extract 5-seneca

Question 1

what does ‘tam damnosum bonis moribus’ mean?

Answer 1

so damaging to good morals

Question 2

what does ‘aliquo spectaculo’ help us to understand?

Answer 2

‘in some show or other’, this shows us that Seneca is quite flippant about the games, and he does not hold them in high regard

Question 3

What and how does ‘voluptatem facilius vitia subrepunt’ draw the readers attention(to)?

Answer 3

alliteration of ‘v’ and ‘f’ sound draws the reader’s attention to the idea the character faults creeping into people easily when the spectators enjoy themselves at the games

Question 4

What does ‘subrepunt’ mean?

Answer 4

‘they creeped up’ – the image of the character faults creeping up is a threatening image

Question 5

What language technique is ‘quid me existimas dicere?’ and what does it do and mean?

Answer 5

‘What do you think I am saying? ‘– Rhetorical question - as if Seneca is having a real conversation. He wants the reader to think about the points he has just made

Question 6

What is the tricolon of comparative adjectives?

Answer 6

‘avarior…ambitiosior…luxuriosior’—‘greedier… more self-seeking… more indulgent’

Question 7

What does Seneca show using the tricolon?

Answer 7

The character faults which he develops after being at the games

Question 8

Why does Seneca use ‘crudelior et inhumanior’? And what does it mean?

Answer 8

‘More cruel and more inhumane’ — he uses these because these are stronger words than the previous tricolon