This is a 2002 documentary on Michael Ventris, the man who deciphered Linear B.
Linear B is a syllabic script used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The oldest Mycenaean script dates to about 1400 B.C., thus predating the Greek alphabet by several centuries.
The documentary got my attention for two reasons. One, I am an Anglophile. Two, Michael is a genius, and I tutor a genius. At this point, I am more of a guide than a tutor, but I wanted to get a better understanding of Alexander.
For a reason unknown to me, geniuses beckon. I knew one in high school and sought his friendship, but he did not want mine.
I was hired to tutor this boy, and somehow, I had staying power, as did the math tutor, whereas others and the therapists did not. The French tutor lasted three weeks.
Alexander and I have completed 100 lessons.
The key moment of the documentary comes at about 43 minutes when an attempt is made to describe Michael’s mind. The interviewee says that a genius can hold two contradictory thoughts at the same time, and like Michael’s, Alexander’s thoughts are compartmentalized.
I haven’t figured out his emotions, but one observation is his desire to get a perfect score on every challenge. I have talked to him on occasion about it, and he listens, and he knows I make mistakes, which is a cause of amusement, but I don’t know if there’s progress.
One of the men interviewed said that Michael was more interested in work and ideas than in human relationships. Except for the relationship with his mother, this might be true of Alexander. Michael was an only child. Alexander is an only child.
Employment is the principal reason I am with him. What he thinks of me, I really couldn’t say.
A man on Quora whom Alexander helped called Alexander a twisted genius. Some would say he is odd. I like the oddity and his dark sense of humor.
Alexander knows Greek mythology well and has better recall of it than I do, draws as he creates new stories, and loves secret codes. He is very special. How old is he? Nine.
Linear B is a syllabic script used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The oldest Mycenaean script dates to about 1400 B.C., thus predating the Greek alphabet by several centuries.
The documentary got my attention for two reasons. One, I am an Anglophile. Two, Michael is a genius, and I tutor a genius. At this point, I am more of a guide than a tutor, but I wanted to get a better understanding of Alexander.
For a reason unknown to me, geniuses beckon. I knew one in high school and sought his friendship, but he did not want mine.
I was hired to tutor this boy, and somehow, I had staying power, as did the math tutor, whereas others and the therapists did not. The French tutor lasted three weeks.
Alexander and I have completed 100 lessons.
The key moment of the documentary comes at about 43 minutes when an attempt is made to describe Michael’s mind. The interviewee says that a genius can hold two contradictory thoughts at the same time, and like Michael’s, Alexander’s thoughts are compartmentalized.
I haven’t figured out his emotions, but one observation is his desire to get a perfect score on every challenge. I have talked to him on occasion about it, and he listens, and he knows I make mistakes, which is a cause of amusement, but I don’t know if there’s progress.
One of the men interviewed said that Michael was more interested in work and ideas than in human relationships. Except for the relationship with his mother, this might be true of Alexander. Michael was an only child. Alexander is an only child.
Employment is the principal reason I am with him. What he thinks of me, I really couldn’t say.
A man on Quora whom Alexander helped called Alexander a twisted genius. Some would say he is odd. I like the oddity and his dark sense of humor.
Alexander knows Greek mythology well and has better recall of it than I do, draws as he creates new stories, and loves secret codes. He is very special. How old is he? Nine.
courtesy of Omniglot.com
Of no importance is the fact that the decipherment occurred within weeks of my birth,
and Anglophilia is the result not of my ancestry but of language and reading history and literature.
and Anglophilia is the result not of my ancestry but of language and reading history and literature.
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