Learning Latin with Pope Francis - August 10, 2016

To visit my archive of Latin Papal Tweets, go to my main page. 

August 10, 2016 

Literal translation of the Latin: Human society, however much it is composed of diverse peoples, should foster reverence toward one another.


Here's how the Latin works:

Latin	English	Parsing	Grammar Points
Societas	Society	nom. sing. fem. noun	societas, societatis
humana	human	nom. sing. fem. adj.	humanus, humana, humanum
quamvis	however much		conj.
diversas	diverse	acc. pl. fem. adj.	diversus, diversa, diversum
gentes	peoples	acc. pl. fem. noun	gens, gentis
complexa	composed of		complector, complectī, complexus sum
reverentiam	reverence	acc. sing. fem. noun	reverentia, reverentiae
ad	to(ward)		prep. + acc.
invicem	one another		adv.
debet	should	3rd. pers. sing. pres. act. ind. verb	dēbeō, dēbēre, dēbuī, dēbitus
fovere	foster	pres. act. infinitive	foveō, fovēre, fōvī, fōtus

 

Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk: On War and Smiling

Writer Christopher Hooton at the Independent has penned a piece picking apart the trailer for the upcoming film Dunkirk, by director Christopher Nolan. 

He focuses on the perception that a particular extra in one shot who, he asserts, should be "look[ing] ominously at the sky" is instead "offering a sort of bemused smirk."

First off, I've watched the close up shot provided in his article a number of times. The "bemused smirk" is not as obvious or egregious as the weight of the article would imply.

But, more importantly, the whole premise of his article hinges on the claim of the author that he knows what should historically and accurately have been the emotional state of every single soldier standing on the beach at Dunkirk.

He claims to know what should be the correct emotional response of anyone and everyone under severe duress.

He writes, "His apparent cheeriness is quite unfortunate given his character is penned in by enemy forces."

First off, I simply don't see unambiguous "cheeriness" on the face of this extra. 

But, even if it were there and patently visible, it still remains reasonably within the inventory of a human to react to mortal danger with extreme emotions that are not, at first glance, in seeming concert with the gravity of the moment.

Think of the not uncommon phenomenon of laughing at funerals, when the expected emotion is only grief. In reality, people are capable of exhibiting a wide range of emotions in the face of various stresses, and laughter is potentially a healthy way to cope with extreme situations.

The fact that he is the single soldier in that segment of the shot who is turned toward the action should be an indication that he is acting under specific directions for the reaction he displays.

I have personally run from mortars in Mosul, Iraq. Maybe Mr. Hooten has also experienced something somehow akin to the terror of those who stood on the beach at Dunkirk. But if he had, it should have insulated him from judgement over the reaction others might have in such moments of dire duress.

In the final analysis, I don't see the "cheeriness" he claims to spot here. But even if it were there, I would not have concluded that the shot was therefore automatically an inauthentic view of the potential emotional responses those men might have had on that beach.

Learning Latin with Pope Francis - August 9, 2016

To visit my archive of Latin Papal Tweets, go to my main page. 

August 9, 2016 

Literal translation of the Latin: Let us respect all indigenous peoples, not only whose identity is endangered, but even (their) very existence.


Here's how the Latin works:

Latin	English	Parsing	Grammar Points
Revereamur	Let us respect	1st pers. pl. pres. subj. deponent verb	revereor, reverērī, reveritus sum; hortatory subjunctive
omnes	all	acc. pl. masc. adj.	omnis, omne
populos	peoples	accl. pl. masc. noun	populus, populi
indigenas	indigenous	acc. pl. fem. noun	indigena, indigenae; used adjectivally as an appositive to populos
quorum	whose	gen. pl. masc. rel. pronoun	qui, quae, quod
non	not		adv.
modo	only		adv.
identitas	identity	nom. sing. fem. noun	identitas, identitatis
verum	indeed, very		adv.
etiam	even		adv.
existentia	existence	nom. sing. fem. noun	existentia, existentiae
periclitantur	are endangered	3rd pers. pl. pres. ind. deponent verb	perīclitor, perīclitārī, perīclitātus sum

 

Learning Latin with Pope Francis - August 8, 2016

To visit my archive of Latin Papal Tweets, go to my main page. 

August 8, 2016 

Literal translation of the Latin: Arguments in the family are easily solved through conversations.


Here's how the Latin works:

Latin	English	Parsing	Grammar Points
Contentiones	Arguments	nom. pl. fem. noun	contentio, contentionis; subject of passive verb solvuntur
in	in		Prep. + Abl.
familia	the family	abl. sing. fem. noun	familia, familiae; governed by prep. IN
colloquiis	(through) conversations	abl. pl. neut. noun	colloquium, colloquii; abl. of instrument or means
facile	easily		adv.
solvuntur	are solved	3rd. pers. pl. pres. pass. ind. verb	solvo, solvere, solvi, solutus

 

The Number of the Beast - 666: A New Interpretation

I present here a video version of my research, in which I demonstrate, using ancient Roman sources, that my favorite emperor--Trajan--was the original man referred to as the "Beast of the Apocalypse" and how his name is encoded in the number 666. 

He's still my favorite emperor. In fact, the reason no one has theorized this before is that even early Christians respected him. Watch and judge for yourself.