The Last Samurai

Book 2 is prefaced with epigraphs that excerpt dialogue from Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 film Seven Samurai and a passage from David Thomson’s A Biographical Dictionary of Film (1994).

Sibylla and Ludo are on the Circle Line train heading to the Motel Del Mar. They take this journey to escape the cold weather. Sibylla reflects on a time about 10 years ago when she read Nicomachean Ethics Book X on the Circle Line train that had stopped at Baker Street. She pondered the idea that living a “life of the mind” is the purest form of happiness (97). However, her reading is frequently interrupted by Ludo, who constantly asks about words. Sibylla recalls how James Mill managed to write a history of India while providing lexical assistance to his son, but her situation is more challenging. She has to manage a twin pushchair, carry books and toys, and deal with Ludo’s curiosity. Additionally, people keep approaching Ludo who is engaged in advanced reading on a train. While some people question the potential impact of his reading on his schooling, others are impressed and curious about Ludo’s abilities, leading Sibylla to explain her teaching method. The Alien interjects, prompting Sibylla to mention an interview with John Denver and J.