Monsoon History: Transitivity and the Question of Identity

Abstract

In this study, we discuss the identity of a Straitsborn
Chinese poet, Shirley Lim, through a systemic-functional
analysis of one of her poems, Monsoon History. Focusing on the
transitivity system of the Hallidayan framework, we demonstrate
how the poet uses nature to represent her identity, making
herself one with the surroundings. The experiential elements in
the analysis show how the poet, notwithstanding her external
identity as a Chinese immersed in a mix of cultures and
influences, uses the description of the weather and natural
surroundings to project her inner identity with the mother land.
Our analysis suggests that the Hallidayan transitivity framework
is a valuable resource for construing not merely our experience of
the world, but our ideals at a deeper level.