and individuals’ value in their political and social philosophy. This is made clear with the opening line, “my fellow Americans” (Yau, 2017), insinuating that a homogenous culture is the desired end result of a truly developed America. The poem illustrates the many talking points that such groups often recite, including the need to “take back what is rightfully ours” and “patrol our borders.” Both statements draw parallels with other social issues, such as transgender individuals with the statement about controlling “entering our country and our bathrooms.” Women, another group that is often oppressed under such ideals, are deemed to need a change that would allow others to “determine what they can and cannot do with their bodies.” Yau summarizes components of many values that extremely conservative individuals hold. These views are often mired in sexism, racism, and the rejection of all those that are different from what they deem to be ‘truly American.’ In the short and sparse format of the poem, Yau illustrates the true severity and bigotry that exudes from these statements.
Cleansing and purity, ideals frequently supported by conservative and Christian ideologies also appear in work. The statement “time to clean up the mess others have made” is in reference to groups that believe that a past America, segregated, misogynistic, and otherwise lopsided in terms of wealth and rights, was its ideal form. The physical description in the line “to straighten out the clouds so their purity shines down on us” is likely a direct comparison to the belief in purity and religious values that are often scapegoats for serious discrimination. Freedom, a cornerstone of American politics and culture, begins to lose its definition through statements such as “there is no freedom except the ones you earn, and many have not earned it.” Yau illustrates that freedom is lost when it becomes conditional, as it has under many oppressive time periods in America. Yau concludes the work by revisiting the topic of the stereotyping many immigrants were subjected to in the line “to know if you are truly safe or not because we need to keep track of those who threaten our way of life.” It is a prevailing issue even in modern culture, in which certain marginalized groups are always treated as more dangerous without any evidence.
The works share multiple themes, which include sexism and feminism, racism, systemic obstacles to non-white Americans and immigrants, conservative values, and the identity through culture and race. Aidoo has a prevalent history of being a leader of literature in both American and African circles. Her work, such as the aforementioned poem, works directly to oppose the stereotype of the voiceless black woman, which harms, dehumanizes, and limits many women. As such, her reference to her identity as a woman, a writer, and a person from Africa cements these elements as integral not only to her but to the world at large.
The oppression of this identity that had occurred at the bank is an example of the weaknesses of the current and past infrastructure of many large American institutions. Yau also makes reference to the oppression of women in American society by recollecting the desire of many to have control over the bodily autonomy of women. Similarly, both poems contribute to the dialogue against the societal and systemic oppression of immigrants. In the case of Aidoo, it is the inability to become a part of the American farming population, and Yau recalls the safety measures, such as GPS devices, that are excessive and exist especially to target non-white individuals.
Both works aim to introduce and ridicule certain conservative values, such as those that state that racial and cultural purity is essential to the success of a nation. Unfortunately, these values often manifest in the real world in the aforementioned institutions. After all, it is the lack of Aidoo’s witness and male identity that barrier her from receiving a loan, and Yau’s illustration of purity promoted does not include a diverse culture and appearance. Both writers express their identity and its value powerfully, both in these works as well as in their careers. Yau uses the stylistic and almost minimized approach of his poem to communicate his belief in the multitude of perspectives and identities just the Chinese-American population has. Similarly, Aidoo expresses that her values of feminism and equality are rooted in her African identity and not a result of Western agendas.
Stylistically, the works are unique but share a number of details. Aidoo utilizes a unique structure that mimics a letter with its opening and polite formalities. However, this structure is quickly broken by short and sudden sentences that work to intrigue and surprise the reader. It reflects the anger that she presents in the middle of the work. Yau’s poem reveals much more tightly held sentences that run into each other. This format allows Yau to unravel the true intent of those that uphold oppressive ideals in a way that keeps the audience reading without pause. It is these ironic tones that are shared between the works, with Aidoo’s sarcastic gratitude to the bank manager and Yau’s false promotion of extremist measures of discrimination. The combination of stylistic similarities and overlapping themes of both works illustrates the ongoing struggle to find unity through diversity in the modern social and cultural landscape of America.
Works Cited
Yau, John. “Opinion Sonnet.” 2017. The Brooklyn Rail, 2017.
Aidoo, Ama A. “An Angry Letter in January.” An angry letter in January and other poems, Dangaroo Press, 1992.