I started a Massolit course on the Aeneid with Dr Sharon Marshall this week, and I’ve been writing up notes after every lecture. Her lectures are divided into five key questions to consider when reading the Aeneid: Is the Aeneid a pro- or anti-Augustun poem? What is the nature of the relationship between Dido and Aeneas? How are we to interpret the images on the Shield of Aeneas? How important is Aeneas to Rome’s imperial dynasty? And lastly, what is distinctive about Roman epic?
In the afternoons, I’ve been doing my exercising, instruments, walks with my mum and Ancient-Rome-documentary-watching!
After finishing the Aeneid last week, I’ve recently picked back up a non-fiction book on Ancient Rome that I started summarising a little while ago. Every day, I’ve been reading a chapter or so of that book, and then typing up my notes. In the afternoon, I’ll do my instrument practice, and then in the evening I’ll watch Criminal Minds (Season 8 already 😶) with my mum and Fringe with Andy.
I’ve always had trouble falling and staying asleep, but recently I found some amazing sleep meditations that I’m usually fast asleep before the end of! So this week has been quite awake and energetic for me.
Weekend
We spent most of Saturday making a roast dinner! Nanny came round in the afternoon to have it with us. It wasn’t ready until 4 – we were all so starving! But it was really delicious and it was fun making it with my mum. Afterwards, I did some more of my drawing of Francis, Nanny’s cousin’s son who sadly died recently. I reckon it will be done by Monday or Tuesday. Then we just need to find some sort of tube that we can transport it in, as it needs to get all the way to Canada where Nanny’s cousin lives.
I pretty much spent Sunday doing my instruments, writing my story, drawing and watching Criminal Minds with my mum!
I started considering going to sixth form this week. We hadn’t exactly planned that part of my life yet, but from Tilly’s experience of sixth form I think that might be the best next step for me. I don’t doubt that I’ll probably get a better education at home (one more infused with goodness, truth and beauty!) but I also think that a more social setting will be good for me. If I were to go, I imagine I’d study something along the lines of English Literature, History, Maths (so I can take the Maths SAT to get into an American university!), Drama and Fine Art. Yes, that’s 5 A-Levels! But I would probably take the Maths as an AS Level, so I would be dropping it after the first year. It’s a lot of work but I think I could pull it off, with a lot of commitment!