How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
He stood above me, held the book aloft, and in a loud, even piercing tenor, declaimed: "Hoc anno, servus nomine Eunis qui a paucis esse magus dicebatur in dominos suos coortus est." He looked down at me; and I began to translate—"In this year, a freeborn slave named Eunus, reputed a magician, rose against his masters…"—while he continued his bellowing over me — "et manu conservorum comitante, hos contra urbes in Siciliae finibus duxit"—until my voice was as loud as his—"…gathering a force of fellow slaves and leading them against cities in the region of Sicily…"—and together, we shouted of servitude, arms, and Rome. (2.2.18)
This is a key turning point in Octavian's education because it's the moment when his teacher is basically telling him to rise up against slavery. What makes this scene even more poignant is the text they use: it's a classical Latin text, a language teacher and student both understand and feel passionate about. 09-01 is showing Octavian how there's historical precedent for a slave rebellion; that it's an action sanctioned by classical history and literature.
Quote #8
On some heads, this demotion from scholar to servant simplified my lot, for as I passed from childhood to youth, it would have been increasing awkward for me to act as a lordling in that house, merely reading and playing the violin while the others toiled around me; luxury would have pained me. I now saw their stares when I was favored, due to my experimental status, and so it was preferable to work alongside them; after a time, my lessons with Mr. Sharpe seeming to all—myself included—not so much like a privilege as a more peculiar and arcane chore, as we viewed the grooming of the silkworms or the supper of the asp. (2.6.7)
Octavian's showing us a dynamic that we ought to be pretty familiar with—after working alongside the other slaves, Octavian just wants to fit in. He gets how weird it is to be treated differently, even if that treatment is special. Do you think he'd have the same attitude toward his studies—"a more peculiar and arcane chore"—if he were still with Dr. Trefusis though?
Quote #9
It was curious to aid in my small ways with the preparation of the meal, turning the spit or shaving the sweet-potatoes, and then to run and dress for dining, when my presence was required at table; to sit amidst the chatter of those who never saw the yams skinned or the luncheon-fowl with its head on; Bono over my should silently serving me morsels I had just cut into a bucket an hour before. (2.6.8)
How truly strange for Octavian: He's basically forced to exist in two totally different classes—master and slave. That's got to be a bit of a mind bend.