Systemic Functional Analysis of the book of Job - Assignment Example

1. Introduction The book of Job is one of the literal texts that I have always thought was very relevant because the book highlights the questions that all human beings have in their minds. It is one of the books of the bible found in the Old Testament. The bible remains one of my favourite books due to the spiritual benefits that come from reading a Holy book as well as the literary aspects brought about creatively by the author. The story of job is also one that acts as a personal inspirational and that really applies in my day to day life experiences. Having read the book of Job countless number of times since Sunday school, it remains relevant to the situation. It was well and strategically written, it begins with a prose which introduces the major events and occurrences of the book. The book describes the life of job and his numerous experiences that make him an admired and inspiring character for many readers. The analysis of the book of Job shows that relational process is the dominant process followed by the material process. The book is mainly based on the conversation between Job and his friends and his opinion on various issues such as trouble, God faithfulness the book of jobs attempts to relate Job’s reality of pain and loss to the prosperity and health that he enjoyed previously. Other than the inspiration the story presents, the writer of the book of job then moves to poetic discourse which records the attempts by the three friends to stay by his side during the times of tribulations. This paper is a presentation of the book of job, as a linguistic feature. The paper entails a systemic functional analysis of the book. 1. Analysis The analysis of the text in the book of job will take the form of experiential meaning to demonstrate the way grammar can be used to express experience. This essay will analyse the text using some of the grammatical systems such as transitivity, mode, aspect or mood. Thereafter, the essay will attempt an interpretation of the text using the SFG literature. The book of job will form the basic text of analysis using the systemic functional linguistics. Systemic functional linguistics studies language in reference to the society. The book of job is an authentic product of social interaction and SFL considers the culture and context surrounding the book. According to Halliday systemic linguistics is applied mainly to “understand the quality of texts: why a text means what it does and the reason it is valued the way it is (1994, xxix). This essay is mainly concerned with the ideational metafunction and analyses the book of job using the experiential meaning. Experiential meaning describes the text in terms of the different choices of language found, and the way the text function portrays what is happening. This is achieved using transitivity. Transitivity is a system that encodes the ideas and content articulated by the text (Halliday, 1985, p10). Transitivity involve three components; the process, the participant and the circumstance. The process is represented grammatically as the verb phrase for instance take, bite. The participant(s) usually related with the process are recognized grammatically by the noun phrase for example, Peter, the cat, he. The third component is the circumstance which is represented grammatically by the prepositional and adverb phrases like “by the road, under the table” During the course of the analysis I hope to apply the experiential function theory in analyzing the text; identify what experiential meanings are in the book of Job and recognize the dominant process. The analysis based on the processes in the transitivity systems in the book of Job will includes material, mental, relational, behavioural, existential and verbal processes (Fowler, 1991, p219). The material process denotes the clauses that are mainly focused on doing. It describes events that happen in the physical world and is divided into actor(s) and sometimes a goal. Goal is the participant to whom the process is directed. It can be used interchangeably with patient who is the person that suffers the process. For instance The baby drunk the milk Actor Process goal Examples of material process from the book of Job. “Job gave birth to seven sons and three daughters” (1:2) “His sons invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them” (1:4) “Have you not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land” (job 1:10). The mental process refers to the clauses that deal with sensing. Mental processes deals with consciousness and may include; cognition found in words like appreciating; reaction (for instance liking); perception (denoted with words such as feeling). There are four types of mental process of transitivity. They include Emotion, cognition, perception and desideration. Furthermore they are divided into three sections; senser, processes and phenomenon (Young, & Harrison, 2004, p125). The senser is the conscious human being who performs mental processes, like feeling, perceiving or thinking. For instance, Senser process phenomenon James pondered the next move (cognition) Doreen does not like tea (reaction) My sister felt the pain during injection (perception) Examples of mental processes from the book of Job “That man was blameless and upright and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from and shunned evil” (1:1) (reaction) “And when they looked from afar off and saw him [disfigured] beyond recognition,” (2:12) (perception) Behavioural processes exemplify physiological actions such as biting and breathing. They can also be presented in the state of consciousness such as cry, rejoice or processes of consciousness like an outline of behaviour example worry. Behaver is the participant in the behavioural process. For instance, Behaver Process Circumstances She shrieked at the sight of blood The thief ran from the police Circumstances respond to questions such as why, how, where, when. As a result they bring about the meanings of: Time, tells when and can be for example he reads books every time he is at home. Circumstances can also signify place and answers the question where. As in he reads books every time he is at home. Other functions that circumstances performs include indication of manner, means, comparison, quality, purpose cause and reason (Paltridge, 2006, p32). The book of job contains several examples of Behavioural process “Job opened his mouth and cursed his day (birthday)” (3:1). “fears God and abstains from and shuns all evil [because it is wrong]?” (2:3) “And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat [down] among the ashes” (2:8) “My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken and has become loathsome, and it closes up and breaks out afresh” (7:5) The existential process of transitivity seeks to prove or show that something exists or occurs. It is mostly characterized by the word there. For example, there has been a riot in the streets. It mainly answers the questions like what happened. “The spirit] stood still, but I could not discern the appearance of it. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying,” (4:16) Relational processes refers to those that have to do with ‘being’ that is creating a relationship between two entities. The process derives from the forms of the verb to be. The clause is divided into three sections namely, carrier, process and attribute (Lemmens, 1998, p154). Carrier Process Attribute My brother is funny The boy became a man Examples from the book of job include, “Can a man be pure before his Maker, or be more cleansed than He is” (4:17) But man is born to trouble as the sparks and the flames fly upward (5:7) “Now to me you are [like a dried-up brook]; you see my dismay and terror, and [believing me to be a victim of God's anger] you are afraid [to sympathize with me]”. (6:21) “Return [from your suspicion], I pray you, let there be no injustice; yes, return again [to confidence in me], my” (6:29) Verbal processes are simply the processes of saying. The role of the participant in this process is called the sayer, he or she is the producer or the speech. The receiver is the entity to whom the speech is addressed and the verbiage is what get said or the content of the message. For example Sayer Process verbiage receiver The teacher narrated the story to the class Targets of the verbal process may not be human. Besides, the receiver may be different from the target. For instance, the review undervalued the manager’s leadership skills. In this case, ‘the manager’s leadership skills’ is the target. He enjoys discussing me with the boss. Target: me, receiver: the boss Transitivity offers a network of inter-connected options that represents a variety of experiences such as the material world, experience of the inner consciousness, or symbolization. It is this inter-relation from around, above and below explained above that inspire the process type system in the grammar of transitivity (Halliday, iii, 1997). No Categories Total 1 Material process 26 2 Verbal process 10 3 Relational process 45 4 Mental process 5 5 Behavioural process 15 6 Existential process 7 Table 1 Types of Processes in the book of job Mood Mood is the manner in which people speak or write. Different types of moods exist. For instance indicative mood is used to express assertiveness; interrogative mood used when asking a question; when issuing a command, imperative mood is used; optative mood is found in the expression of a wish. The mood system is designed in three ways. It includes modality, mood proper and mode. Mood proper is the verbal categories that are related to the grammatical standing of a sentence. For instance, an independent sentence that is assertive may be joined by a subordinate clause that may require the subjunctive form. Modality is the interconnection of meanings between the Yes and No also referred to as positives and negatives respectively. According to Haliday, there are four ways of expressing these meanings and as such modality is composed of four subsystems: probability is denoted by words like (probable, possible, certain, feasible, achievable). Usuality is the third meaning that can be identified using these words (usual, sometimes, always). Obligation is recognized by (allowed, must, required, and supposed). Lastly, inclination comprises of words such as (keen, firm, determined, willing) (1997). Moreover, modality is divided into two categories. Epistemic modality (modulization) deals with the degree of certainty, validity or probability that a speaker gives to his observations. Deontic modality also called modulation is the degree of inclination or readiness to do or give. These two types of modality offer politeness strategy in discourse. According to Thompson (2004) mood structures are important indicators of the way writers and readers or speakers and listeners utilize language to express themselves. They replicate interactional meanings where the writer is free to choose between declarative, imperative or interrogative sentences in line with the kind of exchange taking place. It is possible through the mood structure to express your attitude and encode messages. Analysing the book of job in terms of the mood structures will dwell on the four principal categories of mood. That is, imperative, interrogative, declarative and indicative. Indicative mood is the grammatical way of articulating a declarative and an interrogative statement. The difference between them can be identified using the order of subject and finite. The mood is considered declarative if the subject comes before the finite. On the other hand, an interrogative mood is confirmed when the finite comes before the subject. Mood is composed of subjects and finites. The subject in the mood bears similarity with the subject in traditional grammar. However, the interpretation of subject in the mood is entirely functional. It is what the clause is about. According to Thompson (2004 p49) Finite is the primary functional element of a verbal group. Its main function is to denote modality, tense, and the positive or negative polarity in a clause. The verbal group after the finite is referred to as the predicator. It found in what is called the residue that is the components of the clause found outside the mood. For instance, She had gone Subject finite predicator Conclusion The systemic part involves the notion that the theory deals with the systemic relations and their probabilities in system network of associations and choices ranging from general to specific. It also means that it is a system of meanings that are interrelated to the subject under study. The Functional is concerned with the semiotic meanings that control various semiotic levels and dimensions (Eggins, 2004, p57). Experiential meaning focuses on the clause level where by the clause acts as a representation of occurrence of external and internal reality. The experiential function of language is realized through the transivity system. The real world outside the individual is brought into the inner world, that is, one’s consciousness by the system which then relates it to the rest of the processes (Cameron, 2001, p23). The essay above, in the form of experiential meaning, has effectively brought out the various ways through which experiences can be expressed through the use of grammar. The essay analyses the story of job linguistically. It has looked at the story and analysed it using different systems of grammar that include mode, mood, aspect and transitivity. Appendix The text for analysis: summary of the book of Job The book of Job opens by introducing job as an upright man who lived in the land of Uz with his large family and many flocks. He feared God and hated evil as evidenced by the daily rituals of sacrifices he made on behalf of his children to cleanse them from sin. He is “spotless” and “decent,” always cautious to avoid engaging in the evil (1:1). One day, Satan (“the Adversary”) appears before God in heaven. God brags to Satan about the goodness portrayed by Job, but Satan disputes saying that Job is merely fine due to God’s great blessings. Satan tells God that he can make Job curse him if given a chance. God allows him to go ahead but spare the life of Job in the process. In a day, Job is shocked by varying news of the death of his children, livestock as well as his servants owing to a variety of reasons. This leads to Job mourning painfully through tearing of his clothes and shaving of his hair. He, however, does not forget praising the Lord. On being given another chance to test Job, Satan gives Job skin sores and a terrible skin. Job’s wife gives up and advices him to curse God but instead keeps strong and praises God in his situation. On the seventh day, Job speaks, beginning a conversation in which each of the four men shares his thoughts on Job’s afflictions in long, poetic statements. Job is visited by three of his close allies; Zophar, Bildad and Eliphaz. They accompany Job in mourning for seven days, by sitting in silence for the entire period. On the last day, they begin to converse and all share their thoughts in poetic conversations. Job in his terrible affliction begins by cursing the day he was born. That day should be filled with darkness and sadness, he wishes that his birthday perish and the night of his birth be barren. He blames the day he was born for his afflictions wondering why he did not die in his mother’s womb. The day allowed his coming to earth and for that it is condemned. According to Job, if he had died before birth, then he would have been at rest and peaceful. He would be in the same positions as valiant Kings who built cities which are now in ruins. Job raises very fundamental questions in his lamentations. For instance, he considers death as a resting place for both the good and the bad and there is no inequality since there is no king or servant. He wonders why life is given to people only to spend it in misery longing to die yet death eludes them. In his trials he feels left out and punished by God and who at the moment of his trials is hidden away. As a result all his fears come true and peace and comfort gone away. When Eliphaz speaks for the first time he rebukes Job for straying in his speech. He reminds Job that when he was prosperous he strengthened people with his words and now that he is in trouble he behaves like a man with no hope. Eliphaz insist that Job is undergoing such an immense trial because he has sinned against God. He therefore unless he repents and seek forgiveness, his troubles will remain. Bildad and Zophar concur with their friend that Job must have committed sins to invite God’s wrath. Thus, he must continue to do righteous deeds and be blameless. Bildad believes that the children of Job died as a consequence of their own sins while Zophar insinuates that the punishment job got is less compared to the multitude of his sins. The remarks by the three friends infuriates job and he calls them “worthless physicians” (13:4) in his response. He painstakingly emphasizes the fact that he is blameless before God. He ponders God’s judgment and why he apportions judgment according to the actions of the people when in can easily forgive their wrong doings. Also he does not understand how human beings can encourage God’s justice. His ways are beyond human scrutiny or fathom. Job presents God as one who cannot be deceived and human words have no effect in the way God operates. In comparison with God, human beings are so beneath him to not appreciate themselves well and adequately to make their case known before God. Still, Jobs longs for an individual who can effectively mediate between him and God. If that fails then he should die. The three friends are insulted by the way Job derides their insight. Therefore they criticize Job’s questions as crafty and void of the fear of God. However they remain firmly convinced that no good ever comes from evil. This they illustrate using various metaphors and analogies. Job braves these denigrations, declaring them unworthy judges. He believes in a “Redeemer” in heaven who will assure his blamelessness. Job laments the fact that God allows wicked people to prosper while innocent people continue to undergo a lot of suffering. In his yearning he wishes to confront God face to face and present his complaints but God is not available physically. Similarly, he declares that wisdom is hidden from human mind but he resolves to continue track wisdom through obedience to God and avoidance of wickedness. Elihu the youngest of Job’s friends, in his young inexperienced mind admonishes Job for justifying himself rather than by God. According to him God’s way of communication to humanity is by visions and physical pain. It is through pain that people get the time to experience the love of God and His forgiveness. Like Jobs other three friends, he assumes that job is in trouble because he committed sins. He also thinks that by talking excessively, Job is being rebellious. God responds through a whirlwind asking Job to stand up and answer the questions. In His rhetorical questions God begins to demonstrate how little knows about the creation story. He introduces different aspects of creation especially those of the large beasts (Behemoth and Leviathan) Job realizes his inadequacy before God and how limited he is before God. Having repented and acknowledged God’s power, Job is restored back to health and wealth. However He is not pleased by the three friends for their unwise advice. When Job prays for them God forgives them. Job becomes healthy and twice as rich. The analysis of the book of Job shows that relational process is the dominant process followed by the material process. The book is mainly based on the conversation between Job and his friends and his opinion on various issues such as trouble, God faithfulness the book of jobs attempts to relate Job’s reality of pain and loss to the prosperity and health that he enjoyed previously. He considers the ways of righteousness against those of the wickedness and laments at how wickedness is unpunished while those who are righteous continue to face tribulations. Job also explains the reality of the nature of man in relation to God. He sees man as a creature of low value in the sight of God and who despite his knowledge and power cannot alter the naturally set events. Trouble will always follow man on earth just as sparks will always fly. References Cameron, L 2001, Teaching Languages to Young Learners, UK: Cambridge University Press. Dirven, R. & Fried, V 1987, Functionalism in Linguistics, California: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Eggins, S. 2004 An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics, London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Fasold, W, Linton, J. 2006, An Introduction to Language and Linguistics, London: Reprint Publisher, Cambridge University Press, Fowler, R. 1991, Language in the News, London: Routledge. Griffiths, C. 2008, Lessons from Good Language Learners, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Halliday, M. 1985. An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Arnold Publishers Hasan, C. Matthiessen and J. 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