#Tulln15 Valentine’s Day issue
2 | ©Tulln Media Team 2015
©Tulln Media Team 2015 | 2
Editorial
This issue inludces five diffrent love stories. All of them are influencial in one way or another at their own era.
In many countries Valentine’s day is not the day for lovers but friends. For example in the US it is a tradition to write letters to your loved ones - best friends, family and sweethearts - to thank them for being there. Many say one should be nice the whole year around and not think about their loved ones only once a year but in the end - we all like to get presents and especially good wishes all the time.
If you cannot provide more than a hug to your friends, then do not worry - they will be happy to get it. Read the stories and get inspiration to do something sweet and lasting tomorrow with your lovers or friends. Happy Valentine’s day! Annemari and Caroline
3 | ©Tulln Media Team 2015
©Tulln Media Team 2015 | 3
T
A love for a lifetime: Victoria and Albert
he date May 24, 1819 turned out to be a memoriable one; Queen Victora, Empress of India, known to be among the UK’s greatest leaders, was born. She was to become the Queen who outlived 10 prime ministers and whose reign lasted for 64 years which even up to this very day breaks a record. Only 18 years later, she ascended to the Throne and, soon after her coronation, her uncle Leopold suggested her to propose to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Germany. This was the beginning of one of the most happiest marriages in history. Doubtless, Great Britain benefited from Queen Victora’s reign, especially regarding the industrial revoloution with improved railway infrastructure and the invention of steam ships. Furthermore, equally important, during the Victorian era, universities were expanded, science
4 | ©Tulln Media Team 2015
was taken more seriously and natural history became a popular discipline. Charles Darwin, who established the well-known theory about evolution, is a perfect representative for that period.
Despite their marriage being prearranged, Victoria and Albert felt instantly attracted to each other, prompting the newly wed Queen to write heart-touching diary entries. On the day after her wedding, she noted: “My dearest, dearest dear Albert, […] how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a husband! ... to be called by names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before, was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life!” However, Albert, unquestionably in love with Victoria, yet shy and awkward around other people, found himself struggling with British society. First of all,
he was a born Bavarian, which many ladies and gentlemen were reluctant to accept back in the 1800s. The distinct coldness with which he was confronted by almost every person he encountered was the reason why he did not think very highly of the British and, consequently, he withdrew from society to the warmer ambiance in Victoria’s presence. Nevertheless, despite these serious problems with adjusting in those unfamiliar surroundings, Albert never even once regretted having married Victoria, for she was able to compensate for all the social rejection and snobbish behaviour he had to put up with. He served as the Queen’s trusted advisor and helped dealing with both home affairs and international issues. Together, they faced the Great Famine in 1845, led the Empire through the trou-
bles of the Crimean War in 1856, and managed to diplomatically deescalate the Trent Affair with the United States in 1861. In addition to that, Prince Albert also spearheaded the Great Exhibition in 1851, featuring luminaries such as Charles Darwin, Charlotte Brontë and Lewis Carroll. During Victoria’s pregnancies, he helped her manage royal affairs and supported her wherever he could. Together they had 9 children. Sadly though, those good times had to come to an abrupt halt when, in the winter of 1861, Albert, aged 42, died of typhoid fever after having suffered from fits of abdominal cramps for more than two years.
fused to adorn herself with any colour but black as a symbol for the mourning of her lost soulmate.
Even though this story is one of The loss of her beloved husband many fascinating love stories, it threw the Queen into deep sor- demonstrates perfectly that true row. Ever since that day, she re- love is not simply an imaginary
thing about which one reads in books. Many believe soulmates who love each other unconditionally do not exist. Yet stories like the one of Victoria and Albert prove quite the opposite and it is up to us to realise there is indeed true love out there.
Author: Luise
©Tulln Media Team 2015 | 5
R
A Wild yet Heartbreaking Love: Bonnie & Clyde
omeo and Juliet, Rose and Jack, Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko... All of them are portrayed as gentle yet passionate people. Strong, fearless, unstoppable lovers with undying feelings. How innocent their loves are! Their stories either ended up being legends that has been foretold over decades or turned into happily ever afters that are every single teenage girl’s dream. But is love as kind as it is in the films and novels? Passion can hurt, drive people crazy and even turn them into criminals, just like in the case of Bonnie and Clyde.
ing from the law. She was 19 and working as a waitress by the time she met his partner in crime. Her lover, Clyde Barrow, on the other hand, had a fastpaced early life. He was born in 1909 as the fifth child to a very poor family in Texas. It was hard for his father to take care of the family all by himself, therefore, Clyde was always on the run - he stole cars with his brother, got arrested twice and had to go to jail at an age less than 20.
Who would have known that two of the most wanted criminals during the Great Depression would be a young couple Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was madly in love with each other? born in Texas in 1910. She lost At a time of economic depresher father at the age of four and sion, their tale was felt as a riot lived with her mother and two to the capitalist system that had siblings: an older brother and a been abused by government ofyounger sister. She did not have ficials. Historians believe that an exciting life which is proba- they considered themselves bly the reason why she decided outsiders, revolting against the to spend rest of her life escap- uncaring system of that era. It
6 | ©Tulln Media Team 2015
is told that it was love from the first sight in one of their mutual friend’s house. From that moment to their inevitable end, they shared everything: their love, money, time and even crime. Unfortunately the two never had the chance to marry. In fact, Bonnie had already been married to another criminal, Roy Thorton. They got married in 1926, when Bonnie was 15 and they were madly in love at that time. However as Roy spent weeks away from home, Bonnie could not handle loneliness and their marriage fell apart. They never got divorced though and Bonnie was reported to keep wearing her wedding ring even during her last breath. The lovers started their dangerous journey in 1932, right after Clyde was released from prison. After a while the infamous couple were joined by Clyde’s brother Buck, his wife Blanche
and Williams Daniel Jones. This group called “The Barrow Gang” terrorized the Midwest with their robberies and made the headlines across the country. The two started their crime spree with stealing cars. In addition to their automobile theft charge, they were suspects of other crimes. Their criminal activity spanned Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Missouri, where they killed at least 13 people and escaped from several police ambushes. Despite these difficulties and horrible events, their love for each other kept the couple together and more importantly alive. They were happy and grateful that they got each other. But both knew that their time was bound to end. Bonnie, who had written several poems during her travels, explained their embracement of death in her piece “The Trail’s End”. And finally on May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were killed by a spray
of more than 100 bullets shot by the police officers concealed in the brushes along the highway. Bonnie and Clyde were one of the first criminal celebrities of the modern era. Their relationship has been the topic of several films, television series, songs, plays and even a syndrome is named after them. But why has their love tale got so popular? Maybe the reason is that, it was not just a love story - they were the voice that the miserable citizens never had the chance to raise. Or maybe people were just looking for a new, extraordinary love story to talk
about. But there is one thing that can surely be said even though they may not be the best example to follow: the endurance and the ambition of these lovers can be an inspiration to all of us.
Author: Enescan
©Tulln Media Team 2015 | 7
M
Love, intellectually: Simone and Jean-Paul
arriage was not even an option. Even though Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Satre both were part of that time’s middle class they opposed the bourgeoisie and its very limited morals. But still their relationship held until Satre’s death in 1980, a bit more than half a decade. They met in 1929 – he was three years older than her – at the end of their studies of philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris. In a time in which women were oppressed by the male gender Simone de Beauvoir decided to be a writer despite that time’s social norms – she even published a book entitled “Le Deuxième Sexe” in 1949 which eventually became a fundamental work of feminism. At the end of her studies Beauvoir was the ninth women to graduate as an expert on the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Jean-Paul Satre himself was a creative thinker with a free spirit anyways – and although only 1.58 meters tall and not extremely pretty, he was very successful with women. It might be because he was able to persuade women with only his words why Satre offered Beauvoir a “pact of love”. This agreement should have made both open for new experiences while still being there for each other at all times. They wanted to be free and committed to each other at the same
8 | ©Tulln Media Team 2015
time, transparency should have made them stay close together. Their mutual decision on an open relationship was only one of the many very alternative lifestyles: they lived in hotels and wrote in the Café de Flore. Material possessions and their status in society did not mean anything to them.
As both of them wanted to stay independent and not relay on each other too much, they both fell in love passionately with other people from what some relationships extended for years. Parts of their pact were questioned to protect their other lovers because of jealousy as much as their fear of losing each other. In the 1930s and 1940s Beauvoir and Satre even shared young lovers who were first turned on by her and then lost their virginity to him. Why they took this pressure? Both Beauvoir and Satre, who later became one of the most influential intellectuals of the 20th century, were existentialists, according to whom (and of course other intellectuals such as Søren Fyodor, Dostoyevsky, Kierkegaard and
Friedrich Nietzsche) every human being has its own responsibility as nothing is determined previously. Beauvoir and Satre indulged in this philosophical concept more than anyone before – they needed to question and readjust as much in theories as in their lives themselves. Doing mistakes or being wrong about something was normal for them, they were not guided by anyone but their ideal that the human being has to break away from social conventions to renew the society. This ideal made them participate actively in social upheavals: they were central figures of the “La Résistance française”, were in close contact with many known revolutionaries and were part of the student movement. It is hard to categorise Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Satre, they treated each other as equals, out of respect they addressed each other formally until Satre’s death. But while on the one hand they were a role model and an example for student movement, especially Beauvoir who was attacked by various parties for her part in advancing the role of women in society. Even though their ideas might be out of date, their love of experimentation and risk-taking made them pioneers that the society has to thank for for many freedoms without having to think about them.
Author: Rasmus
Love, beautiful and desperate: Cleopatra and Mark Anthony her brother, as well as her. She, being a very powerful woman, gained the power back and from that time, she ruled on her own. How time was passing by, her relationship with other governing bodies in Egypt became tense and rebellion broke out. Therefore, Cleopatra was forced to leave Egypt and take refuge in Syria.
thralled by her charm, let her be in charge of their meetings. This was also the time that they fell in love. Even though Mark Anthony had strong connections in Rome, including his wife and other important relationships, he married Cleopatra in Egypt.
Cleopatra was always one of the biggest supports for her husband, mainly during his battles. However, in the Battle of Actium Mark Anthony was defeated. Cleopatra had to escape in order to save her life and sent an encrypted letter to Mark Anthony. Unfortunately, he deciphered the letter in a wrong way and thought that Cleopatra has committed a suicide. He asked one of his servants to kill him, however he refused and Mark Anthony stabbed himself to death. Before he died, another letter was delivered to him where Cleopatra stated where she was hidden. Dying Mark Anthony rushed to her and died in her arms. Cleopatra later committed a suicide as well. The most believed way is that she let a poisonous cobra to Regarding the fact that those Soon after Caesar’s assassina- bite her. events has happened almost tion in 44 BC several rebellions 2000 years ago, we do not know broke out and Mark Anthony Even though Cleopatra had sevmuch about a childhood of both became one of the most power- eral men, including Caesar, this of Mark Anthony and Cleopa- ful men in Rome. Cleopatra did is one of the most famous stories tra. However, when Cleopatra her most to protect Egypt from of two lovers, who, by an unforwas around the age of 17, she be- rebellions taking place in Rome tunate coincidence, both died. came a queen of Egypt, together and she negotiated with Mark The story of charming Cleopatra with her younger brother, Ptol- Anthony. However, he knew that and brave Mark Anthony, their emy XIII. Her brother was only she was a very powerful woman love affair, their war together, 10 years old by that time and a who needed domination over their defeat and their suicides. triumvirate was established in everyone and he, obviously enAuthor: Michaela order to take over the rule from By this time her love affair with Caesar took place. Caesar visited Egypt in order to establish a solid government. One of the first things he did was that he let her send for Cleopatra. People say that she was brought to the palace to meet Caesar wrapped in a carpet and he, probably charmed by her, later appointed her as a queen of Egypt. As Cleopatra became a queen of Egypt, she went on a romantic voyage ho would not have on the Nile together with Caeheard about the sor- sar. This might be perceived as a rowful story of two honeymoon, however they have lovers who died because of their never been married. Soon after love, unaware of their plans? The Caesar left Egypt and went back story about Cleopatra and Mark to Rome, Cleopatra had a baby, Anthony is one of the most a son named Caesarion, whose known in the world. father was, most likely, Caesar.
W
ŠTulln Media Team 2015 | 9
O
All you need is love: Yoko and John
ne of the most influential couples of all time was that of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. No matter if you believe in love at first sight, love lasting forever or any other type of love because the story of our two characters was so deep that is still being known all over the world.
ist who was doing a preview of her own art exhibition. Yet, she was better known for her aristocratic banker family in Japan., where her father worked for the Yokohama Specie Bank but, on the eve of the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbour, he was transferred to Hanoi, while the rest of the family had to move to New York for safety reasons. Lennon was born on the 9th This justifies why at that time October 1940 in Liverpool, Yoko was living in New York, England. His father was a mer- where she had been both marchant seaman that abandoned ried and divorced twice. his family to further his work. His mother didn’t seem to care Some will say it was love at first much about him either, since sight for one and the other, but he was sent to his aunt’s house leaving the hypothesis aside, when he was only four. Still, she the fact is that he began an afvisited him regularly and she fair with the Japanese artist 18 taught him how to play a few in- months later, which made him struments, but her sudden and realise his marriage with Cynaccidental death in 1958 devas- thia was unsuccessful. It was tated him. then when he decided to divorce Cynthia, and married Ono on There could be hours spent talk- March 20, 1969. ing about his early life and how he met the other Beatles but Yoko meant so much to him, since today is a very special day, that he even decided to change why don’t we skip it to the part his name to John Ono Lennon when he meets his uncondition- on April 1969. They both startal love? Lennon was 27 years old when he was visiting the Indica Art Gallery in Central London. By that time he was married to his first wife, Cynthia Powel, with whom he had a son, Julian, but the marriage was likely to end soon because of his constant womanizing and violence. By coincidence, that day in the Indica Gallery he met Yoko Ono, a 33 year-old Japanese art-
10 | ©Tulln Media Team 2015
ed collaborating on art, film and musical projects and became famous for their weeklong “BedIn-For-Peace” at the Hilton hotel in Amsterdam to protest against the Vietnam War. But it was not all a bed of roses. One year later, in 1970, Lennon’s famous band, The Beatles, broke up by a mixture of countless factors, among which the world wide media decided to blame it on Yoko. But the tragedy came back in ten years, when one of our main characters was shot to death by a deranged fan outside his apartment building on December 8, 1980, leading Yoko’s heart broken. Our love story has come to an end. Some might think it is a terrible one while others, like me, believe that not every great story needs a happy ending, anyhow, there is no doubt that the memories of such a couple still remain in people’s hearts because as Lennon said in the song: it’s real love, yes it’s real.
Author: Pablo
ŠTulln Media Team 2015 | 11
Die RS Tulln 2015 wird unterstützt von:
Das Europäische Jugendparlament Österreich (EYP Austria) ist eine Organisation des Bundes Europäischer Jugend / Junge Europäische Föderalisten Österreich (jef.at) und wird im Rahmen seiner Tätigkeit von dem Bundesministerium für Familie und Jugend (BMWFJ) und dem Bundesministerium für Bildung und Frauen (BMBF) unterstützt.
Partner des Europäischen Jugendparlaments Österreich:
Das Europäische Jugendparlament Österreich ist ein National Committee des European Youth Parliament, einem Programm der Schwarzkopf-Stifung Junges Europa.