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Latin A2 Thread

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The AS retake was a dream. You definitely should have done it. 1h30 of pure exam bliss. The only problems I had was finding too many ways to translate things.

As for Aeneid questions, I just revised vague themes, like the relationship between Aeneas and Dido, the death of Dido, the similes used, the role of the gods, the fate of Aeneas, and stuff like that. The best thing to do would be to just read the whole of book 4 and highlight the themes that you can see and plan essays around them.

And yeah...prose...*waves white flag of surrender*. I'm okay at the literature, and I do really like the language, but its just that the mistakes build up over time and make you fail harder :s-smilie:

Okay, I guess I'll do that! I'm so sick of the Aeneid, I'm doing it in class. civ too, and so I'm getting bored and can't be bothered revising it!

Ugg, and even when I can muddle through on the prose translation, then they throw some horrible grammar question in and its just :'( :'( :'(

Reply 321

MakeContact

Original post by Tweak6

The literature sections of the exam are so easy to blag though. I have literally gone into mock exams without even learning the translation properly and just remembering scraps of info from what I can see in the latin and getting 25/25.

But I understand your pain with the prose. I'm planning to have a really extreme revision days to see if I can get my head round it in time.

Reply 322

silversue

Original post by trichoderma69

Is there any chance you could upload any of your others essays? It'd be really useful!

Hi Emma,
I'm doing A2 independently next summer. I loved your essays. Do you have any style points on Sallust? I'm struggling.
Ta
silversue

Reply 323

Wiggledinho

Hi, I just started my A2 year and am currently deciding whether to keep Latin (so I would be doing 4 A2s). I got 98% UMS at AS however I have heard that it gets a lot harder - is this true and do you think I'd cope?

Reply 324

emma2013

Original post by silversue

Hi Emma,
I'm doing A2 independently next summer. I loved your essays. Do you have any style points on Sallust? I'm struggling.
Ta
silversue

Is this for me?

Reply 325

silversue

Original post by emma2013

Is this for me?

I though it was. Did you post the great scanned essays for someone on this site?
I hoped more resources might come my way :biggrin:

Sue

Reply 326

emma2013

Original post by silversue

I though it was. Did you post the great scanned essays for someone on this site?
I hoped more resources might come my way :biggrin:

Sue

Yep they're mine! I can try dig out some more stuff- It might take a while to find though... :s-smilie:

Reply 327

emma2013

Original post by Wiggledinho

I kept latin as one of 4A2s and got an A overall after getting 10% less at AS than you. Unless youre one of those people who will only take something if you know you'll get an A* in it, you've got nothing to worry about

Reply 328

silversue

Original post by emma2013

Yep they're mine! I can try dig out some more stuff- It might take a while to find though... :s-smilie:

You are a star ***************** :biggrin:

Reply 329

silversue

Original post by emma2013

Hiya everyone, here is a link to my massive revision powerpoint for the Aeneid, on getrevising.com :smile:

http://getrevising.co.uk/resources/aeneid_iv_complete_translation_and_notes
Hope it helps x

Hello Emma, i'm taking A2 Latin next summer. Would love this resource but the link seems to be broken. can you help.
Very best wishes, WP

Reply 330

KnittyKitty

Hi! Is anyone else battling their way through revision of the Aeneid Book 4?

I'm wondering how necessary it is to learn quotes from the text in Latin? Mainly because this just feels like an IMPOSSIBLE task - how do you get them to stick in your head???

Reply 331

Crème brûlée

http://www.cambridgescp.com/Upage.php?p=pe%5Ealevel%5Ea2lang

Link to a vocab list I found, hope it's useful for someone ��

Reply 332

helzycee

Original post by KnittyKitty

Honestly I don't think it's necessary to learn them off by heart. You just need to know the text pretty well, exactly quoting is probably overkill. IMO It's more important to have a good understanding of the themes etc.

Reply 333

silversue

Original post by ohmygosh

Could anybody post an essay they have done for the literature part of the exam (Aeneid or Catiline)?? it would be so helpful as I have been struggling to improve or get an idea of what to aim for. It would be SO appreciated! :smile:

For this assignment, study Chapter 24 in Latin. Use the CSCP translation to help and thenotes in the textbook as and when you need to. You do not need to include everything which is in the notes. Choosewhat is relevant. Show how Sallust expands here on the impression of Catilineand his supporters which he has already given. Comment on both the content and the language used in the passage. Afterthe previous section where Sallust describes a reluctant acceptance by thesenate of the bid for the ‘new man’ ,Cicero as an electoral candidate asthe lesser evil , that is he was preferable to Catiline . even though thelatter wasa member of the senatorial class and Cicero a mere equestrian; Sallust tells usthey so feared the undermining of the establishment by Catiline that theywithdrewtheir customary objection to Cicero standing for consulship. Sallustdescribes both the demeanour and actions of Catiline after his second electoral defeat of 63BC. It seems thatfollowing his defeat Catiline decides to gowith ‘plan B’ the violent uprising. Weare reminded about Sallust’s earlier statements suggesting that Catiline was unhingedand unable to control his motions; that ‘ neque…furor minuebatur’ / his rageor frenzy was not diminished. [ Verity isthat heniladys?*] Well it would be natural to be pretty angry about thesenate managing to prevent his election yet again. There is no reason for his rage to bediminished but the negative passive brings attention to this statement No, but what you could say is that furor is an abstract noun –unusual for most latin authors but typical of Sallust’s style. There is a double negative here too whichunderstates the message i.e. litotes. Sallust uses a series of historicinfinitives in place of 3^rd person perfects .Thesearchaic forms, are favoured by Sallust to lend credibility to his unsubstantiatedstatements by adding a serious and dignified tone to his writing. Firstly he describes Catiline as ‘agitare / worried or agitated. …moredayby day; a further reference toCatiline’s disturbed state of mind; he ‘parare’/ obtained/ gathered weapons and ‘portare’ /conveyedthese to Manlius.Thisis all paid for on credit’ sumptum mutuam’ borrowed money, says Sallust, Catiline’s supporters no doubt expecting agood return when Catiline is in power and the stranglehold ofthe senators on obtaining wealth isremoved. This all inreadiness for violentuprising .However , although Manliuswas hard up: He was an ex Sullan general but seems to have run through all the war plunder he gained. Sallusthimself later in his history notes that thedisaffected Manlius’s violent actions pre dated the conspiracy , although here he places him as ‘postea princeps fuit belli faciundi/ thefirst leader in making war, wishing the reader to lay all the blame firmly on Catiline.That was much unrest throughout Italy during this period is convenientlyforgotten by Sallust. Sallustbrings in a high moral tone next when he describes the ‘low life’ supportersrecruited by Catiline. The wideningcompass includes ‘ plurimos cuisquegenus’/ many men of all kinds. Thesuperlative hinting at his widening supportthroughout the whole of Italian society. High born women of doubtful reputation are now said to have been include among the conspirators. They are describedas women who had ‘ ingentes sumptusstupor corporis toleravent / hadmaintained their lifestyles through prostitution. Lots of ‘s’ here as Sallusthisses his disgust. These women were now past their prime , ‘ aesalienum grande’ in great debt andlooking for another source of income Sallust suggests.
.Sallust next writes inthe form of one long indirect statement about what he maintains Catine ‘credebat’ believed. This statement readsas rather a muddle. Is this to give theappearance of the ramblings of Catiline’s disturbed mind? Did Catiline reallybelieve that through ‘ eas’ / thesewomen he could incite the ‘servitia urbana’ cityslaves to rebellion and to set fire to the city. How would women have that sort of power? Had these wivesasked to join Catiline’s supporters for financial benefit as we are ledto believe? Did he really expect thesewomen to persuade their husbands ‘ adiungere’ join his cause or otherwise hewould ‘interficere’ kill them. Thisis a definite overstatement it all seems far-fetched. It was too soon after theSpartacus uprising to consider it safe to arm slaves and Catiline himself refuses later to allow them to join his army,also why should Catiline want Rome burned?This would confer no advantage to him. Has this been added to further indicateCatiline’s violent and unstable nature? [This is what Cicero wrote in hisspeech to convince the senate to declare a state of emergency and give himextraordinary powers to deal with it (senatus consultum ultimum). Whether it was true or not, Cicero found ituseful to present Catiline as a terrorist who threatened Rome with fire andsword] As far as using the women topressurisetheir husbands to join him under the threat of death if they refused, why shouldCatiline use that kind of threat when Sallusthimself has shown he could win men over to him with promises and rhetoric? You are quite right – thisis not really credible. But it feedsinto the male Roman citizens’ fear of the ‘other’ gaining power – female and slave– would appear to them a terrifying combination! It fits with Sallust’s view of moral declineand the problems of Rome – lack of virility, too much influence of effeminate foreigners(including slaves) etc. With all of this Sallust ,not very convincingly, continues topaint a picture of Catiline as an increasingly unstable anddesperate man. However when it was written the public werewilling to believe that all the unrest in Rome had beeninstigated by onedisturbed criminal mind; an immoral manattempting to raise support and gain power forhis own benefit from anywhere by any possible means. 25/25��

How well do you think that Virgil has described howrumour of Dido and Aeneas’ relationship spread? If Virgil had chosen to describe this in more ordinary language, whatwould have been lost or gained? Youranswer should show understanding of the content of the passage and the ways inwhich Virgil has enhanced the meaning by his use of language and poeticeffects. Virgiluses this vivid ‘personification [ well nearly, it was a monstrous bird] ofFama/ rumour ‘here as ecphrasis i.e. apassage separating the section of Dido’s and Aeneas’s assignation in a cave from the sectiondescribing Iarbas’s reaction. The richdescription of Fama engages the reader’s interest by adding depth and interestto the narrative and enhances the ‘fall out’ from the love affair warning ofwhat is to come. It is mainly relayed in the present tense giving the readersimmediacy as the plot unfolds’ pacily’ before their eyesThissection opens with the arresting adverb’ extemplo’/ immediately jarring thereader after the previous spondaic line which refers to Dido hiding her guiltat breaking her vow to her dead husband. The spread of Rumour [ female, surelya coincidence] throughout the greatcities of Libya is described by her ability to move and increase quickly. Famais repeated for definition in lines 173 and 174 and line 174 has alternativedactyls and spondees emphasising Virgil’s statement that there is no evilfaster174 - u u - - - u u - - - u u - x Fama mal um qua non ali ud vel oc ius Ullum Weare next told how rumour spreads, gradually increasing in size and gainingstrength/ control as she goes; flourishing through her quickness and mobility.She starts parva metu’ small from fear but‘ mox sese attolit in auras soon ‘takes flight’ T. his personification is avery accurate and apt way to describe how once started, rumours gain groundrapidly Her eventual enormous size is described in the 177 with the paired phrases ingrediturque solo--- et caput inter nubilecondit/ She walks on the ground and hides her head among the clouds InLines177 and 178 Virgil details her origins, she was begat’ last’ by MotherEarthin anger against the gods . The two words ira inritate /anger incitedplacedin juxtaposition with the repeated r and t give a word picture of Terra/Earthgrowling or grinding her teeth in rage, ‘deorum’ against the gods isplacedemphaticallylast in the sentence making it clear who was the recipient ofTerra’sanger and the enjambment places the adjective ‘ extremam emphatically first in line 179 . Thus was Fama unleashed onthe world in vengeance ; sister tothe Titan Coeus and the giant Enceladus. These siblings are placed in juxtapositionperhaps indicating that rumour was a mix of both; the god of intellect and a giant; thus both clever andhuge . Adescription of her attributes follows with an elision and speedy dactyls showingher swiftness180 - u u - u u - u u ----- - - u u - x [progenu it] pedi bus celer[em] et pern icibus alis [beget] quick with her feet and nimble wings Herphysical appearance [ mirabile dictum] / wondrous to relateis inserted in the middle of this description atthe end of enjambed line 182[ - 183] interjects an uncomfortable note engagingthe reader.Incontrast to 180 , line 181 has a spondaic rhythm [apart from the obligatory 5^thfoot] reflecting the long, slow look of horror of anyone seeing her. 181 - - - - - - - - - u u - - monstr[um] hor ren [ dum] in gens // cui quot sunt corpore plumae A monster terrible and huge who has as many [unsleeping eyes] as feathers There follows a sort of extended tricolon; each attribute as a ‘tot’ clause +totidem . each colon making up a vivid list of the methods of communication ofthose rumours; ‘ vigiles oculi’ wakeful eyes ; ‘linguae’/tongues [languages] ora /mouths; subrigit aures / pricked up ears. The way Fama is spread is described nextopening line with the sudden strongparticiple ‘stridens’ / screeching or rattling , she is always alert throughday and night; on high places; from bothpublic places ‘ turribus’/ towers and private places ‘ culmine tecti’ roof gables rumour is spread . Such is her power that she ‘magnas territaturbes’ terrifies great cities , in this phrase ‘urbes is placed last in theline with the adjective separated from this noun enclosing the present tense verb ‘ territat’giving an immediacy and continuity to the way great cities can be held in fearby rumour. Fama is unconcerned with veracity , Virgil tells us : ‘tenax’/ grasping is enclosed betweenfalsehoods and speaking the truth with ‘ficti pravique ‘ / false andcorrupt paired and the noun ‘veri’/ truthful placed last in the sentence dismissing it as unimportant ‘ toFama.Virgil changes here to the imperfect tenseas he tells us of rumour’s ongoing activities she ‘ replebat’ / begins to fillnations with gossip of every kindand is a happy bird Virgil tells us in line190. ‘gaudens’ / rejoicing and ‘canebat /‘ was singing frame this line . She loves to spread gossip . Again the emphasis is on truth and fiction. What Famasings about is pariter’ /equal [ly] of ‘ facta atque infecta’ things done andnot done ; truth and lies are ‘all the same to her. Nasty bird. The true bitsare that Aeneas had come from Trojan blood and that ‘ pulchra Dido, /beautifulDido has seen fit to ‘join’ him. She warms to this theme as she continues ‘inter se ….fovere’/ keeping warm betweenthemselves i.e cuddling up together tokeep warm. In line 194 she spitefullycontinues that they have ‘ regnorum immemores’ / forgotten their kingdoms [Aeneas actually doesn’t have one at the moment] ‘ turpique cupidinecaptos’/ trapped by a shameful lust with the two similar words turpi and cupidine, both of which have similar sexualconnotations and repeated c qu t crisply showing Fama’s disapproval. The line,alternating spondees and dactyls, reflects her glee , she is loving every minute. This is what rumourthrives on, being the centre of attention.194 - u u - u u - - - - - u u - - regnorum immemor es turp ique cupine Captos - - - u u - - - u u - u u - - regnor(um) immemor es turp ique cup idine captos The elision of the end of regnorum reflectsRumour’s suggestion that Dido and Aeneas have forgotten their kingdoms. Wenow have a feeling of foreboding as we are told of the outcome of the gossip.The goddess is described graphically as ‘ foeda’/ foul she ‘diffundit’/ spreads out/ pours forth thegossip into ‘virum ….ora’ men’s mouths . This is interesting that the gossipisn’t poured into people’s ears as might be expected but shows the speed oftransference from one to another. Unfortunately she is able to steer the newsquickly to King Iarbus . His reaction is described by two metaphors givingcolour and variation, incenditque animum’ inflames his mind and ‘ aggeratiras’/ piles up anger’. Iarbus is feeling very resentful, as well he might. Hehad given Dido a bit of his land to found Carthage and offered her marriage.She accepted the former but declined the latter on the grounds of her vow ofchastity to her dead husband but is now, co-habiting with a foreigner – Aeneas.What cheek, how humiliating -trouble looms! Thispassage only improves the poem. A matter of fact statement that Iarbus heardabout Dido and Aeneas , and was cross would have sufficed to move the narrativeonwards but Virgil’s rich and beautifullanguage gives depth, interest and colour to the narrative and sets the stagefor the next passage which tells us more about King Iarbus and his reactionwhich will again involve the gods… Yes– it is essential for the plot!��Z�K�}}K5

Reply 334

kate_maria

Finally found a link for A2 latin. Is everyone ready for the verse paper on friday??

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 335

silversue

Original post by kate_maria

Finally found a link for A2 latin. Is everyone ready for the verse paper on friday??

Posted from TSR Mobile

Last year's paper not available but found examiners' report , so worked backwards............

Reply 336

Fxcku

I feel okay about it, I'm hoping that rumour will come up as first 25 marker and the Gods or Virgil as a storyteller for the theme essay!

Reply 337

silversue

I've just been looking at Rumour....Have yet to revise the Gods but on my list. Hadn't thought about V as a story teller. Wow where to start?

Reply 338

Fxcku

Original post by silversue

I've just been looking at Rumour....Have yet to revise the Gods but on my list. Hadn't thought about V as a story teller. Wow where to start?

There are so many things to talk about for storytelling. What themes have you identified?

Reply 339

silversue

Way he uses various devices to make his narrative interesting , lively writing ; rhythm, variation , colour movement, vivid characterisations ....try for some e.gs
Can you think of anything I've missed?