MDLII: The Year 2015 by Bedford-School

The Year MDLII

VOLUME 1

The Editorial Team 2014-2015 Current Affairs: Harry Burden, Noah Van Mierlo Maths and Sciences : Joshua Wellington, Saurav Karmakar The Arts: Robin Hampshire, Robert Akerele-Miles The Humanities: George Cochrane-Davies, Tim Mathews, Sandor Pakozdi Languages: Adam Selvey, George Lilley-Moncrieff Sports: Freddie McLean Music: Olly Bowes

2015-2016 Current Affairs: Shivam Patel, Alex Stammers, Oreayo, Israel-Bolarinwa, Daniel Hickey Maths and Sciences: Jonathan Konstatinidis, Arjun Vaingankar, Max Williamson, Daniel Tune The Arts: Arol Bosut, Ken Wong The Humanities: Ben Poslad, James Smith, Nick Cowen, Christopher Turner Languages: Frank Kupshik, Josh Carmichael Sports: Jake Carter, Max Smith Music: Ben Anstis, Peter Wood, Nic Reay Mosaic: Rob Salvesen Production Assistance: Anna Garrett With thanks to: Laura Stephenson, Karoline Jeffery Cover Art by Daniel Lin

CONTENTS Current Affairs 6 7 12 14 16 18

Has Obama failed black America? Nigel Farage: the man for Britain? The big day Why America needs Bernie Sanders in 2016 Political participation, and why governmental failure could also be your wrongdoing

The Arts 40 41 42 44 46 47

Year 11 trip to Imperial War Museum Darwin moved us forward to a hilltop... Can literature be taught? Why we read crime fiction The Rachel Mercer lecture

Humanities Editorials – from all four volumes 20 21 Casual sexism: when lad culture becomes misogyny 23 “This is the one thing we didn’t want to happen...” 25 The ‘D’ word – living as a disabled teenager 28 The virtue of knowing yourself

Maths and Science 30 NMR in sport What is worth conserving? Vortex shredding Depression: the glass cage you can’t break through alone 38 Should the world turn vegetarian?

31 32 34 36

48 49 The relationship between medicine and geography 51 Watford Holocaust Day 52 Can murder ever be justified? 54 The idea of nothing 55 Super volcanoes – our planet’s biggest explosion

CONTENTS CONTINUED Sport

Languages 58 59 Meet the assistants 61 Why I study Latin 62 The Chinese candidate – why I study Mandarin 63 German Society cookery event 64 The Spanish play

74 75 Interview with Paddy McDuell 76 The finals – creative writing inspired by fencing 78 Six Nations 79 Superbowl XLIX 81 Ode to Mourinho

Mosaic 82

Music 65 66 House singing 68 Bedford School contemporary music 69 “Music only becomes meaningful when it is mixed combined with another art form 72 And all that jazz... 73 Tidal

83 84 89 91 95 98 101

Conflict – Element 119 Der Aufstand One Final Peace The Awakening Embrace The Beach The Bedford School Independent Project

EDITOR’S LETTER After one whole year of missed deadlines, postponed editorial meetings and ‘early-hours-of-the-morning’ articles, I speak on behalf of everybody who has contributed to MDLII in its inaugural year by saying: “Wow, we really got four issues completed.”

ou are holding in your hands the brainchild of 13 sixth-formers – and an eager architect in the English department – who sought to give a voice to the voiceless in the School community. The publication was always an exhibition of dedication, devotion and excitement, and as my final year as a Bedfordian comes to its climax, it has been a privilege to have contributed to a tradition that I dearly hope continues for many decades to come. Our goal in September was to create a consistent and approachable stage of expression, and hand this platform to any boy who had a thought to spill, a query to raise or a debate to drive. This is our anthology: the culmination of the year’s finest articles condensed into one trim volume. There’s something for everybody, whether you’re revisiting one of your favourite pieces or if this is your first dabble into the fragile world of student journalism. We always aimed to create a journal that was open to all and the fruits of our labours are clearly on show.

As an editorial team, we today scribble our signatures for the final time and hand the reins over to another generation of budding big mouths. I sleep with a clean conscience in the knowledge that, under the sturdy watch of all involved, MDLII will continue to flourish under the principles of its inauguration: to be sharp, diverse, open and, most of all, enjoyable. Have fun with our compilation, and may it be the first of many. Harry Burden

Letter written by

Harry Burden on behalf of the 2014-2015 editorial team

Current Affairs

HAS OBAMA FAILED BLACK AMERICA? The current President of the United States has been put in the spotlight for numerous reasons (good and bad) over his now 6-year-long tenure.

his has been with good reason as Barack Obama has had an enormous task on his hands from day one. Not only did he take over an economy that was in shambles, but he also aimed to remove the United States Armed Forces from combat in the Middle East. However, an aim of his entire presidency that was long forgotten has now been rekindled as a result of the recent events that have occurred in Ferguson, Missouri. From the minute he took office, President Obama has, regardless of his own volition, been tasked with countering racism in the United States. Who exactly is Barack Obama?

As much of the globe knows, Obama is the first American of African descent to be leader of the free world. He began his political life as an Illinois State Senator in 1996, and made the step up to United States Senator in 2005. It was here that he established himself as a loyal Democrat (the left-wing party in the United States), and in 2007, he announced his candidacy for President. After winning the Democratic nomination announcing Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate (the man who, since they won the election, became Vice President of the United States), Obama then defeated Republican (the right-wing party) nominees, John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin, in the election.

After four years of ups and downs, which included him being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama ran for re-election in 2012. Once more he was able to beat the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, in the general election to win a second and final Presidential term which he is currently serving until 2016. History of Racism in the United States In order to be able to evaluate a problem, one must first know its origins. Racism against African Americans in the United States has been an issue that originated with the slave trade. Since many White Americans used to ‘own’ African Americans, it is not a surprise that the idea of Whites being superior to African Americans came to fruition. However, since its creation, the U.S. has made significant advances to decrease the issue of racism. One of the most well-known stories is that of Rosa Parks. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger and move to the back (called the ‘colored section’) of the bus. Her arrest led to a bus boycott by The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and is credited with being an act that led to the Civil Rights Movement. The past 100 years had seen the rise of the Jim Crow Laws, the laws that led to African American life being inferior and excluded. These laws demanded that public facilities, such as schools and transportation, have separate facilities for White Americans 7

Article written by

Noah Van Mierlo

and African Americans. However, following protests by African Americans across the nation, most notably Martin Luther King Jr., President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, which overruled the Jim Crow Laws. Despite this, racism is still prevalent in today’s America. Obama’s Connection with the Anti-Racist movement The 2008 Presidential election can be seen as a major progressive moment in mankind’s attempt for complete equality. The last two candidates left battling for the Democratic nomination consisted of a woman (Hillary Clinton) and an African American, and neither the race nor the gender had ever been

represented as U.S. President. One of Obama’s main slogans for his campaign, ‘CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN’, can be seen as a symbol for more than just new government policies. Obama’s election in 2008 was seen as a huge step forward for racial equality, especially seeing he did get a large majority of his votes from White Americans. In fact, Obama got a higher percentage of the White vote (43%) than the last Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry (41%), did. However, despite this turnout, many Americans let race influence both their votes and their opinions. In South Carolina, White Americans were far more likely to name Clinton as more able for presidency than they would Obama.

Well, why is this being brought up NOW? In case you haven’t heard, recently in the town of Ferguson, Missouri, on 9th August, an allegedly unarmed African American, Michael Brown, was shot dead by a white police officer, Darren Wilson. This has sparked worldwide debate about whether Brown’s race and skin color was a reason why Wilson shot him six times. Reports have flooded in, often with conflicting information about whether or not Brown had his hands raised when he was shot, or if he was moving toward Wilson when the shots were fired. Protests regarding the manner of the shooting have been widespread, but this white against AfricanAmerican type occurrence is not an anomaly. •

John Crawford

•

Ezell Ford

•

Eric Garner

•

Sean Bell

•

Joseph Guzman

•

Trent Benefield

These are just some of the names of innocent African Americans whose recent deaths have been affected by racial prejudice. •

Crawford? Shot because he was holding a toy gun.

•

Ford? Shot while unarmed.

•

Garner? Choked to death for illegally selling cigarettes.

•

Bell, Guzman, Benefield? All unarmed, but were shot because of unjust suspicion that they were carrying weapons.

Obama’s Role The question of whether Obama has failed Black America is quite an astounding question to ask in the first place. President Obama has

never claimed he will be able to fix the racism issue that still runs throughout the U.S., and this is because he never will be able to. Racism is not something that can be cured overnight. Evidently, America has made strides to lessen the amount of racism, but it’s already taken around one hundred and fifty years to reach the point where they are now. Indeed, racism isn’t something the President can fix by implementing a new policy. This requires a change in culture; a culture that grew, for many years, on racist ideas and beliefs. However, Obama has made leaps forward in combating the problem of racism – just not on purpose. One of the most important steps in eliminating racism is identifying where it is present. Obama has helped us to do just that. During his presidency, American’s quiet racism has come out of hiding. President Obama has had quite a lot of criticism come his way, and while some is indeed deserved, a lot of it is plain nonsense and makes one wonder if there’s possibly a very different reason as to why people aren’t too fond of the Commanderin-Chief. Speaking of ludicrous criticism, a poll conducted in 2013 found that 29% of Louisiana Republicans said that Barack Obama was responsible for the federal government’s poor response to Hurricane Katrina, which occurred in the fall of 2005. The same survey found that 28% blamed President George W. Bush. To finish it off, 44% of Louisiana Republicans did not know who to blame. It was Bush’s administration that oversaw the government’s response to Katrina. Not Obama’s. As previously mentioned in a previous section of this article, Barack Obama had just become U.S. Senator when this storm occurred! There must be something that Louisiana Republicans have against Obama to so easily accuse him for something that happened before his time – and that something may be as simple as his skin colour. This occurrence

OBAMA

HAS HELPED US TO DO JUST

THAT

of blaming Obama for problems that he may not even have instigated has become the norm in today’s America. In the past, Americans would patriotically stand behind their leader in tough times of either domestic or foreign issues. This is no more, and it may be because most Americans simply do not relate to him in the way they have related to past Presidents, as he doesn’t have the same skin colour. Indeed, there is further evidence that Americans simply are not fond of the President, as he currently has a 40% approval rating at the time of writing. However, one wonders if this disapproval for the President is justified. After all, some people may forget the growing list of things Obama has accomplished over his 6 years. Some of his biggest achievements: •

Passed Health Care Reform, which five past Presidents have failed to do.

•

Passed the Stimulus, which spurred economic growth to get America out of the 2008 recession.

•

Ended the War in Iraq.

•

Ending the War in Afghanistan.

•

Ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden.

•

Repealed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ which allowed gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military.

•

Boosted domestic oil production to decrease dependence on foreign countries.

•

Cut the deficit in half.

There are, of course, many more. In addition, the President has done all this while spending less than any other President in modern history. He has also done this while working the past four years with a Congress that “remains on track to be arguably the least productive Congress in modern history”.

Conclusion Obama cannot be blamed for America’s racist tendencies, nor can he be applauded for fixing them. What he has done, however, is become a figure that has highlighted the racial issues in his country. While some may say this is bad for United States public relations, it is inevitably a good thing. He has, while simply doing his job, raised the awareness of many Americans on how serious an issue racism is in the United States. With more awareness, there is the hope that America will finally unite on a topic and drive racism out of the country by implementing the nation-wide view that racism is horrific, and should not be tolerated in the 21st century. America has seen enough, with the killings of innocent African Americans creating a dark cloud that grows darker with every minute that this continues to happen. Hopefully, historians will one day look at Obama’s presidency and think, “this is the moment that America decided it was fed up”. When asked with the question of whether Obama has failed black America, I urge one to respond that Obama has not failed. However, nor has he succeeded. If anything, Barack Obama has been a victim of racism.

This is not an area where the responsibility falls into the hands of one man who was brave enough to lead America past two wars and out of a spiralling economy. This is a topic which calls for people to unite; for men, women, and children to together think progressively, and for Americans to put history in the back seat so that the nation, as a whole, can move forward in what is an ever-changing world full of change, hope, and, most of all, diversity.

“I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, or where you live. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black, or white, or Hispanic, or Asian, or Native American, or young or old, or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.” – United States President, Barack Obama

NIGEL FARAGE: THE MAN FOR BRITAIN? Article written by

Ollie Charlton

With the general election less than a year away, there is one question on everyone’s lips; who will be Prime Minister this time next year?

espite Labour being expected to hold the largest number of seats after next year’s general election, Miliband himself is facing approval ratings lower than even that of Nick Clegg’s. It tends to be the trend in the three main parties that all their leaders are somewhat struggling. There have been numerous calls for Nick Clegg to resign over the course of his party’s coalition with the conservatives, and even David Cameron has been questioned over the past months following the loss of two seats after the defections of Mark Reckless and Douglas Carswell to UKIP. Only one man in politics seems to have his party’s faith at the minute, and that man is Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party. But what exactly makes him so irresistible to his supporters?

awestruck with how Farage has bolstered support for his party. He has employed numerous tactics, but has also greeted the general voting public with a sense of commonality not seen by any other of the major party leaders. Nigel Farage is charismatic, and even though many see past it, he has a generally honest demeanour. He’s simplistic, to the point and intelligent about the way he goes about his business especially given the media presence he has had over the past two years. Farage is the first politician of this century to understand what appeals to the common voter, something that his big party counterparts continually fail to grasp. The charisma he presents in most situations surpasses that of any other Westminster party leader.

The son of a stockbroker, and a former alumnus of Dulwich College (interestingly though, he harbours an anti-establishment reputation), Nigel Farage has galvanised support for his anti-Europe party since the last general election in 2010. He’s done this with a win in this year’s European elections and his party’s two recent by-election wins. UKIP is expected to take 15% of the total vote in next year’s general election. But, how has he managed all this since UKIP gained only 3.1% of the total vote back in 2010?

Farage’s best weapon in his campaign is UKIP’s direct policies. UKIP is the only one of the big parties to promise a complete exit from the European Union, whereas his left and right wing adversaries promise to reform the terms of our membership of the EU. UKIP also promise to end the free movement of labour into the UK, which would end European immigration in the UK (and out of it too). Immigration is a huge buzz topic and a complete closure of our borders greatly appeals to those of a xenophobic disposition. While it is unfair to presume every UKIP supporter is voting for the party based on one policy, is it fair to think most of

Despite not being a supporter or even a fan of UKIP myself, I for one have been largely 12

them are though? During the recent Clacton by-election, an Al Jazeera journalist asked twenty-five UKIP voters to name one party policy beside the party’s immigration policy. Only one could tell them another UKIP policy. The wonder of Farage is his ability to distract his supporters from the other UKIP policies, such as scrapping the Department for Culture Media and Sport and decreasing the top rate of income tax to 40p. These are two polices which I imagine a large amount of UKIP’s supporters are unaware of. During his 14 appearances on BBC Question Time since 2009 (more than any other MP), he has tackled the big EU policies straight on in a debating style that has much to be admired, but also uses smart wording to tackle touchy issues such as the privatisation

of the National Health Service. Nigel himself would mention UKIP’s policy of ensuring “the NHS is free at the point of consumption”. The addition of ‘point of consumption’ would easily fool anyone into believing UKIP is committed to a free and open NHS, but what he really means it that you only get the bill after you’ve left the hospital. I have to applaud Nigel for this however, as this is unlike the position of one David Cameron whose deafening silence on the future of the NHS continues to speak words about its future in the hands of the Conservatives, where many voters are beginning to realise the damage to the NHS. The eagle-eyed liberal may easily see past the words of Nigel… but will your average voter?

THE BIG DAY Article written by

Jack Harvey

With the next General Election looming over the horizon, and many of our own Upper Sixth Form and teachers preparing mentally for the inevitable onslaught of political debates, media attention and endless petty insults each candidate can pull out of their Oxford shirt sleeve; we must decide which candidate and party to vote for.

owever, unlike previous elections, we get the surprising new twist of candidates who resemble Hollywood villains rather than politicians. Now I would not judge UKIP’s lovable leader, to name but one example, on the basis of whether I would support his party, but if I was honest with myself – like I’m sure a lot of the electorate are – we are voting for these candidates because of their image and look, rather than their policies. That’s not to say we shouldn’t take our perception of these characters out of the equation, but we should also consider what their party actually offers for the next four years, (and then subsequently loses its interest in). If I was writing this article a few elections ago, due to our ‘First Past the Post’ voting system, I would only really be focusing on the three main parties: Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats, however the rise and likelihood of a coalition in this year’s election has forced me to focus not only on the big three, but all the third parties battling to win one or two of the 650 seats in the commons. To start, I thought I’d dive straight in with the media’s hot button: immigration and the EU. Now I know anyone who has watched 14

the news for the past year or two may have seen a great big smiling brute wearing the Duke of Winchester’s smoking jacket, yelling out his ‘policy’ for EU reform, which stands on their website as just “We will leave the EU”, without any other valid implications or information. The Conservatives offer a little more information by promising to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU by 2017, after negotiating the return of some powers from Brussels. This very firm policy gives the electorate a good reason to vote Conservative after the past eight years. Labour focuses on a push for reform of the European Union, preventing Britain from ‘sleepwalking’ towards an exit – a very Labour policy not guaranteeing anything, just tip-toeing around the subject. Then there’s the SNP who, of course, predominantly care about securing more powers for Scotland and remaining within the EU. I would mention the Liberal Democrats’ stance on the EU and immigration, but inevitably, it will also end up with another meme of Nick Clegg embarrassing himself. Another hot topic for all the parties is the NHS. To be brief, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,

George Osborne, has explained he intends to put an extra two billion pounds into frontline health services. The Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, has also promised the exact same policy, only remarking that Labour will put the money into these services a year later; the NHS policies really showing the gap between the two main parties. The third parties, like the Greens, focus on funding to be diverted away from centralised facilities and aimed towards community led healthcare. I would attempt to write UKIP’s policy, but frankly it’s too ridiculous to even mention.

This article has in a sense turned into a UKIP policy debate; that is focusing mainly on the EU and immigration, rather than issues that are really key to everyday social life. But I believe these policies are especially important in this election as they may be one of the main deciding factors on who you vote for. Finally, if you take one thing from this article, it’s for you yourself to take an interest in which party you’re voting for, study them, and don’t just vote for the personality – vote for the party and the policy.

UK Constituencies circa 2010

WHY AMERICA NEEDS BERNIE SANDERS IN 2016 Article written by

Noah Van Mierlo

Even with the 2016 Presidential election still over a year away, the build-up and rumours surrounding it are already in full force. Senator and a Governor for Vermont (a state probably better known for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream than politicians), until becoming Mayor of Burlington (Vermont’s largest city). From there he went on to become the first independent (i.e. not directly affiliating with a political party) to be elected into the House of Representatives, before moving into the Senate in 2007. But now, in early 2015, Sanders has admitted that he is considering making a run for the most powerful position in the free world; Commander-inChief of the United States of America.

rom Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren on the Democratic side to Rand Paul (oh goodness) and Jeb Bush (another Bush?! Now I see what the Bush family means by “no child left behind”) and many, many more on the Republican side, this race could end up being as exciting and unpredictable as that of 2008 (see: Barack Obama’s surge over frontrunner Hillary Clinton). But, because of the surprises that come our way in these elections, there is a glimmer of hope that the man elected in 2016 will be the man that America truly needs: independent senator Bernard “Bernie” Sanders. Wait – “who is Bernie Sanders?” you ask. Well, he’s currently one of two senators representing the state of Vermont in Congress. His political road to prominence wasn’t easy however. He lost his first four elections to become both a 16

There are so many potential candidates who run for President on both the left and right. For the left in particular, it appears to some that Hillary Clinton has already run away with the Democratic nomination. Hillary is hardened and prepared, and has already had experience in the White House once as First Lady. Plus, she’s had the experience of working with President Obama as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Oh, and did I mention that her gender alone will win her votes? What could America not love about Hillary? Well, many things, to be honest. Her tenure as Secretary of State was clouded by one of the biggest controversies of recent times: the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The blame for the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi falls more on the Obama administration than it does on

Clinton herself. The only real concern Clinton should have is the fact that this entire situation should remind her of 2008.

the maximum recommended percentage to spend on housing, if you want to manage your money wisely). How can this be possible when no states have a minimum wage of even $15?

Back then, she was also a frontrunner, and many had her as the certain choice to be Madam President. Being the centre of attention had its drawbacks. Not only was she the focal point of all political attacks from the right-wing media, but she simply was not what the American public wanted. Yes, she was experienced and probably the most ready to be President, especially compared to a certain Barack Obama who had not even spent four years in Congress, but America was fed up after the disastrous George W. Bush years and wanted to hit the refresh button. Obama, as a young and exciting candidate who offered change to a country that desperately needed it, was the perfect fit for what America wanted. However, he is arguably not exactly what America needed, and we may see this same sort of situation develop in 2016.

This is where Bernie comes along. In December 2013, he argued in favour of a federal minimum wage increase, co-sponsoring legislation for “at least” a minimum wage of $10.10 an hour. As Sanders said himself: “If people work 40 hours a week, they deserve not to live in dire poverty.” Another major issue that Americans do not know enough about is growing inequality, and the resulting lack of fairness in politics. Today in the U.S., the top 1/10th of 1% of Americans own about as much as the bottom 90%, and the top 1/100th of 1% of Americans makes more than 40% of all campaign contributions. As Bernie notes, “This is what oligarchy looks like”. What makes the Senator such an electrifying candidate is his attention to detail, and his motivation to fix American politics as much as he can. Only with a fix in the political system can the United States become more like the democracy that it is supposed to be.

So why Senator Sanders? Although Sanders has quite a following (877,000 Facebook likes and 265,000 Twitter followers), he’s nowhere near as popular or even as well known as Hillary. But if he can find a way to get his message across America, he may well have a shot at beating his (potential) female opponent. Mr Sanders, with his Boston accent and crazy hair, isn’t exactly as photogenic as Hillary, but it’s his ideas that make him a candidate who could truly improve the United States. He’s known for his direct approach on various matters, and this was shown in a recent interview he did on MSNBC. Calling the act of voting in favour of a certain trade agreement ‘beyond comprehension’ and bashing the media for being ‘pathetic’, Sanders is the straightforward type that could not only do a lot of good in America, but also educate the people. He’s concerned about what Americans are concerned about. Here’s a recent quote from Sanders himself:

While a “President Sanders” would be a dream, there is one thing that might hold him back from getting the necessary amount of votes, and that’s him being a selfproclaimed socialist. I need only to exhibit a quote from an average American man in New Hampshire about Sanders: “Bernie Sanders for president? You kidding me? He’s a commie. Is that even legal, a communist president?” While communism and socialism are not exactly the same, they are similar as communism is simply an extreme form of socialism. In a way, though, socialism is what America needs as opposed to capitalism. Capitalism creates class distinctions and does not preserve resources, along with exploiting the poor for the benefit of the rich. Socialism (in theory) diminishes class distinctions, attempts to preserve resources for the next generation, and strives for income equality. Capitalism is broken and taking America farther and farther away from democracy. The U.S. needs socialism.

“People care more about Tom Brady’s arm than they do about our disastrous trade policy, NAFTA, CAFTA, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. ISIS and Ebola are serious issues, but what they really don’t want you to think about is what’s happened to the American middle class.”

Bernie Sanders wants to fix the middle class and turn the United States back to the democracy that the founding fathers envisioned. With American numbers only going down (e.g. America used to produce the most college graduates, now it’s only 12th), Sanders is the bright light that can fix the internal problems in the U.S., and with a smart running mate who can balance his knowledge of domestic affairs with knowledge of international affairs (funnily enough, Hillary Clinton would be a perfect fit as running mate in this situation), he may well be able to lead the United States of America towards heights unparalleled in the 21st century.

He hits the nail on the head with this. With all that’s going on in the world, from ISIS to Tom Brady (see ‘Deflategate’), Americans tend to get distracted from what is happening to the middle class right under their noses. Back in early 2014, a report was released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition stating that a full-time worker needs to earn $18.92 an hour in order to afford to rent a two-bedroom home without spending more than 30% of your income towards rent (30% is 17

POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, AND WHY GOVERNMENTAL FAILURE COULD ALSO BE YOUR WRONGDOING Article written by

Harry Burden

Within every practice of life, a blissful peace of mind is often accompanied by a will from the common man to neglect a real core of controversy, issue and discussion.

hroughout history, humankind has demonstrated its satisfaction in holding its hands up and wincing “it wasn’t me, folks” as a convenient scapegoat from any duty of responsibility or care. This trend, unsurprisingly, has increasingly waltzed its way into the political spectrum across the past twenty-five years, and it’s desperately worrying to say the least. The commonly echoed plea that “my vote means nothing” will have bombarded your television sets, Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds for the past six weeks. But, without wanting to further the crass echoing of political clichés by churning out this age-old sound bite once again, the only worthless vote truly is the one that you don’t cast; that’s a memo that you can live by. The growing separation within the United Kingdom between the socio-politically inept and the more philosophically educated is almost done at will by the former, as if in the hopes that they too can enjoy a right to complain as their polling card was left unmarked on voting day. Yet, in practice, it is the latter who reserve the ability to voice concern. Their political involvement shaped a government, manipulated a manifesto and determined the nature of the country’s politics for five years to come. Their ‘complaining’ is done in a more efficient, structured and knowledgeable manner, too. Instead of 18

senselessly abusing a politician after a gaffe on Newsnight, they are often the ones in the streets campaigning, on social media blogging, surrounding the town hall protesting or forming petitions online. They are the active, the mobile and the ‘doers’. They are the ones who have the right to feel aggrieved, and they address their concerns in manners that make a difference. There is more than one way to stir a storm politically, and you may not even be aware that you participate in one of them, but the route of this activism stems from the act of voting and the mandate that you hand the government to serve the needs of yourself and your fellow citizens. In the 2010 general election, voter turnout was at a three-cycle high of 65.2%. Even at this level, that still leaves almost 22 million people who remain unaccounted for. These people rightfully have opinions that matter, yet they would rather harass their politicians who have no mandate from that portion of the electorate and complain that, despite not wanting to have any say in who governs them for the next five years, they have grievances that are not being addressed. 22 million people who genuinely believed that they, individually, could not make a difference. 22 million people whose lives will be dictated by the outcome of an election that they had not a say upon. 22 million people. It’s a phenomenal number. To put this number into perspective, the sum of the populations of Denmark,

Switzerland and Bulgaria still does not amount to the number of individuals who remained voiceless at the last general election. I’ll leave that to linger with you for a moment… If you believe that your vote is worthless, then I implore you to pick up a paper, walk through the streets or watch the news and tell me the same. Politics is as fascinating as it is due to its bilateral power to change lives in almost any medium. The root of society is determined by how we govern ourselves, and I believe that it is criminal that so many individuals wish to refuse the right to cast their voice so willingly every five years. This topic demands time, and that is something that I simply don’t have in this publication. Preaching to the converted in 700 words would be impossible, so I conclude by reaching out to you, the young voter of Britain. When these words were cast, on 20th April 2015, we sat on the verge of the most significant general

election since the 1970s. In the coming five years, Britain could leave the European Union, privatise the NHS and be led by a government consisting of a handful of self-centred, racist, homophobic MPs. Will this happen? It is unlikely to, yet if we all adopted the attitude of the non-voter then who is to say that it won’t? You may believe that individually your vote is worthless, but power comes in number and the collective strength of the British electorate is more than enough to alter the political landscape for the good of us all. My plea to you in future elections is thus: read a manifesto, see politics in action and understand who you’re voting for, because you deserve the right to change your country, and voting is the simplest and most fundamental way to do so.

Editorial

CASUAL SEXISM: WHEN LAD CULTURE BECOMES MISOGYNY Sexism is a big word. A perhaps ‘misunderstood’ word.

e as a society tend to think of sexism as a big thing; as being the hatred of, and active discrimination against, the opposite sex. But ultimately, sexism is much more and, in a way, much less than that. The way sexism (or more specifically, misogyny) is generally defined is anything that contributes to or perpetuates the institutional, social and political oppression of women. It doesn’t come solely in the form of violence or hate (though sexism in those forms are no less important,) but can take many forms; such as sexualisation and objectification (look at any online comments concerning the recent celebrity photo-hacking scandal,) or de-humanisation (birds, cows, chicks, heifers, vixens, wenches – take your pick). It’s not overwhelming, it’s not obvious, it’s not unsubtle. The issue here is that these forms of casual sexism have been around for so long, and have been allowed to remain uncriticised for so long that it’s slipped passed the radar. In our society, it’s perfectly acceptable to be sexist. From the very moment we’re born, we have gender roles thrust upon us. Boys wear blue, girls wear pink. Boys play with toy cars and Action Men, girls play with dolls and dresses. From a very early age, girls are put in positions of passivity. Boys are out there getting the gritty, hard stuff done; meanwhile the girls are taking care of the children, playing dressing up, and cooking. This is the position we put our children in. We influence their behaviour from the offset. If parents automatically push their sons into playing with footballs, and

Article written by

Adam Selvey

their daughters into playing with dolls – what exactly is the message we’re sending them? As a 6-year-old just starting my first few years of education, I remember being interested in taking ballet classes – something which was a formality for most of the girls in my class. However, after a bit of peer-pressure and some – what was unknown to me at the time – casual sexism, I decided against it. Why? Because I didn’t want to be seen as a girl. Because to a group of impressionable young boys, that was embarrassing. To a group of children, being a girl was embarrassing. To be a girl was degrading. Of course it was. Isn’t that what we’re taught from the day we’re born? This isn’t a black and white issue that children will grow out of. It’s something that hides itself away and settles – coming out if and when it chooses. To perpetuate and support strict gender roles is to automatically perpetuate misogyny. We tell boys that they can’t be delicate; we tell girls that they can’t be rough. Everything is unnecessarily gendered nowadays, from Yorkie Bars, to sinks, to mirrors, to shoes, to pencil cases, to backpacks, to mugs. And it should be unacceptable. Even sport is gendered. When was the last time you went to watch a Bedford Girls School rugby match? These ideas naturally extend into adolescence. Being in an all-boys school, experiencing casual sexism is a common, day-to-day practice. At break and lunchtimes, the day houses are filled with comments about girls: how a certain 21

girl is only a ‘6/10’ for example, or how a recent pop star isn’t as ‘hot’ as she used to be. It’s all standard ‘boys will be boys’ fare. But when we look closer, it shows an issue which I feel is vital in exploring why sexism is at its most concentrated in an all-boys school. Entitlement. Teenage boys are full of it. They feel entitled to everything. From demands that girls ‘shave their underarms’, to complaints that the dancers in the background of a popular music video are ‘trying too hard’ – the impression that collectively teenage boys feel entitled to have their women the exact way they want is ferociously prominent.

Connecticut last year, 16 year old Maren Sanchez was stabbed to death by a boy she declined to go to prom with. He murdered her because he felt entitled. It’s no use pretending that misogyny and sexism isn’t a prominent issue anymore, because it is. Misogynistic attacks are brutal, shocking and disgusting – yet they stem from the same principles which drive casual sexism through its most subtle forms. Acts of horrific violence and simple acts of sexualisation are not independent issues. They are both parts of one big spectrum called sexism. So how can we prevent this kind of thing from happening? Initially, it’s important that we stop excusing it. ‘Banter’, ‘Lad Culture’ and ‘Boys will be Boys’ are common words and phrases in our everyday vocabulary – and yet they’re all used to excuse the same thing. Sexism. If someone has to argue that their conversation is ‘just banter’, it’s likely to be sexism. Moreover, it’s important that we don’t let these instances slide. Whether it’s our dad, our mum, our sister or our best friend; if we hear day-to-day sexism, it’s important to call each other out. Chances are they have no idea that what they’re saying is sexist. Doing this can change attitudes quickly. If we show a collective resilience to misogyny, it’s going to extinguish itself much quicker. As mentioned earlier, it’s all about influence.

Even sadder is that this attitude is reflected and supported by elements of the media today. In September 2013, performer Miley Cyrus released the music video to her single Wrecking Ball. It caused a media outrage. Why? Because the video contained images of Cyrus naked. Despite her claims that the nudity in her video represented fragility rather than promiscuity, Cyrus was still branded as a woman who had ‘gone too far’ – she was hounded and shamed by media outlets everywhere, creating a dent in her public image still healing today. Contrasting this is the release of the music video to Justin Timberlake’s 2013 song Tunnel Vision. A similar video in explicit nature to Wrecking Ball, it depicts naked women copiously throughout its 5-minute duration. Yet, while the video was not without criticism, the overall impact and level of outrage was miniscule compared to Cyrus’. It’s therefore a double standard reflected in the youth of today.

Ultimately, something we can all make an effort to do is to simply think before we speak. No matter how violent instances of sexism can become, they all stem from the very small. From little things engrained into our heads by a society that’s stopped caring. So next time we tell a child to ‘man up’ or to ‘grow a pair’ in signs of weakness – we should stop and think about what we’re saying. We should stop and realise that we’re equating bravery and strength with men. And if we equate bravery and strength with men, then what, ultimately, is it that we are saying about women?

Moreover, the power structure and entitlement complex that fuels casual sexism is even dangerous. In May 2014, a mass shooting occurred in Santa Barbara around the University of California. The perpetrator, Elliot Rodger, a student at the university, committed the attack because ‘the females of the human species’ were ‘incapable of seeing the value’ in him. He murdered 6 people because he felt entitled. Similarly, in

“THIS IS THE ONE THING WE DIDN’T WANT TO HAPPEN...” The title of my article comes from the creative mind of Chris Morris; a satirist, actor and filmmaker who made his name with satirical news programmes on television and radio, such as On the Hour and The Day Today.

e later moved into slightly darker territory whilst utilising the same format with Brass Eye, which received criticism for its mockery of serious issues and for duping celebrities into supporting charities and causes that were completely fake and often surreal. But the most controversial point of Brass Eye’s run – and of Morris’ career – came with a 2001 special, provocatively entitled Paedogeddon, which satirised the British media’s response to the moral panic surrounding paedophilia. Those 27 minutes of television make up what was, at the time, the most complained-about British television programme ever broadcast. Minister for Child Protection Beverley Hughes described the show as “unspeakably sick”, whilst Home Secretary David Blunkett said he was “dismayed” by it and a tabloid campaign developed against the reclusive Morris. What’s most ironic about this is that both Hughes and Blunkett later admitted they had never seen the episode, and that the number of people who sent letters to the Independent Television Commission complaining about the show was almost equal to the number of people who praised it. All this arguably reinforces Morris’ satire of the media’s hysteria on the subject of paedophilia. Was Morris right to have highlighted this issue? I would argue yes, although it could be said that it hasn’t made much of a difference. After all, paedophilia isn’t exactly a subject people

feel comfortable talking about. It is also very likely that many were turned off by Morris’ abrasively cynical and almost aggressively confrontational style of satire, no matter how hysterically funny Paedogeddon was. Brass Eye was a Channel 4 production, a network known and admired for its willingness to take risks. Sister company Film4 has produced such recent groundbreaking films as Morris’ Jihad satire Four Lions (far, far less controversial than Paedogeddon despite the potential to be more so) and Steve McQueen’s Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, a film which its director has stated many people didn’t want to see made. McQueen’s work in film has proved divisive before, and though 12 Years a Slave was widely revered, it did have its fair share of detractors. Black American film critic Armond White – not a man I would advise you take seriously – ridiculously claimed that McQueen’s film belonged in the “torture porn genre with Hostel, The Human Centipede and the Saw franchise”. But what most people rightly saw was a film that dared to tackle slavery in a way arguably no other had done before. As much as Quentin Tarantino would like to think that he is “responsible for people talking about slavery in America” which had, according to him, not been happening “at all”, 12 Years a Slave has undoubtedly been the real talking point, and has made Django Unchained look even more like a joke than it already did. 23

Article written by

Logan Jones

(Incidentally, last week Radio 4 did a three-hour retrospective of his work entitled Raw Meat Radio, which I strongly urge you to listen to.)

So is it a good thing that people in the media and creative arts are willing to tackle controversial subjects such as those explored by Chris Morris and Steve McQueen? Yes, unequivocally so. People need face and accept the issues that they don’t want to confront from time to time, and one of the most accessible ways of doing this is through fiction, where the issues are diluted by characters and stories. After all, there is no point in pretending that these things don’t exist. Satire is perhaps the perfect medium through which to do this – if done well, and

I believe that, for all its flaws, Paedogeddon was done very well – because it finds humour in these issues, thereby breaking them down into chunks that are easier to swallow. And when these films and programmes prove to be controversial, it highlights that people aren’t ready to talk about the issues they’re trying to address. This is still beneficial, because it means that artists and those in the media will keep working to emphasise contentious subjects until they are talked about seriously and given the time of day they deserve.

THE ‘D’ WORD – LIVING AS A DISABLED TEENAGER Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy is not a phrase you would expect a group of schoolboys to be overly familiar with.

ut for me, it’s something that’s shadowed my life ever since I was born. Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy is the result of damage to the part of the brain that determines muscle movements in one side of the body. My motor functions in my right arm are weak, coordination in my fingers and wrist are almost non-existent, and my elbow remains frustratingly tight. The same goes for my right leg and foot, and any other part of my body on the right side. It’s all really simple. And yet, having Cerebral Palsy isn’t a physical burden for me. That may come across as surprising, but I know my limitations. I know what I’m physically capable of and I know what I can adapt to. I’ve known that for eighteen years of my life, and I’ve managed to live them to the full. The struggle, when it comes to disability is mental. There’s not a single moment throughout my entire life in which I’m not aware of my disability. It forces you into self-consciousness. Disability is keeping your hand in your pocket so no one see’s the awkward angle of your thumb. Disability is the decision to avoid curious questions to prevent watching people shrink back in embarrassment at the dreaded ‘D’ word. Disability is spending every minute of every day scrutinising the way you move, walk, act and hold yourself. It’s not easy; it’s arduous and difficult and demands a level of self-awareness that other people perhaps don’t have. In that sense I suppose I consider myself lucky.

People often assert to me, and they’re right, that I don’t need to feel this way. My disability is thankfully mild and goes undetected by many people. I have no reason to feel self-conscious, or feel the need to hide what is simply part of who I am. However, that doesn’t stop me from trying because whether we want to think it or not, stigmas against people with physical disabilities exist. They might not be overt, and certainly in my life I’ve never experienced anything worse than light teasing over my CP, but they are there and they are always frustrating. From having doors held open for me suspiciously often, to having my suitcase carried for me at the airport – it’s amazing how eager people are to help the disabled. Should I be grateful for this? Yes and no. I often get the bus into school, and one of the regular passengers is a wheelchair user. And just as often, an able-bodied passenger will jump at the chance to wheel him in and out of the bus. They do this, of course, without asking for his permission. And that’s where the problem lies. Our treatment of the disabled doesn’t come from a place of malice. We’re not exactly bullied, we’re not exactly misunderstood. But collectively, what we are is coveted. A recent YouTube video, recording a teenage boy called Noah receiving his college acceptance letter, went viral. The primary reason? He had Down’s Syndrome. If Noah was an able-bodied teenager, no one would have looked at him twice. A quick look at the YouTube comments below the video will show

Article written by

Adam Selvey

In each edition we will publish an editorial that investigates an aspect of life within or beyond school. This article was written in conjunction with Cerebral Palsy month which takes place every March to raise awareness.

you exactly why this is a problem. Filled with the sort of patronisations you’d expect from a dog lover to a puppy, the comment section is made up of gems like “You are an inspiration to those who have lost hope”, “this is adorable!” and my personal favourite: “His reaction is just the best! It shows even people with Down’s Syndrome can get into college... :)” An ablebodied man gets accepted into college, and it’s something to celebrate, internally. A disabled man gets into college, and out come the press, the public, the bloggers and the activists all with their notepads and cameras, all craning their necks to see this ‘inspiration’ like he’s a monkey in a zoo. But what is the difference between Noah and an able bodied prospective student really? They’re both intelligent people who made it into college. That’s it. Branding Noah ‘inspiring’ for being able to accomplish everyday things is sensationalising and mistreating him. This is something that never stops for the physically disabled community. This train of thought expands itself into all areas of life, including (and perhaps most importantly) the media. Hollywood loves an underdog story and nothing screams underdog like disability. Movies about disabled characters are however, sparse, and when they

do appear they’re generally about ‘adversity’ and ‘coming out on top’ and ‘beating the naysayers’ and ‘achieving your dreams’. They often star able-bodied actors (see ‘My Left Foot’ or ‘The Miracle Worker’), and are almost always critical successes. Naturally ‘My Left Foot’ received five Oscar nominations and two wins, including Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis’ portrayal of Christy Brown. The constant critical success of ‘disabled’ films is inevitable. Filmmaking neglects disability as human experience, and instead treats it as metaphor, sensationalising our stories and turning them into inspiration fodder for the able-bodied audience. The fact that we have able-bodied actors portray these roles simply adds more to insult. We understand that Daniel Day-Lewis can at the end of the day stand up out of his chair and collect a gold statue on a stage perfectly well and it’s reassuring. We like to know that we aren’t watching genuine human suffering. Have an actual man with Cerebral Palsy play Brown and that façade is gone. If we are watching an actual real-life disabled man playing an actual real-life disabled character on the big screen, suddenly everything and everyone is uncomfortable.

From this it’s clear that Hollywood has a problem not only with disability itself, but also with coveting disabled roles as a sort of ‘acting showcase’ for able-bodied actors, and that needs to be changed through normalising disabled roles and disabled characters. The only way we’re going to do that is to stop treating disabled characters in ‘disabled films’ as ‘testaments to the human spirit’ and to start treating them as normal human beings with stories unaffected and unmotivated by their disability. Change can only be evoked by casting genuine disabled actors in those roles; by allowing disabled actors to play characters that aren’t written specifically for disabled people. Who ever said that Hamlet of Denmark, or Romeo Montague, or Harry Potter didn’t have cerebral palsy? Things are improving. From Peter Dinklage’s award winning role in HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ to RJ Mitte’s role in ‘Breaking Bad’, to Marlee Matlin’s 1987 Academy Award win for ‘Children of a Lesser God’ to the latest season of FX’s ‘American Horror Story’ which focuses on a cast of disabled characters played by predominantly disabled actors with Phocomelia, Caudal Regression Syndrome, Achondroplasia and Pituitary Dwarfism amongst others, legitimate disabled representation is steadily increasing in frequency. There is, however, a long way to go.

wheelchair user Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington, who is also able-bodied. Both films were critical and commercial successes – and it’s incredibly disheartening not only as a keen actor, but as a disabled man myself, to see potential for visibility, and therefore potential for minimising stigmas, gone to waste. All the casting of able-bodied actors in disabled roles tells young disabled people that we’re not good enough to even be seen. And having spent half my life telling myself this, I can’t tell you how important it is to affirm to disabled youth that it simply is not the case, it would have prevented years of self-doubt and confidence issues for me personally, and years of self-doubt in other disabled people too. Ultimately, being disabled is difficult. But maybe not in the way you’d expect. It’s in the way I view myself, and in the way I view the people around me. It’s being hyper-aware, hyper-sensitive and proactive. It’s making not always correct pre-judgments about people while trying desperately to remain discreet. It’s mental, more than physical and that’s tough. But you have to get through it. And you do. Being disabled has made me strong, fearless, stubborn, determined, insensitive and empathetic. It’s a huge part of who I am but it’s not everything that I am. And that’s personally the key to all this; mentally I set myself back because I don’t want it to be everything that I am, I don’t want to be defined by my disability, not by others and most certainly not by myself. Last week a prep school boy asked me what was wrong with my hand, I told him I’d fallen over and broken it. Some days it’s easier to chin up and carry on, than to stop and define yourself with a single word.

A recent film adaptation of the best-selling novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ cast Ansel Elgort as an amputee, and Nat Wolff as a blind teenager. Both are able-bodied. James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ follows the story of 2 73

THE VIRTUE OF KNOWING YOURSELF Article written by

Calvin Fong

All societies were built on the foundation of difference, with mutual respect afforded to others’ beliefs. America, arguably one of the most influential countries in the world, also happens to be the best example of an immigrant nation which shares a wide variety of ideas due to difference in cultural beliefs. Coincidence? I think not.

any countries of the world (including Britain) that are economically strong accept these differences between people. It occurs to me that it is only by celebrating the differences in society that we can prosper. ‘We all have different experiences,’ Mr Finch once said in my RS lesson. ‘Even if two people are in the same boarding house, they do not sleep on the same bed.’ I think what shapes these differences is the different experiences we have had in the past. That is what determines how we think in the present and therefore decides how we pursue our agendas for the future. We all have different pasts leading to different pathways.

“If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are, we can all be freer.” – Emma Watson 28

Bedford School is an example of a society with variety built on the foundation of education. Not only founded on learning, but also on exploring. One Wednesday Chapel Assembly, Mr Gracie posed the question “who are you?’’ Not simply what is your name, but something greater – what is your identity? I think it is important to come back to this because before celebrating these differences, we must understand who we are as individuals. It not only allows other people to accept who you are, but for you to accept and understand who you are and how you define yourself. It seems as though the differences we have in society are not celebrated, but are used as barriers to distinguish the ‘rare’ from the norm. We feel uncomfortable and alien around people who are completely different to us. But, the universal truth is that there is no normality; we are inherently different. We discriminate from a place that lacks a certain experience. Like Mr Bolton once said in my RS lesson: “you cannot understand two opposite ideas without experiencing both” (for example happiness and sadness). This lack of understanding and fear causes discrimination and an unwillingness to explore ourselves. Therefore, no one should be

“We create our lives, and we can recreate them as we go through them. It’s the common currency of being a human being.”

ashamed of themselves and no one should live in fear – but this is often what happens. I was shocked in learning that LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) youth are four times more likely to commit suicide than others. We must understand who we are and accept it. Too often, we are not defining who we are, and even worse, denying. From ‘I’m not a communist’ in twentieth century America’s Red Scare, to ‘I’m not gay’ or ‘I’m not a feminist’ in the twenty-first century, we are not actually embracing our own identity which is what we should all be doing. We’re not only failing ourselves, but failing society.

– Sir Ken Robinson A few weeks ago the confirmation service took place in the Chapel. I realised that your identity can be created or amended by various occasions as well as experience. You may be a Christian but not born into a Christian family or not be born British, but gain that nationality over time. Some identities stay with you but some you choose. “Who are you?” is therefore not adequate enough, but instead “what do you believe in?”. Preach what you believe in, and listen and understand, so our world may get a little better by accepting others and celebrating this diversity.

“In my moments of doubt, I’ve told myself firmly, ‘if not me, then who? If not now, then when?’.” – Emma Watson

2 93

Maths and Science

NMR IN SPORT For the members of the School not studying chemistry AÂ Level, the term NMR might seem quite foreign.

owever, with the rugby season now in full swing, it is something that several players may have to undergo should they have an injury. NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) is more commonly known as an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. The reason for this being that many patients might not be comfortable having something done to them that includes the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nuclearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The process itself has been used in medicine since the early 1980s and is actually completely harmless with no known side effects. This is because, unlike an X-ray, you are not exposed to any radiation which might cause harm. Issues only arise if you take something that is ferromagnetic, such as a pen or glasses, into the MRI machine, in which case it may be thrown across the room as the machine oscillates. It is said that the magnetic field is strong enough to pick up a car or to wipe your credit card. A scan involves placing the patient in a large magnetic field contained within the MRI machine. The magnetic field spins providing the energy required for the nuclei of the hydrogen atoms to spin. There is a north to south direction of the magnetic field. This means there are two options for the nuclei; they can either align with the magnetic field, or against it. The atoms gain energy from the magnetic field spinning and become excited, they then relax back to their original state; this is called resonance. The rate at which resonance occurs is measured to contrast tissue areas in the image. The hydrogen atoms

Article written by

Will Reynolds

required to do this can be found in water, which makes up 60% of your body, as well as other hydrogen-containing molecules. Dyes are often injected into the affected region prior to the scan to increase contrast, thus making it easier to spot any tears. An MRI is not a single image. It is a set of progressive images taken along the body that are collated to produce a 3D image. If you rupture a tissue, such as your Achilles tendon, the water content of the tissue changes. This alters the number of hydrogen atoms available and thus changes the 3D image produced. This means that from the image, you can clearly see the damaged area and, under further inspection, the extent of the damage. Shoulders are used a great deal in rugby and so are frequently damaged. One injury that is relatively common is a slap tear. A shoulder joint is made up of a ball and socket, the spherical head of the humerus and the glenoid cavity of the scapula. A slap tear occurs where the bicep ligament meets the glenoid ligament. Symptoms of the tear normally include a feeling of deep pain from within the shoulder when performing certain exercises, especially those that involve the arm being above the horizontal, such as throwing. Once an MRI scan has identified a tear it will be graded on its severity. A grade one tear is minor damage to muscle fibres with some pain and swelling. A grade two tear is a partial tear of your muscle with moderate pain and swelling and a grade three strain is a full tear of your muscle. 31

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

WHAT IS WORTH CONSERVING? Article written by

Arthur Li

Many would consider prioritising the most endangered flagship species for conservation. This includes animals such as snow leopards, tigers, red squirrels and pandas.

his is partly because of the publicity they gain from charities who are actively involved in the conservation of these endangered animals. The general public finds them ‘cute’ or ‘interesting’ to observe, which also creates commercial benefits for the conservationists, such as the zoos or National Parks. Conserving these animals increases the chance of their survival as it educates the public as to why they are endangered in the first place. However, I believe that the conservation of species should be prioritised based on two criteria, which are: proximity to the base of the food chain and the degree of risk they face from diseases. These two criteria have equal importance and resources should be devoted in order to conserve the suitable species. The reason why I would prioritise species at the bottom of the food chain for conservation is because they are vital in supporting the habitats of the species in the higher trophic levels. By conserving these plants, animals or micro-organisms, the species in the higher trophic levels, such as the top predators, will also be conserved. The extinction of a certain producer or primary consumer may disrupt an entire food web. This is because the base species of the food chain are no longer able to exist and not many animals are capable of adapting to changes in their environment. Consequently, mass extinction in that ecosystem may occur.

Therefore it is essential to protect species which might not be considered as important to us, for example, seagrass. 1m2 of seagrass meadow is estimated to produce 10 litres of oxygen per day and is called an ‘ecosystem engineer’ because it supports a huge diversity of other organisms. The meadows are a source of food for turtles, manatees, dugongs and many other herbivores. They also provide a valuable habitat for a huge range of other organisms, such as fish, shrimp, rays, crabs, molluscs and the young animals of many species that use the vegetation as a nursery ground. Without such places to hide from predators, many of them would not survive. Cuttlefish and squid lay their eggs in the grass and the hatchlings rely on its cover. Finally, seagrass protects the rest of the marine ecosystem by binding mud and silt that can be carried into the sea from river systems, and soaking up the nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilisers and sewage run-off. However, many seagrass systems are listed as endangered because the amount of man-made pollutants exceeds the limit of its tolerance and causes eutrophication. This then leads to an algal bloom caused by the growth of phytoplankton. This reduces the amount of light getting through to the grass which causes it to die. Additionally, power boats rip the grass out of the sediment. Dredging by fishermen causes the loss of two football pitch-sized areas of seagrass per day. Therefore, it is

necessary to conserve species at the bottom of the food chain such as seagrass, so that the entire ecosystem can be conserved as well. I would also prioritise species endangered by certain diseases for conservation, because these species have great research potential. We can learn a lot from their immune system which is epitomised by their defence against diseases. The red squirrel in the UK is an example of this. The population of red squirrels has declined in the past century, not purely because of the competition from the grey squirrels, but also the spread of the squirrel pox virus (SQPV). This has a significant effect on the survival of the red squirrels as it causes them to develop lesions to the face, paw and genitals. Those who are infected become weak, stop feeding and typically die within two weeks. But a few cases found in 2008 have shown that some squirrels have developed immunity to SQPV. This is a very useful way for us to study

the spread of disease and how different species have acquired immunity. This can potentially increase our knowledge of immunity and enable us to find out new approaches to treat certain diseases. By studying these species we may also locate substances which can be used to make new drugs to treat the diseases which humans are exposed to. Therefore, it is vital to conserve these endangered species as they provide very useful models of immunology and epidemiology. By conserving these species, we also prevent related species from being affected by their extinction. Overall, this hypothesis could potentially help in prioritising which species are fit for conservation. This will ultimately increase the funding for ecological conservation in the future.

It is essential to protect

species which might

not be considered

as important

23 3

VORTEX SHREDDING Article written by

Harry Allen

A vortex is a whirling mass of fluid with an axis or rotation at the centre.

ortex shedding is quite an understated phenomenon that can have many serious implications when moving cylindrical objects through a fluid or a fluid moving around a cylindrical object. The phenomenon occurs when a fluid, such as air or water, moves past a body (usually cylindrical) at a certain velocity and vortices are formed on the downstream side of the body. These vortices periodically detach from the body in an alternating pattern. This effect can be quite problematic in some instances as the body will tend to move in the direction of the low pressure vortex. The effect of vortex shedding is imperative to understand in the construction of almost any object that needs to or will interact with a moving fluid (or will move through a fluid). The importance of understanding the reasons behind and the effects of vortex shedding are apparent because of the wide range of cylindrical objects used in the construction of most modern day structures, both mobile and stationary. For instance, any supporting cables of large structures such as bridges or towers are cylindrical. Cylindrical bodies can also be found in places such as chimneys, poles and in various other miscellaneous 34

applications such as the radio antenna of a car or in overhead power lines. Problems arise due to vortex shedding when designing an object, as there are certain factors that are impossible to control or when encountering inevitable situations. For instance, most of the design of an object can be completely controlled by the designer and manufacturer of said object. However, if the object is placed outside, the wind speed conditions that the object experiences cannot possibly be controlled. For instance, overhead power lines â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;singâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the wind at certain wind speeds. On the other hand, if a cylindrical body is attached to a moving object, such as a car, then certain speeds will inevitably be reached by the vehicle. To understand fully why vortex shedding could potentially cause problems, one must also understand the governing equation for vortex shedding and the effects of resonance upon objects. In fluid mechanics the Strouhal number is the number which describes oscillating flow mechanisms of a fluid. It was named after Vincenc Strouhal, who studied vortex shedding from wires in 1878.

The number is defined as:

fD ___ St = V

= 0.198

Re is Reynolds number

( ( 19.7 1 - ____ ReD

Vd ___ Re = v

ReD is the Reynolds number in the range 250 – 2x105

V is velocity of the flow upstream of the cylinder (steady flow) (m s-1) d is the diameter of the cylinder (m)

ν is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid

Therefore, from the two equations above, a rearrangement can be done if both the Strouhal and Reynolds numbers are known in order to obtain a frequency in terms of V for vortex shedding for a particular object. This frequency is important to know as if at any point the frequency of the vortex shedding matches the natural frequency of the object experiencing the phenomenon, then the amplitude of the oscillation could increase with mildly irritating consequences in some situations, all the way to catastrophic consequences in other situations.

to failure. For example, overhead power lines are affected by vortex shedding causing them to ‘sing’ in the wind as they oscillate. This can be problematic as it gives the wires potential to move a lot in high winds and can cause wear, either to the wires or the join to the electricity pylons through effects such as metal fatigue, overloading stress on the pylons or insulators. A more pressing issue is if the wires become too close to other objects or other wires causing electricity to leak out of the lines by jumping to other conductors, resulting in potentially dangerous situations. In a similar manner the suspension wires on a suspension bridge can also begin to oscillate due to vortex shedding which could lead to the catastrophic failure of a bridge should the wind speed be of sufficient velocity to cause vortices along the wires.

Resonance occurs when the driving frequency acting upon the body matches the natural frequency of the body. The natural frequency being defined as the frequency with which a body will oscillate with no driving force. The most important natural frequencies to understand in this instance are the natural frequencies of a tensioned cable (used in support structures and also overhead power lines) and also the natural frequency of a cantilever (a beam only fixed at one end – such as might be found in a flagpole, or chimney etc.).

More prominently tall buildings, such as skyscrapers, tend to be cylindrical in shape and can have massive vortices formed behind them in the wind. Whilst vortex induced vibration on a building – such as a skyscraper – would be unlikely to make it collapse, it could still cause unwarranted vibrations within the structure leading to crack propagation in concrete, especially towards the top of the building where amplitude would be the greatest. Due to this effect, things such as submarine periscopes and chimneys are prone to being vibrated due to vortex shedding.

On 12th April 1831, the Broughton Suspension Bridge collapsed as soldiers were marching over it. The reason why? The frequency of the soldiers’ footsteps whilst marching matched the natural frequency of the bridge, causing the amplitude of the vibrations within the bridge to increase to the point that the bridge collapsed. It is for this reason that soldiers of the British Army now break step whenever crossing a bridge. The breaking of step by marching soldiers is a controllable factor. However, we cannot control the wind’s speed and direction, so therefore many constructions could suffer a similar fate to the Broughton Bridge without proper protection from vortex shedding causing this resonance.

As we can see, vortex shedding is a double edged sword. However, one edge is far sharper than the other as things stand currently. On the one hand vortex shedding is a subtle yet destructive occurrence capable of destroying entire buildings; yet on the other hand we are using it to our advantage to study nature and adapt our designs to it and we are also just beginning to see its potential as an energy source.

All problems related to vortex shedding are due to the oscillations it causes on a body putting too much stress on said body, or causing undue wear on a body eventually leading 35

DEPRESSION: THE GLASS CAGE YOU CAN’T BREAK THROUGH ALONE Article written by

Manu Ratnayake

On average, around 20% of teenagers will experience some form of depression before reaching adulthood.

ust think about that, one person in every five. Think about this with regard to our School; whether it is your tutor group or your whole year. Based upon data gathered from the previous decade, one fifth of these people you know will suffer from depression. During November, boys in the Upper Sixth had grown moustaches and carried out various events for Movember. As well as generally bringing men’s health issues to the fore, this year’s theme is men’s Mental Health – and no other illness affects men as potently in mental health as depression. So what is it? Surely you can just ‘be happier’ or ‘snap out of it’? Across the world there are people who still think that depression isn’t a genuine illness, that it’s a sign of weakness, that it’s trivial and easily overcome. They’re wrong. Whilst we all go through periods of feeling down, clinical depression is characterised differently. It includes a persistent feeling of despondency and dejection, typically alongside the inability to enjoy life, feelings of inadequacy, disturbance of appetite and sleep, and lack of motivation. Depressed people often present with both psychological, social and physical issues – ranging from suicidal ideation to feeling hopeless and helpless; from having unexplained pains to losing interest in life. The ‘persistent’ nature of this condition can range from weeks to months, even to years. Sadly, a large part of this is due to people’s unwillingness to admit that they 36

are depressed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, men are statistically less likely to seek help – as is the case with a variety of health issues. With the current ‘Lad Culture’ and emphasis being placed on being able to deal with problems individually, it is important to remember that sometimes help is needed. What causes it? There is no single cause for depression. With an organ as complex as the brain in an environment as complex as today’s society, there are a variety of different theories. They range from a familial disposition to neuro-chemical imbalance to psychodynamic disposition. However, for those affected, it doesn’t feel as such. In the words of Stephen Fry: “Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather.” Possible causes include: Stressful events: People often talk about a ‘downward spiral’, building from a singular event and escalating to a feeling of being overwhelmed. For example, if your relationship breaks down, you’re likely to feel low, which may cause you to see your friends less or start drinking more. All of this can make you feel even worse and trigger depression. Various stressful events have been identified, including a death of a family member, relationship breakdown, moving house, facing examinations or being subject to bullying.

Co-morbidity: Some illnesses such as head injuries, heart problems, cancer and problems with your immune system are known to relate to a higher risk of depression. Moreover, the symptoms of these illnesses – such as extreme tiredness or an inability to do something that you enjoy – can lead to depression. Loneliness: Being cut off from friends and family can increase your risk of depression. Especially seen in longer term cases where the patient is unwilling to seek help and talk to others, a continual segregation of a person from others can lead to depression. Family History: Research has shown that if someone else in your family, such as a sibling or a parent, has suffered from depression in the past, then it is more likely that you will too. In addition to this, personality traits, for example low self-esteem or being overly self-critical, may increase the risk of depression. It is generally agreed that these traits are likely to arise from genetics or from experiences from earlier in your life. Alcohol and Drugs: “Let’s go to the Winchester, have a pint, and wait for this all to blow over.” Unfortunately, life isn’t so simple. Whilst many believe that alcohol or drugs may be used to help you relax, it actually can have the opposite effect. As well as causing a spiral of depression, various research studies show that it can bring on depression – especially in teenagers. What can we do? As a school, we are fortunate that there are various support structures in place. This includes the possibility of talking to friends, teachers, tutors and the school counsellor. It is vital to realise that this isn’t an admission of weakness, if anything, it takes great strength to identify an issue and seek help. Moreover, despite the frequent calls to ‘man up’ and ‘deal with it’, you would be surprised with how supportive fellow students can be. On the NHS advice page, the first bit of advice is actually to

talk to a friend. From the other perspective, trying to help someone who is depressed is difficult – it is hard to imagine the pain they go through and figuring out what to say is difficult. To be honest though, it’s not really the words that you say that have an effect. Knowing that someone else cares – even if they don’t fully understand – is a huge form of support. Being able to talk through their issues allows people to see problems from different perspectives. Often, this means that they can find strategies to cope with or overcome them. Again from Stephen Fry: “Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness, and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it is one of the kindest, noblest, and best things you will ever do.” In addition to this, the NHS suggests various other methods of treatment. ‘Watchful waiting’ is a term that refers to making a conscious effort not to give in to the storm of emotions, and instead seeing if the depression improves by itself. This is often used with mild depression, and is often aided by having people to talk to. Furthermore, exercise is often underrated – it is hypothesised that the chemical actions of the brain may contribute to depression building. However, in exercise, endorphins are released – these are effectively chemical compounds which improve your mood. As such, a bit of frequent exercise is often used to combat depression. If someone’s depression is severe – and by this I mean where it is difficult to tolerate, where there may be psychotic symptoms or where there is suicidal ideation – then stronger treatments are available. This can be pharmacological (in terms of antidepressants being prescribed), psychotherapeutic (such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or therapy used in conjunction with medication) or a referral to secondary services (being treated by a team of mental health workers). 37

SHOULD THE WORLD TURN VEGETARIAN? Article written by

Akshar Kaul

Animals are tasty, cute and cuddly. But are they also expendable? One might consider they are nothing more than a resource, an inferior species that we so happen to share a planet with. If they are there, why not make good use of them?

efore we decide whether mankind should turn vegetarian, I believe we need to question whether we consider animals to be equal to people. If we decide that animals are intelligent beings with the ability to think and feel, then eating them would be akin to cannibalism. So, can animals be considered to have the same rights as people? The answer to this question is a dangerous one. I believe that it is easier for humankind to turn a blind eye to this question, because like it or not, the truth is that animals are treated like a resource. They are used for experiments deemed too dangerous for human beings, as well as being used for food, clothes and almost every other human commodity.

not a day goes by that some form of animal cruelty is being reported in the news. As the saying goes, the media only reports what the people want to hear; evidently people want the better treatment of animals. Even non-vegetarians have become fussy. As if the living conditions of the pig before he appears as bacon on your plate really matter! But apparently it does, say meat eaters across the world. They want the pig to have been allowed to live a healthy and fulfilling life before being taken to the slaughterhouse. This illustrates the active interest that human beings across the world are taking over the welfare of animals.

Many individuals around the world argue that animals are defenceless. They cannot complain and they cannot fight for their rights, which is why many activists â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as human rights organisations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; take it upon themselves to champion their cause. They would argue that this world has become anthropocentric, in the sense that all decisions, good or bad, are made by human beings for human beings.

We do not know if animals have the ability to reason, understand or rationalise, yet we know that they suffer and so those who believe that animals deserve better rights argue that the capacity of suffering is a vital characteristic that gives a being the right to equal consideration. There is no way we can morally justify turning a blind eye to the suffering of another being. Thus we do have a moral obligation to prevent unjustifiable cruelty to animals.

Animals are said to be forgotten and neglected so perhaps we are doing them a favour by eating them and putting them out of their misery? However I believe that this is untrue;

However, I would not go so far as to stop eating them or protest against their use in testing new medicines. We live in an anthropocentric world; humans are more

valuable than animals. Yes, this is a very callous view of the world, however I believe it is a relevant one. Human beings cannot be risked and, although morally unjust, animals are the next best thing to test experimental treatments and expand the horizons of science.

animals? However, on the other hand, it is true that a lion only kills when it is hungry, whilst humankind has cheated the natural order of life, harvesting and killing stock animals such as rabbits, cows and chickens on a large and sometimes unnecessary scale.

The environment we are surrounded by consists of a very delicate food chain. It is, to be exact, survival of the fittest. One animal eats another â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is the system. It has been in place since the beginning of life on earth. So who are we to upset this balance? And to be more exact, why should we tamper with a system that works? Yes, the merciless poaching and killing of animals for materialistic objects such as shoes and horns is wrong; yet the crux of the matter is, the killing of more animals than is intended by nature affects the system.

Yes, I concede that this view may not be morally right. We are the superior race, and before we fight for the preservation of others we need to look after ourselves. This is a very selfish outlook to possess, but perhaps a necessary one. Our survival is of the utmost importance, the welfare of other species is, unfortunately, second. This does not mean that I support the unethical treatment of animals, or that I believe turning vegetarian will make a huge difference. In fact even if we were to turn vegetarian, would the use of animals and animal parts for medical trials, clothes, shoes and other commodities cease? It does not seem very probable and so I preserve my right to eat a nice juicy steak.

We do not criticise a lion for killing a gazelle, so why should humans (who are just another predator) question the ethics of killing other

The Arts

YEAR 11 TRIP TO IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM When, in 1917, British painter Paul Nash said in a letter to his wife: “I am no longer an artist interested and curious, I am a messenger who will bring back word from the men who are fighting to those who want the war to go on for ever”, few could have foretold how prophetic his words would prove.

n retrospect, the First World War has become notorious as one of the most inspirational and fruitful periods in the history of art – or perhaps, more correctly, our nation’s culture. From the landscape of devastation that was the western front emerged a new breed of artists that, in the course of four years, would completely dispel the classical traditions of how we view and ‘use’ art. This progression within the art community acted as a forerunner to the wider implications of the sacrifices made by so many during the war, which we can still see throughout society today.

Article written by

Tom Rainbow

When first presented to the public, they were often met with strong criticism and controversy. In a modern context, however, we would almost expect a war artist to show a horrific deterrent against conflict. Sweepingly, one could say that these particular works mark the end of the accusatory, traditional artistic community, and the beginnings of an accepting outlook where personal expression became a crucial device in the artist’s craft. The diversity of these artists, representing genres as wideranging as Cubism and Realism, demonstrates the sheer scale of the impression that that war left upon a group of artists originating almost entirely from the Slade School of Art. No longer was the artist the director of what they would capture within their works – instead, the artist and subject were almost inextricably linked – an emotionally ‘raw’ response. The resulting work provides extraordinary insight into the lives of these young men and women, something perhaps even more valuable than the subject of the works themselves.

In 1916, the British War Propaganda Bureau appointed the first official war artist to capture their experiences on the front line – a tradition that has continued to this day. From that moment onwards, the works produced have been collected by the Imperial War Museum – now housing around 85,000 works spanning one hundred years. To mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, the IWM London has collated a number of these works to produce “Truth and Memory”, an exhibition featuring pieces by the likes of C.R.W. Nevinson, Paul Nash and Wyndham Lewis.

DARWIN MOVED US FORWARD TO A HILLTOP... Article written by

Logan Jones

It will come as no surprise to many of you that this year’s main School production – in collaboration with Bedford Girls’ School – was Inherit the Wind, an American classic written in 1955 by the creative duo of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.

owever, it appears that comparatively few people on this side of the Atlantic have actually heard of it, but the backstory to the play is quite interesting. Like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible – which, coincidentally, was our junior production in the spring term of 2013 – Inherit the Wind is an allegorical play, written as a response to McCarthyism. It takes a true story about real people and turns it into something very different. But while The Crucible was set during the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, Inherit the Wind tells the fictionalised story of the Scopes Monkey Trial, in which a young science teacher in 1920s Tennessee was prosecuted for teaching evolution. John Scopes, the teacher in question, becomes Bertram Cates, played in our production by James Smith. The counsel for the prosecution was, in reality, William Jennings Bryan, a widely revered figure in American politics, but one who lost the presidential election three times. His alter ego, Matthew Harrison Brady, was played by Jacob King. I played the counsel of the defence, Henry Drummond, based on the infamous criminal defence lawyer Clarence Darrow, a controversial figure known for taking on notorious cases throughout the former half of the 20th century.

The play is essentially about the freedom of individual thought, veiled by a battle between faith and science, and therefore each side should be equally balanced. However, Lawrence and Lee aren’t as unbiased in their views as I think they would have liked. Drummond is written as an outsider, who is described by the character of Reverend Brown (played by Adam Selvey) as “perhaps even the Devil himself”. The actual depiction of the community of the fictional town of Hillsboro is less than complimentary – that is unless you think that religious fanaticism is a positive trait. Even Matthew Harrison Brady himself is portrayed as a pathetic sore loser, whose public humiliation by Drummond ultimately leads to his downfall. Furthermore, it is strongly implied by the character of atheist E.K. Hornbeck (based on the influential satirist and critic H.L. Mencken, and played by Rukudzo Msindo) that Drummond is, in fact, hiding religious beliefs, and has only taken the case in order to protect everybody’s right to think. I don’t buy this, and therefore didn’t play Drummond this way. Yes, he has taken the case purely because he believes everyone has a right to their own opinions, but he is most certainly agnostic – in my mind at least.

But Inherit the Wind is a gripping courtroom drama with big, thought-provoking ideas and plenty of humour, calling to mind the line in which Drummond tells Rachel Brown (played by Jessica Inchbald), “When you lose your power to laugh, you lose your power to think straight”. My prior knowledge of Clarence Darrow had instilled in me an enthusiasm to play Drummond, but I wasn’t convinced this was going to happen. He is one of those characters an actor can really sink his teeth into, but there is then the risk of turning him into a caricature, something I was keen to avoid. Refining his character was hard since

he doesn’t change throughout the play, and since he is supposed to be about 60 years old – an age I’m not entirely convinced I can pass for. It is also said that Darrow had quite a hostile and condescending demeanour, whereas Drummond is a much more compassionate character. But I was eager to bring out that sarcastic and irreverent side of his persona, just as long as there was a good balance. Finding his mannerisms, tics and vocal inflections was brilliant, and then being able to perform them as part of a fully-rounded character – alongside a group of incredibly talented people – for three consecutive nights was a genuine pleasure.

Faith,

Science

and History collide in

Inherit the Wind

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CAN LITERATURE BE TAUGHT? Article written by

Robin Hampshire

“I lost interest in English Literature after I realised that I could write anything, even if I knew it was nonsense, and still get an A”, exclaimed a childhood friend of mine after I told him that I intend to read English at university.

his statement got me thinking, not because I thought he was right, but rather because he seemed to be missing the point of what it is to study Literature. Why is it that when we think of English lessons, we picture ourselves surrounded by books and meticulously going through techniques, and we do not think of Robin Williams from Dead Poets’ Society? Above all I wondered whether teaching students to pass an exam is teaching literature. Throughout our school career the words ‘simile’ and ‘metaphor’ are drilled into us, ‘ellipses’ and ‘iambic pentameters’ litter students’ essays like gold in a stream, each technical phrase a step closer towards the elusive A* which drives our young academic careers. Students

can analyse prose with clinical accuracy, and yet they rarely engage with the text. That is to say, they can seldom state what they like about a text as a whole, what the drive behind the author was, why the text is so enticing. Dr Pascal Nadal’s view is that: “This is where precisely resides the specificity of literature or teaching (if we admit that such things are possible); how far can you teach someone to like something?” Whilst that is true, there lies a chink in Dr Nadal’s argument. I can state with almost absolute certainty that everyone can find works of literature that they like, irrespective of their tastes. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly for this particular essay, we can learn to love something.

For example, on beginning my IB course, my class was confronted with Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a text that provoked a reaction of bewilderment from all of us. To quote Estragon himself: “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.” However, the further we delved into the text and explored the idea of the absurd and the pointlessness that Beckett is attempting to convey, as well as Beckett’s constant attempt to avoid interpretation and definition, the more engaged I became. As a result of reading around the play in these classes, I would struggle to place it outside of my top 5 plays. Therefore, the techniques mentioned earlier are at the heart of a student’s relationship with the text. In many literary works, the most exciting areas are those that cannot be understood by simply glancing over a book and putting it down, never to be thought of again. Literature is supposed to be explored, unlocking the thoughts behind the author and exposing a piece’s multilayered meanings. That is where, at least in my opinion, the passion for literature stems. I am by no means suggesting that there is an empirical answer to any text, and that answerless state is where literature finds its beauty, but teaching can provide access to different interpretations. “The finest poems and stories of all kinds

must be introduced and shared”, writes Glenn Davis Sloan, “And there must be time for talking about them and responding to them.” It is the teacher’s more difficult task, therefore, to promote these discussions in such a way that the students can engage with these works, and more importantly, inspire a love of literature within the student. Thus, to some extent my friend was right, in that he can write anything and still satisfy the exam criteria. But that shouldn’t deter him and if anything it should drive him forward, as through our individual interpretations we can engage with texts. Therefore, if literature can be taught, its teaching lies not so much in learning techniques, although these are important for understanding texts, but in inspiring a love of literature within a student. As Andrew Simmonds states in The Atlantic, “Teachers should produce literature lovers as well as keen critics, striking a balance between teaching writing, grammar, and analytical strategies and then also helping students to see that literature should be mystifying.” It is perhaps this idea of producing literature lovers that makes the image of Robin Williams standing on a desk, stating that he stands there to “remind [himself] that we must constantly look at things in a different way” so captivating and inspiring.

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WHY WE READ CRIME FICTION Article written by

Angus Watson

On 28th January, Mrs Smith gave a talk on crime fiction to the English Society. We talked about its different sub-genres and especially about why people read it, inspiring me to write this article.

irstly, I think that we read crime fiction because of the inherent logic in it. The finale of many crime novels, or dramas (provided that they are from the point of view of the investigator), is often the investigator catching the criminal, and giving an explanation of how all the clues add up – how every little clue and abnormality fits in to solve the crime. As human beings, we have an inherent love of patterns and logic as they suggest an ordered, predictable world; this gives us a sense of security. Indeed, it is theorised that one of the reasons that humans have made music since time immemorial is due to the fact that it has an inherent pattern and rhythm to it, which gives us a sense of control. This love of patterns extends to crime fiction, as to solve a crime, the detective needs to find little clues in what looks like an ordinary situation, and then tie them all together to reach conclusions. This clinical logic, which is so essential to the genre, appeals to us and makes us read crime fiction. The second reason that we like crime fiction is that it (usually) combines a mix of two worlds. There is the normal, modern reality which we all have experienced, meaning we can find much to relate to in crime novels. And then there is the abnormal, dark world of murders, theft and crime which we have little experience of. The two worlds are like two interlocking spheres, providing a mixture of normal reality – which enables us to relate 46

to the book – and the extraordinary, which gives a sense of excitement and action. This blend of the familiar and the extraordinary is rare to find in other genres and therefore gives crime as a genre a unique texture to it. Thirdly, there is a higher degree of readerinteraction in crime fiction than there is with other genres. In other genres you usually have a rough idea of what will happen. You generally know that the bad guy will be beaten or that the protagonist will fall in love or succeed in their goal (depending on what genre you are talking about). However, in crime there is a lot less degree of ‘plot prediction’ than there is in other genres. You know that the villain will probably be caught in the end – but that is about it. You do not know who the murderer is; you do not know if anyone else will die; you sometimes do not even know if the criminal will be caught. This encourages the reader to work out who the criminal is, and what the different clues represent, unfettered by elements of knowledge from outside the fictional world. This means that rather than feeling like a spectator, the genre allows the reader to take part in the work. To conclude, we read crime fiction because of its higher degree of reader interaction, because of the combination of ordinary and extraordinary elements, and because of the clinical logic at its core.

THE RACHEL MERCER LECTURE On 4th February, Rachel Mercer was invited to give a lecture concerning her career as an artist, and how she has developed within this role.

achel began by introducing us to her work from her third year at Cardiff University. Large black and white paintings that were influenced by the work of Chinese artists using light brush marks to create a figure. This is called figurative drawing. She expressed her interest in abstract expressionism and how it helped shape her work. She talked us through her time at a London art school, where she advanced her drawing skills. Rachel explained that the most important thing she learnt there was capturing the background of figurative drawings to create a full composition and to ground the image. Rachel then talked about her life after drawing school. She had found it difficult to apply the skills learnt in drawing school to her own subject matter, but eventually she found comfort in drawing small, detailed images around London. She began to relate back to her late university works by doing watercolour and ink drawings. She began to focus on small images of plants and landscapes.

She explained how painters use their composites again and again to the point where it becomes iconic and that becoming an artist is about gaining a balance between the ideas with material and practices. Overall it was an informative talk on developing a career in fine art.

Rachel told the group that drawing well comes from knowledge; being educated in a certain area of subject matter means you are able to see how shapes fit together and how to use the correct colours, as shown in the drawing of plants.

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Article written by

John Holroyd

Humanities

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEDICINE AND GEOGRAPHY In 1854 Broad Street, Soho saw what became known as ‘the most terrible outbreak of cholera that had ever occurred in this kingdom’.

rom 31st August, when the outbreak is believed to have started, to 10th September, 500 people had died from the disease’s outbreak. When the outbreak was finally said to have been controlled, a further 116 people had been killed by the deadly disease. For something to claim 616 lives it is clearly a tragedy; however, had this outbreak not been tackled in the way that it was, it could have been so much worse. The controlling of this outbreak is generally accredited to one man: John Snow, a physician from York. Snow believed that rather than trying to tackle disease on face value as more and more cases were discovered, he would investigate the source of the disease, in order to dig out the root of the problem. He plotted the different known cases of the disease on to a map in order to see where they were located, and if there was any correlation between the infection and its location. As it happened, once plotted on a map it was very clear where the outbreak had begun and why it had spread so quickly. A water pump on Broad Street was almost dead centre of the majority of the cholera victims. Although it was not entirely conclusive evidence, it was enough to encourage the parish authorities to shut off the Broad Street water pump, which has been popularly reported as the action that ‘ended the outbreak’. This seemingly simple task of plotting the different cases onto a map was what made all the difference in terms of stopping the potential deaths of many others.

This trend of finding the connection between medicine and geography in order to discover more about the issues that we are facing has continued for over 150 years ago right up to the present day. In the 1990s Baltimore, Colorado faced a very sudden and hard-tocomprehend increase in the numbers of babies born with syphilis. In the space of one year, from 1995 to 1996 the rates of children born with the disease increased by 500%. In the words of the author Malcolm Gladwell, “If you look at Baltimore’s syphilis rates on a graph, it runs straight for years and then, when it hits 1995, rises almost at a right angle”. What caused this sudden explosion in cases? The initial decision, according to the ‘Centres for Disease Control’ was that the outbreak was caused by the increase in crack cocaine use. It is known to dramatically increase the chances of taking part in unprotected sex which can lead to the spread of diseases such as syphilis. To further the problem, the increase in crack cocaine drew many more people into poor areas to buy the drug, where the wide use of shared needles greatly increased the chance of infections returning with them to their own neighbourhood. When viewed on a map, it was very clear that the new visitors in the poor areas were quickly spreading the disease. The cases of syphilis were shown to spread along the main roads and highways, this hinted

Article written by

George Lilley-Moncrieff

BALTIMORE

1990s, SYPHILIS

OUTBREAK

towards the fact that it was truckers who entered the area who were partly to blame for its fast and wide movement. By plotting the cases onto the map and obtaining this insight, it was made much more clear which areas to target in order to slow the outbreak, hopefully before it reached any other neighbouring cities. There is another view as to what caused the steep increase. In the mid-1990s the demolition of the old 1960s-style public housing high-rises, such as Lafayette Courts in East Baltimore and Lexington Terrace in West Baltimore, were widely publicised. These structures housed hundreds of families and had become centres for crime and infectious disease (a knock-on effect of these areas having some of the highest rates on unemployment in all of Baltimore). The ‘clean-up’ of the area – getting rid of the old, deteriorating buildings – was widely well received. However it was the rehousing project for the families that caused the issues. Due to the lack of empty single-structure areas big enough to house the hundreds of families, people were spread all around Baltimore. At face-value this seems like a good idea, the ‘hotspot’ for crime was dismantled and people are now in more modern, adequate living conditions; however, by spreading the habitants around the city, the infections that they may have carried were also spread. This lead to the syphilis cases no longer being focused in the public housing in East and West Baltimore, but instead were far more evenly distributed, with many more communities now being at risk of catching the disease. We cannot narrow down the 1995 syphilis outbreak to just one of these factors. In fact, it is widely believed that it is a culmination of these factors (in addition to others) that sent it over its ‘tipping point’, causing it to spiral out of control. Despite this, it is very clear that without ‘connecting the dots’ of the cases to one another, we would have very little understanding of what could have been behind this severe outbreak. 50

When looking at an outbreak or disease of some kind, making the link between the infection and its geographical location can prove to be crucial. It is inevitable that with any outbreak, its location will play a part. By understanding the disease that bit more, we can choose to either look back and try to find the root of the outbreak, or look ahead and try to work out where is most at risk of receiving the disease next. However, we must be prepared to view the outbreak as one whole event, rather than a number of individual cases. Take Ebola for example, the disease that has recently been publicised hugely, (many would even say sensationalised). Having tracked down the location of the deaths from this deadly disease we have been able to discover that it originated from the Ebola River (hence the name) in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Yet by studying how the disease on the whole has spread in the past, we have also been able to work out which countries are most at risk to succumbing to the 2014 outbreak. With 15 African Countries (equating to 22 million people) ‘at risk’ of the disease, it is vital that we have this information in order to understand in which areas it is most key to send aid and where specifically to target the speed of spread of the disease, rather than simply treating each case as an isolated event that must be fought on its own.

WATFORD HOLOCAUST DAY On 13th November Ms Spyropolous, along with Mr Bolton, took 10 students to Watford for a Holocaust remembrance day.

he event, which took place at Watford Grammar School for Girls, consisted of two large lectures as well as two small seminars, one of which was headed by a Holocaust survivor. The day kicked off with a lecture by a professor from Bristol University who discussed the Hungarian Jews and their difficulties during the Holocaust. This was a topic which none of us knew much about so we were intrigued from the onset. It certainly exceeded our expectations and we learnt a lot about their struggles during the war. Although the subject was tragic, the lecture was a good start to the day and it set us up nicely for the rest of the convention.

enjoyable and the speaker engaged us all with his presentation. The final talk of the day was headed by an author who spoke about his recent novel, which was about the story of a Nazi hunter and a high-ranking Nazi official at Auschwitz. We had a great day, and we all came away very touched about everything we had heard. To hear a number of lectures on such tragic subjects was truly moving. It certainly gave us a lot to think about and we must thank everyone who took part.

For our next talk, we had the pleasure of meeting a German lady who had fled Germany in 1939. Luckily we had the opportunity to speak to her about her experiences close up and we were able to ask many questions about everything which she and her family had been through. It was absolutely great to have this chat which, for most, was the highlight of the day. It gave us some real insight into the Holocaust, a kind of insight you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get from just reading a textbook. It was fascinating and hugely thought-provoking for us all. Next, we listened to a talk about Jews in Vichy-France, in which we looked at the Allies part in the war effort and the Holocaust from a different angle to the norm. This was very 51

Article written by

Michael Holroyd

CAN MURDER EVER BE JUSTIFIED? Article written by

Cory Bloxham

On 13th January 2015, a number of boys in the Law Society walked to Bedford Modern School in order to attend a lecture given by Professor Graham Virgo, a lecturer from Cambridge University, entitled, ‘Can Murder Ever Be Justified?’ This is based on a lecture regularly delivered to his undergraduate law students. their opinions on each scenario. This finished with an overall conclusion on what we believed the verdict should be. Afterwards, Professor Virgo would inform us whether we were correct and would explain the legal information around it. The professor made the point that there were often legally ‘correct’ answers that might appear unjust; the beauty of studying and practising law is that it gives you the chance to argue that the rules, seemingly set in stone, should be vetoed or changed.

his was a complete contrast to the last lecture given by Huw Roberts due to its interactive nature, and the event gave everyone an excellent insight into what we should expect from future legal study and careers as it depicted what studying Law at university would involve. At the beginning of the lecture each person was given a sheet with multiple legal scenarios explained, and we were told that we would be discussing whether we believed people in these scenarios were guilty or not. I felt that the conversational nature of the lecture made it seem a lot less formal and more of a discussion with Professor Virgo. I therefore felt more confident with my opinions and, although it started fairly quietly, the lecture theatre soon became vibrant as everyone began to voice 52

A particular scenario, which was the subject of a heated debate, was as follows: “Jane, Paul, and Marcus are in a room. Jane pulls two guns from a bag. She gives one gun to Paul and places the other gun against Paul’s head, telling him to kill Marcus or she will kill him. Is Paul guilty of murder if he kills Jane? What about if he kills Marcus?” If he killed Jane, some of the students believed that he would be guilty because, no matter the circumstances, this was still murder. Some thought that Paul would be guilty of the lesser crime of manslaughter. Most, however, thought that Paul’s actions would constitute self-defence and, therefore, he would not be guilty of murder. After hearing this, Professor Virgo promptly informed us that English Law

says that self-defence is a defence to murder, meaning that Paul would not be guilty. Paul had an objectively justifiable reason to believe his life was in danger (Jane was pointing a gun at his head!) and could act accordingly. On the other hand, if Paul was to kill Marcus, the situation would be more controversial; there were as many opinions on this as there were people in the room. As a group, we came to the conclusion that Paul should be guilty of something, but what this should be – murder or manslaughter, or something else entirely – was the subject of much disagreement. Many believed Paul was under some form of duress at the time, i.e. that Jane was applying significant pressure (again, the gun being pointed at his head) and that this should grant Paul some relief. There was a great deal of consternation when Professor Virgo, after hearing our speculations, said that English Law does not recognise such duress as a defence to murder. Paul would therefore be guilty of murder; however, as a result of being under duress, pleas for mitigation (a shorter sentence) might well be heard favourably by a judge. We also considered a number of other fascinating cases: should a man who wishes to kill his girlfriend and attempts to do so by making a voodoo doll of her and sticking pins into it be guilty of an offence? If I gave a friend £1,000 thinking it was a loan, and he took it thinking it was a gift, should he have to pay me back? Should the employee of a shop who borrows £25 from the till at closing time, intending to return it before the shop opens, be guilty of theft if she gets robbed on the way home? Each of

these scenarios touched on the problems of applying the letter of the law to complicated factual scenarios. Often the result was not what one would expect at first instance. In addition to this, Professor Virgo also spoke to us about some real cases, for example the famous case of Dudley v Stephens. This was where two sailors and a cabin boy were stranded in a life raft after a shipwreck. They had run out of food and the cabin boy was seriously ill. To stay alive they murdered and ate the cabin boy. However, on being saved and returning to England, the sailors admitted to killing and eating the cabin boy and were arrested for murder. Although, they tried to claim duress, it was overturned – again, because duress is no defence to murder. This case gives a direct example where duress has been claimed as a defence in a court of law and had been disregarded. However, 50,000 people signed a petition to get the sailors off their charges, resulting in them getting a pardon from Parliament, and proving that not all charges are set in stone. Not only did Professor Virgo announce this, he also informed us that even if the cabin boy had agreed to being killed, English law would regard this consent as irrelevant, posing interesting questions for advocates of euthanasia. Overall, I found the lecture a great experience, and if you are considering at all what it would be like studying law, or if you have an interest in it, then you should definitely come to the next lecture as it would challenge what you believe about law and expand your legal knowledge.

THE IDEA OF NOTHING Article written by

Jasper Williamson

“Do we reach a heaven

or a hell?”

Eventually, everyone is going to die. I am and you are; as thrilling as that is to hear, it’s inevitable. For all of us, whether we are Muslim, Christian, Jewish etc., (I count myself an agnostic) there has always been the question of what happens ‘post death’. Do we reach a heaven or a hell? Or is there just the inconceivable concept of Nothingness?

here are so many questions to do with the subject of the afterlife, however there doesn’t seem to be enough answers, especially with so many different ideas shooting at us from all directions. A favourite of mine is the idea of post-life being the same as pre-life. What do you remember from before you were born? The answer: nothing. This then leads to the concept of what death might be like. This is the only way of grasping the concept of ‘Nothing’; it isn’t silence or darkness, it just is what it is, and that is ‘Nothing’. I honestly prefer this idea to the idea of Heaven or Hell or Purgatory. It’s a lot more ‘safe’ and genuinely sounds better. An eternity of anything, even if it was to be whatever we wanted, would be boring – especially considering that it could be an eternity of torture! Or, to put it in the more literal terms of Dante’s Inferno, ‘condemned to eternity in flaming tombs’. Often I like to think back to the last few minutes before I fall asleep. I try to think of the last thought that was in my head, or the last thing I saw, but I can’t seem to track it. It feels impossible to be able to remember the beginning of a dream; we might recall brief parts of it, but even they are a blur. As 54

soon as I wake up, I remember, or at least I remember remembering, but it disappears from my mind like breath on a mirror. At any moment, I know I’m going to forget – whether I like it or not – and what was once something will slip back into nothing and will hide at the back of my brain, teasing me. That’s all ‘Nothing’ does, it teases and tricks us into thinking we know what it is, but we don’t; we can’t. We can only make analogies. Some people might say that ‘Nothing’ is tranquillity; that once we can truly understand and comprehend ‘Nothing’, we have reached Nirvana. The epiphany we are all so desperate to have, which people spend (and often waste) lifetimes looking for, only to find something… as opposed to ‘Nothing’. In the end all we can do is wait; at one moment it will come to us, whether it is in this life or the next. Maybe ‘Nothing’ is waiting, or rather, maybe waiting is ‘nothing’, and therefore we must not wait for ‘Nothing’ to happen as opposed to waiting for something to happen. All we can do is do our best to avoid ‘Nothing’ until it comes; inevitably, at some point, it will.

SUPER VOLCANOES – OUR PLANET’S BIGGEST EXPLOSION Super volcanoes are a global disaster with which modern man has never had the misfortune to be confronted with. In a world recently rocked by natural disaster the question has arisen that if such an event were to occur, what effects may it have and would we survive?

uper volcanoes are a global disaster with which modern man has never had the misfortune to be confronted with. In a world recently rocked by natural disaster the question has arisen that if such an event were to occur, what effects may it have and would we survive? A super volcanic eruption is defined as ‘any volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater than 1,000 km³’. To put this into perspective, the smallest super volcanic ejecta volume is 100 times greater than the historic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 which had an ejecta volume of less than 10km³.

When comparing the Krakatoa eruption to a super volcano using the VEI scale (Volcanic Explosivity Index), the Krakatoa eruption is listed as a ‘6 out of 8’ eruption, described as ‘colossal’; whereas a super volcanic eruption, such as the eruption in Lake Toba 75,000 years ago, is an 8 out of 8, described as ‘apocalyptic’. Apocalyptic is a very strong word to use and, in the past, I can see how this may have been the case. But with all the technology available in this day and age, would humans be able to survive such an event? If you were to refer to many articles on the internet such as Andy Hamilton’s article named ‘What would happen

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Article written by

George Cochrane-Davies

Can the

human

race live on after such an

eruption ?

if: A super volcano erupted?’ you would be inclined to say that humans are effectively doomed if a super volcanic eruption occurs. I do not believe this is the case. I say this because our species, the Homo sapiens, have survived such an eruption in the past. The aforementioned Lake Toba eruption which had an ejecta volume of 2,800km³, is rumoured to have driven the human race down from hundreds of thousands to close to tens of thousands. This has been labelled as the ‘Toba catastrophe theory’ which was proposed by Stanley H. Ambrose of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998. (This theory is now under scrutiny as this bottlenecking of our species does not coincide with other species around at the time, suggesting there may have been another cause to the decline in population numbers, such as a disease.) As our species has survived such eruptions in the past, I see no reason why we cannot do so again. What are the likely results of a super volcanic eruption? There are 6 known super volcanoes (I say known because many scientists and geologists theorise that there could be as many as 30-40): •

Yellowstone Caldera (United States, Wyoming)

•

Lake Toba (Indonesia, Northern Sumatra)

•

Taupo Caldera (New Zealand)

•

Long Valley Caldera (United States, Eastern California)

•

Valles Caldera (United States, New Mexico)

•

Aira Caldera (Southern Japan)

If one of these volcanoes were to erupt it would be very location-dependent as to how much effect it would have. If the Yellowstone volcano were to erupt, the effects felt globally would be far higher than – say – Toba erupting again, purely because of the development of the country in which they are located. Yellowstone is located, as most reading this will know, in mid-western USA, whereas Lake Toba is located in the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In terms of human loss, Toba could potentially cause more as the area in which this volcano is located is the most populous place on earth. Countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Japan and China are all within relatively close proximity. However, in terms of economic damage, Yellowstone would likely cause more as it is located in the wealthiest country in the world. The super volcanoes will give very clear indicators as to when they will erupt as there would be a huge uplift in land as the magma rises potentially hundreds of metres. This could hopefully give enough warning to cause mass evacuations to occur. The most dangerous area would be within 1,000km of the super volcano. Local effects of a super volcano eruption: •

The ecology of the area surrounding the eruption would be doomed. Lava flows, lava bombs, pyroclastic flows and closely located ash deposits would effectively demolish or bury anything in their path.

•

The landscape of the area would change in a similar way to that of the Mt. St. Helen’s eruption, changing from what would be colourful life-dense environment to just a mono-coloured, lifeless environment.

Widespread effects of a super volcano eruption:

Once there, it would take 2-3 weeks for the resulting sulphuric acid aerosols to cloak the globe – with devastating effects.

Ash – What can ash actually do?

Temperature drops of around 10 degrees would be experienced for around 6-10 years after the eruption, until gradually the pre-eruption temperatures return.

•

Kill and sicken humans and animals

•

Reduce sunlight

•

Trigger rainfall causing mudslides known as ‘lahars’

•

Severely disrupt air, road, and rail transport

•

Crush buildings – 30cm of dry ash is enough to collapse a roof

•

Contaminate water supplies

Summary

•

Kill crops and other vegetation

•

Clog machinery such as air filters

Overall I believe that losses will be enormous, and that if such an event were to occur, it would be a catastrophic disaster on many levels. However I can see that humans would survive such a catastrophe if all people unite and tackle the issue when it arrives in a holistic manner, rather than going for a more isolationist approach. Potential examples of such an approach are food rations to be shared when climate change begins to effect crop yield across the globe, evacuees being allowed to move from effected areas with ease and for all tensions between nations to cease. However, what I list above is not the likely reaction to such an event and I imagine a ‘survival of the fittest’ philosophy is more likely, but that could just be me being cynical. So in answer to the title, I believe that although it will be tough, the human race will definitely survive the ‘apocalyptic’ event of a super volcanic eruption.

Essential rains such as the monsoon rains would potentially fail, causing mass starvation as many rely on this as a water source. All of these effects however, are very dependent on the size of the eruption.

However the worst of these effects would only be experienced locally as anywhere beyond a certain point would only get a light dusting of ash. Climate Change If a super volcano such as Yellowstone were to erupt, the volcanic eruption would inject sulphur gas into the upper atmosphere, forming sulphuric acid aerosols that rapidly spread around the globe. Scientists believe sulphuric aerosols are the main cause of climatic cooling after an eruption. Experts believe a Yellowstone eruption would inject 2,000 million tonnes of sulphur 40-50km above the Earth’s surface.

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Languages

MEET THE ASSISTANTS Here at Bedford School, each September brings a new set of fresh-faced language assistants who quickly become well-known characters around the School; and this year has been no different.

or the past month we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Africa Ferrero Albero, Rebecca Poinot and Nina Fritz to the languages department, from Spain, France and Germany respectively. However, we realise that it tends to be only the Sixth Form language students who get to know them on a personal level, so we thought that now was a good opportunity for everybody to learn more about these new members of staff who they see around School… Where are you from? Africa – The city of Pamplona, in the North of Spain. Rebecca – I’m from Niort; a town near La Rochelle, North of Bordeaux. Nina – I’m from the Swabian region and I studied in Tübingen, which is in the south of Germany. How long have you been studying English? A – Since I was six years old. R – I started when I was eight; however they were only very simple lessons.

What do you think of Bedford? (The following are real responses, honest…) A – It’s a good area, despite being a little bit quiet and old. I have found it easy to feel at home because of the size of the town and the people. R – To me, Bedford is a charming little town, especially near the river or in the centre near the shops. Although when you start to get further away from the centre it does start to become a little bit ugly. N – It’s a very beautiful little town. I feel quite comfortable because it’s quiet and calm. I especially love the river! Have you visited anywhere else in the UK? A – I’ve been to London, Cambridge and Oxford. I loved London but I wouldn’t want to live there, big cities are scary! As well as places in England I also once visited the Isle of Wight when I was young for an activities camp, and I’ve been to Scotland. I thought that Scotland was an amazing place. I travelled from Edinburgh up to the coast to visit the beaches. It was truly beautiful.

N – At 12 years old I started learning English at school

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Article written by

George Lilley-Moncrieff

R – I have visited all the tourist spots in London, such as Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace. Last year I also went to Cambridge and Oxford (I’ve actually visited both of these cities again since I started living in Bedford!). As well as the cities, I have also been to Swanage to see Durdle Door and the rest of the beautiful scenery on the Jurassic Coast. N – I’ve done a school exchange in Barnsley, in which I visited Leeds and Whitby. I’ve also been to London twice, it’s huge! It’s great with so many beautiful buildings, however I think it is a little crowded. What are the best things about living in England? A – The people! I feel like I am so rude because you are all so polite! The architecture is also great, and I like how there is a lot of green space. R – For me it is being able to talk in English. I find it so enriching to speak a foreign language every day. I love immersing myself in a new culture, and living in England has been so rewarding. As well as that, you are all so friendly! N – I love learning and so I really love using the language. Also, English people are more polite than in Germany. I love that it’s so multicultural here, you get to meet all different types of people. …and the worst things? A – I don’t like how far away I am from my home country. Also the weather, it’s so cold here compared with Spain! R – The food. I really love French food and it is so different here. I don’t think that the weather has been too bad so far, however I have been told that it becomes horrible later in the year! N – I can’t get any Swabian Food!

Finally, how is Bedford School different from schools in your country? A – I have never known a boarding school like you have here. With people living here it’s like one big family! As well as that, normally in Spain the school is one big building. I love how here you can split up your subjects and choose your passion. R – At Bedford School the relationships between students and teachers are very different from schools in France. You seem to be much closer with each other than we are! The fact it is an all-boys school I found strange at first... and I agree with Africa about how people living here seemed odd! N – There is a sense of unity within Bedford School; I think it is because people here spend a lot of time together. There’s also a better teacher-pupil relationship than we normally have in Germany. As well as that, I really like that here, there is a greater desire to be part of school life and represent the School! So, now that you know a little bit more about the people behind the language assistant roles, you can be sure to say hello when you pass them in the corridors.

WHY I STUDY LATIN Latin is an amazing puzzle filled with fantastical stories and a unique approach to language. To say that it is a puzzle is in reference to the translating of it.

he enjoyment in this is found in that the piecing together of the text is always varied when looking at different lines, which allow us Latinists to always find a challenge, and this doesn’t just stop at translations. Another brilliant thing about Latin is it’s versatility; not only does one find it present in many other subjects, but it is also found outside of school regular academic life, for example the multitude of choral works written in Latin for church services which are still performed today. Another thing about Latin is that the works that are written in this language vary dramatically. From law cases to mythological tales to descriptions of extravagant dinner parties, these texts allow a fascinating insight into the lives of the Roman people, their history and their beliefs. There is a section

for virtually any interest in these books, for example for those interested in farming, one could read Varro’s ‘Rerum Rusticarum Libri Tres’ (three books on agriculture), or those interested in history could read sections of Livy’s ‘ab urbe condita’ (from the founding of the city). This shows that literally anyone can find an interest in Latin texts which are studied inside and outside of lessons. Our class are currently doing Livy translations this year for A2. Latin also provides a chance to study texts in detail to show the complexity of the style of Latin, which shows the brilliance of the authors in their carefully crafted works. Latin is a language still taught almost two millennia after its civilisation’s peak, showing that it’s definitely an exciting subject to immerse oneself in.

Article written by

Thomas Edwards

THE CHINESE CANDIDATE – WHY I STUDY MANDARIN Article written by

Daniel Hickey

The People’s Republic of China is the third largest country in the world by area (9,706,961 square km) and the largest in population, with 1.37 billion humans in that space, and that population has the most-spoken first language in the world: Mandarin Chinese.

decided I was going to study Mandarin the minute I learned I could, and not just to get away from Spanish. Beyond being the most-spoken language in the world (1.3 billion speakers, both native and second), learning Mandarin will open the gateway to learning more about this truly ancient country. Its history stretches back to long before anything resembling a country existed in Europe, and this history has recorded a massive wealth of literature and events, thanks to their early invention of printing. With Mandarin under my belt, I’ll be able to read these texts in their original form, and so understand them better without going through the shaky process of Chinese-to-English translating. China was one of the few places where human civilisation really began and has a storied history of interaction with almost the entire rest of the world, through the Silk Road, pan-oceanic trade, and modern globalisation.

If the already large archive of Mandarin and its growing importance in the future wasn’t enough, it both provides a significant personal challenge for me and is a feature that will stand out on my UCAS statement. There is no doubt that Mandarin is not an easy language to learn, not for native speakers and especially not for Westerners. Vastly different sentence structures, fundamentally different grammar, entirely different written script– there is a lot to wrap one’s head around. But this challenge gives me the opportunity to do something that really requires a lot of effort, as preparation for when challenges of equivalent difficulty are the norm. In addition, that challenge will add to my appeal to universities: rather than taking a language which I’ve been learning for many years, like French, or even just a few years, like Spanish, and getting a 6 or a 7, I have taken a language which I have never studied before, and I aim to achieve an equal grade. I’ve undertaken a new challenge and it’s now up to me to meet those expectations. Should I succeed, that will be worth much more than doing something easier and getting an equal grade.

Speaking of globalisation; the great and growing influence of China on the international scene today, stemming from their production of just about every commodity imaginable (primarily highly sought-after electronics) means that learning the language will allow closer co-operation with this rapidly modernising country. Having an education in Mandarin will be increasingly useful in the future, and demand for the skill will grow as foreign and Chinese companies continue to interact more and more. Although occasionally you may hear jokes about how one day we will all have to answer to our new Chinese overlords, there’s actually a bit more to that idea than you might think, though I doubt a military conquest is in store for the future.

GERMAN SOCIETY COOKERY EVENT Having a German cookery evening once a year has always been one of the most important German Society events and personally one of my favourite society traditions.

o naturally, I was very happy when I found out that I was able to help set up this year’s German cookery evening on 25th November. In retrospect, I’m very pleased to say that the event fully met my expectations. Once again, with a large turnout of thirty guests, including members of staff, girls from BGS and obviously Bedford School boys, it proved to be a great way of presenting German tradition. The atmosphere was very relaxed, cheerful and happy and so it didn’t even matter that the ‘Schnitzel’, a thin slice of pork coated in breadcrumbs and fried, that we cooked wasn’t all that delicious. Our initial thought was that this hearty and famous Austrian dish would be a great way to get people involved

in the German/Austrian tradition, but as it turns out, this was not necessary, as the lively conversations did this and we merely needed a reason to come together. So even though the ‘Schnitzel’ didn’t turn out to taste as well as expected, this was fairly irrelevant and didn’t spoil the fun at all. We also succeeded at making a delicious potato salad. I hope that this German Society tradition will carry on for many years and continue to attract many German students, so they can find out more about German as a language and culture.

26 3

Article written by

Felix von Bodelschwingh

THE SPANISH PLAY Article written by

Tom Lousada

As the end of the winter term draws closer, so too does the performance of the Spanish play that Bedford School is performing this year.

erformed in collaboration with Bedford Girls’ School, the play is titled ‘La llave en el desván’ which translates into English as ‘The key in the attic’. The plot follows the unravelling of a conflict in a grand old house in the 1950s when the play is set, where Mario, the man of the household, is suffering a mental crisis. Mario, a chemical engineer, was on the pinnacle of publishing a new formula representing a great technological advancement when his rival business ‘La casa de Kellington’ published the identical formula. Now, facing financial and professional ruin, everything is on the line with the house up for sale. But is everything as it seems? Why is Mario having strange dreams of rabid dogs and Amazonian women? As his sister-in-law, Laura, and the wizened old Don Gabriel seek to understand this dream, one looks to the past as the other looks at the present. Yet tensions rise and blood is threatened to be spilt as both draw closer to the truth, revealing a story of betrayal, scandal and love… As you can imagine, putting on a play in a foreign language means facing several obstacles. The biggest challenge of all is learning the lines, for first you have to understand what is being said! The line learning is coming along steadily however, and the last few weeks have been beginning to get interesting as we have started bringing in some acting. Several Sunday rehearsals on and it’s all coming together nicely. The challenge 64

with a foreign play also stems from trying to convey to the audience with the acting exactly what’s happening in the play, even if they don’t understand every word that’s being said! The performance of a Spanish play represents the great opportunities that the School promotes in learning languages. It’s essential when learning a foreign language to take it beyond the grammar of the classroom, out into a wider context in order to completely immerse yourself. Watching the play, even if you’re not learning Spanish, is a brilliant chance to explore another culture as it explores all the great attributes we admire in a good story: scandal, love and betrayal, yet from a Spanish playwright’s point of view. As performers, we can add to that great improvements in our speaking skills; for what is more important in learning a language than being able, and getting the chance, to speak it properly. Even better is the fun in practising it (albeit often messing up), and eventually performing it. However, for whatever reason you need, we entreat you to come and see the play performed in what we promise will be a captivating and entertaining performance.

Music

HOUSE SINGING Article written by

Robin Hampshire

House Singing is one of the most popular events in the School Calendar. It is possibly the oldest competition in the School’s history.

ivided into two separate contests, a unison song (competed for by members of each boarding house), and a part-song, performed by the most musical in each house. Both performances test different facets of musicality, and the support from the day boys is just as hotly disputed. This year, we have managed to interview the leaders of either part-song or unison, though Ashburnham have shadily refused to grant us an audience, we await the lurid results of their cloakand-dagger approach with bated breath. What song will Paulo be performing this year? We’re singing ‘I want you back’ by The Jackson 5. How are the rehearsals going at the moment? Our rehearsals are going really well at the moment. We’ve still got a lot of work to do before the competition in two weeks’ time, but we’re happy with the stage that we are at right now. We’ve got four new members this year to assist the original four from last year. It’s unusual to have two trebles in your part-song so we’re trying to make the most out of this. How do you rate your chances this year? As seen in previous years, it’s very difficult to predict the judges’ decision. We’re just focused on giving a good performance that people will remember.

What do you expect from the support up in the gallery? Last year our own house started clapping in the middle of our part-song, overflowing with support! Fortunately, we had planned for this eventuality so we handled it very well. Hopefully this year the supporters will wait until the end before applauding! How does it feel to lead Bromham in the School’s most popular competition in your final year at Bedford? It’s something I’ve always looked forward to ever since I started singing in the part-song in the 4th form. It’s the biggest event of the year and it’s great to have such a huge role for the house. Ahead of the competition, how do you fancy Bromham’s chances? I’m quite the optimist when it comes to house singing, but who knows. Ashburnham were backing themselves for first in 2013 and came dead last, so I’ll keep quiet for now. Which is your favourite of the songs that Burnaby are going to perform? We’re performing Madness ‘It Must Be Love’ and The Beatles ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ has always been my favourite Beatles track, so I always look forward to rehearsing it with the house, and look forward to performing it on the night.

Are you looking forward to Bromham’s famous support this year? Of course! Our support always wins the yearly shouting match by a mile, and I’m expecting that again this year! How do you think the new Head Master will react to the unique atmosphere? The event is quite something and if you’re used to something like we’ve seen in the prep school competitions or in fact other schools, he’s probably in for a shock, but I’m sure he’ll love it. If Bromham win, how will you celebrate? Of course with a full 8 hours of sleep, in preparation for being up early for school the next day... What songs are Crescent doing this year? For unison, we’re singing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, ‘Our House’ (which we didn’t steal from Bromham!) and our House Hymn, ‘Guide Me, O thou Great Redeemer’. For part-song, we’re doing an arrangement from ‘Pitch Perfect, Bright Lights, Big City’. How’s progress coming along? Not very well, for unison. I think the attitude of some of the boys may be in question... How would you rate your leadership out of 10? 4... How would you rate your conducting out of 20? 4! Where do you think we’ll come on the night? 4th! I joke, of course. We’re probably going to win. When I look at the resources we’ve got, the soloists, the leadership, it would surprise me if we didn’t win. I mean, you look at people like Sean (Davies, St Peter’s), or Robert Akerele-Miles (St Cuthbert’s) it wouldn’t surprise me if we won. No surprises when we win. I think the question is how much will we win by? I’d like to win it for Sherwin and the House, and celebrate afterwards.

What songs are St Peter’s doing, Sean? We are singing: ‘I Need A Dollar’ by Aloe Black, ‘I’m On Top Of The World’ by Imagine Dragons and ‘The Best Day Of My Life’ by American Authors. Sean, how do you feel the preparation for house singing is going? It’s going really well so far, Aran. We have some very talented singers and the competition itself is coming up very soon! The songs sound excellent so we just have to sort out the presentation of the boys. So by the sounds of it, St Peter’s are doing well, are we optimistic for a high placing this year? – First place all the way! So how are the boys feeling for house singing? And were they easy to work with? They’re as excited as I am! Yes, the boys were great to work with, all very enthusiastic and I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve to make this a special house singing. What songs will St Cuthbert’s be preforming this year? This year, for unison, the Phillpotts boys will be singing three songs from South Pacific – ‘Nothing like a Dame’, ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ and ‘Happy Talk’. For part-song, I’ve put together an arrangement of ‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Reed. How are rehearsals progressing? I haven’t had too much involvement with our unison song, but I have been impressed by a sudden improvement in the quality of our part-song. I hope this late growth will be aided by the workshop with Voces8 next Monday. Could you predict a result for the House? Obviously, I haven’t had much influence in the unison side of things, but I trust that Robert will be able to conduct us to a great result. At this point last year, however, we were worried that we might have to withdraw from the part-song contest, and yet we still managed to come 4th in that competition. This year I have no such fears, as many people who ‘avoided’ part-song in the past have come out of the woodwork to give us what looks to be a very strong group, so perhaps we can expect an even better result this year. 26 73

BEDFORD SCHOOL CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Article written by

Jack Hutchings

“The fact that we’ve been able to record

AN ALBUM at the age of 15/16 and how we would never have had this opportunity outside of Bedford School is just amazing”

There is no denying how musical Bedford School is with a huge number of enjoyable opportunities that are presented to students.

he number of orchestras and other ensembles that can be joined often seems limitless, and I can safely say that the greatest sense of sheer satisfaction, pride and fun, can come from many aspects of the School’s music department. However, as important as it is to consider the classical nature of Bedford School’s music, it is very easy to overlook the more contemporary side of what is on offer, a side that many boys, including me, never fail to take the greatest experiences from. The opportunities in contemporary music that the School is able to provide has changed so many aspects of the way I spend my time in the School. I personally have a particular passion for rock and heavy metal music, genres that I certainly do not find a vast number of other students being huge supporters of. Despite this, the amount of support my friends and I have received for this passion is staggering, to such an extent that we have been able to form our own rock band, which has continued to receive support for over two years now. Being able to be a part of something like this with my friends is without a doubt, the greatest thing I could ever hope to experience, and the School has done a lot to make the ambition a thriving reality, one that we can, and do, actually continue outside of school (we played at Esquires earlier in November, and are heading back there later in December!). When asking the other band members, they say: “The fact that we’ve been able to record AN ALBUM 68

at the age of 15/16 and how we would never have had this opportunity outside of Bedford School is just amazing”. I cannot describe the sense of achievement and bewilderment it brings me to look at my iPod and see our very own album that we have written and recorded. Furthermore, the School itself presents some of its own playing opportunities; the Open Mic Night that took place earlier in November is an example, and while it may not be the exact style of music we prefer to play, it was great to see a lot of other contemporary performances there and many other people enjoying and supporting them. If you have ever remotely considered trying to do something with your interests in more contemporary music (and I know there are lots of you), I cannot recommend enough voicing to the Music Department what it is you want to do, as with enough work and determination I guarantee you the School will do its utmost to make this interest something you can do regularly (and of course, don’t forget to look out for Basilisk’s album, out soon on iTunes!).

“MUSIC ONLY BECOMES MEANINGFUL WHEN IT IS COMBINED WITH ANOTHER ART FORM” When approaching this statement, I was under the impression that I would completely support this view.

owever, I actually find that I disagree with this viewpoint, which I must admit, surprised me; as a fan of opera, I had supposed that music is at its most meaningful when in unity with the other arts. That is not to say that music written independently of other art forms is meaningless. Often the context pieces were written in – the composer’s mental state and emotions – seep into our understanding of music. Layered on top of this, are our own interpretations of the composition, which for the same piece of music, can vary so wildly. I shall begin by considering the relationship between other art forms and opera. For me, this is the highest of all possible art forms, combining music, drama, art and poetry, often with a touch of dance, to evoke powerful emotional reactions from the audience. Whilst an excerpt, taken out of context, such as

Dido’s Lament, ‘When I am laid in earth’ from Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, is perceptibly tragic and sorrowful, if one examines the music in context, one understands the sheer wastefulness of her actions and the frustration of the audience at her needless suicide. The aria is given far more weight by the surrounding drama and poetry of Nahum Tate’s libretto. Even more so, the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, and indeed, the entirety of this opera, can be heard out of context and perceived to be simply a jumble of never-resolving dissonances. However, in the context of the opera, these dissonances reflect far more deeply the emotions of longing and despair felt by the two doomed lovers, and by the melancholy King Marke. For me, now beginning to understand the mythological and emotional tensions of the piece, the chromatic 26 93

Article written by

Olly Bowes

‘jumbles’ have taken on new layers of meaning and drama that gives the opera such power, delaying any resolution ’til the very end. Isolde’s death gives a final, cathartic release. However, I do believe that some music, even in opera, rises above the context of other art forms. In Verdi’s Otello, the villainous Iago delivers a monologue, his Credo, declaring his belief that man is born evil due to some divine joke, and yet, that after death there is nothing, for heaven is an old wives’ tale. Nevertheless, even without my understanding of the Italian text, or having seen any other part of the opera, Iago’s Credo has always been to me pure fury set to music. The context of this monologue adds very little to one’s understanding of the moment, possibly lending it even greater capacity to terrify the audience. Another example of operatic music rising above the other art forms, again from Verdi, is the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, Va, pensiero, from the 3rd Act of Nabucco, a tale of the Israelites in exile in Babylon. The Opera is an early work of Verdi’s, the first performance of which, in 1842, brought him to prominence in Italy. Much has been written about the political meaning of this chorus, but it is undeniable that it is a work that seeks to stir up a conquered nation’s feelings for their homeland, with lines such as ‘O, mia patria, sì bella e perduta!’ (Oh, my homeland, so beautiful and lost!). In fact, recently the Italian political party Lega Nord has suggested replacing Italy’s current national anthem with this chorus; such is its resonance still with the Italian public. The reversed point can be made of sacred music, another particular interest of mine. In this case, it is the music that allows for a deeper understanding of the poetry and drama of the church services. One only has to look at the countless Dies Irae movements from any Requiem Mass to find music that deepens the congregation’s emotions of the terror and panic of the last judgement, whilst at the same time evoking the awful 70

majesty of God. It is the combination of such a powerful and dangerous religious poem with fear inducing music that is so powerful. Another, more personal example of sacred music developing the understanding of religious text is the anthem And I Saw a New Heaven by Edgar Bainton. The piece takes its text from Revelations, the last book of the Bible, which foretells the end of the World and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. I have never tried to analyse the piece, but there is something about it, whether it is the sweeping tenor line ‘and God shall wipe away all tears’ or the climactic ‘neither shall there be any more pain’ that gives me such an emotional release that this piece is by far one of my favourite pieces of music of all time. What is more, these features begin to make sense of what is one of the most confusing and challenging texts in the Bible, in attempting to illustrate what must be wondrous beauty of Heaven coming down to Earth. Furthermore, much instrumental music has great meaning regardless of the other art forms it may be combined with. Whilst understanding the context of a piece of orchestral music such as Beethoven’s deep admiration for Napoleon Bonaparte, the Consul of France, champion of the people, that led him to compose the Eroica Symphony (No. 3), may lend something to an audiences understanding, most orchestral compositions hold their own without this. An example of a piece with little contextual information to affect its deep emotional meaning is Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. Composed in 1812, whilst he was recovering from illness in a Bohemian Spa town, there seems to be very little outside influence, aside from the composer’s own fiery temperament, to suggest the powerful and destructive emotions invoked by the 2nd movement. Yet they are still invoked, though if one looks at the opening bars, one can find very little to call them up. There is no other art form to give this piece meaning, but it is one of

the most emotional pieces of music I know of. It is used to great effect in several films, such as The King’s Speech, to emphasise the importance and gravity of the climax of the film, and George VI’s first speech on the radio. Another piece which has very little, or nothing known about its context is Holborne’s Pavane, the ‘Image of Melancholy’ One cannot even identify the sorrowful mood from the key, as it sits in a transitional space between modal and modern tonality, that is neither totally major or minor, nor completely modal. The fact that it has touches of all of the above, is perhaps rather suitable for the title, ‘Image of Melancholy’. There is no escaping the minor feeling, no matter what other tonalities might be suggested, thus illustrating melancholy – the inescapable, all-pervading

feeling of sorrowfulness – an emotion that is seemingly very common among musicians. Much of the music I have examined here is often given further meaning by the art forms the pieces are united with, such as the liturgical poetry of the Dies Irae or the Nahum Tate’s dramatic libretto for Dido and Aeneas. But I believe that despite this, at the heart of all these pieces of music, there is a core of meaning that would remain, even if one stripped away the context, the drama, and even the words and the prior experience of such basic things as major and minor. Music will always provoke emotional response. This is its purpose, and any emotional response gives a composition meaning, whether or not the emotional response was that intended by the composer.

27 13

AND ALL THAT JAZZ... Article written by

Natanel Gottlieb

On Tuesday evening, I was lucky enough to be present in the audience of Dr Palmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memorial lecture. It was interesting to find out that the Doc dedicated a lot of time to jazz and he enjoyed it thoroughly.

t was interesting to find out that the Doc dedicated a lot of time to jazz and he enjoyed it thoroughly. It was there I found that he and I had something in common: a love of jazz. The lecture was very interesting. As someone who likes jazz, I found the analysis and criticism by Larkin very enjoyable and humorous. I enjoyed the jazz pieces which the speaker played, ranging from early ragtime to modern jazz, as Larkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments about the artist and the piece were read aloud.

musician used chromatic scales to play seemingly random tunes which were based around the melody. Not everybody was fond of that idea and some people began disliking the new jazz movement. The Bebop bands were mostly quartets and quintets which included a double bass, drum kit and piano. The fourth and fifth instruments were mostly a trumpet and saxophone, which improvised in their solos. The Bebop was quite a big change from the familiar Swing; the number of members in bands reduced massively, leaving only the original jazz instruments which had been used in the early 20th Century, and the songs were meant to be listened to, not danced to.

Jazz started emerging into the streets after the Civil War in the USA; the tunes were once labour songs of slaves working in the cotton fields. Black artists started playing their music in saloons and bars, which created Ragtime: the oldest of the developed jazz styles.

All types of jazz fascinate me, especially because of the simple elegance and style of jazz, which relaxes the listener and allows them to enjoy the swinging melody lines and blue notes. I think jazz is less popular now than in the 20th Century, mostly because it has been replaced with newer and more exciting genres, but I encourage you to listen to some jazz. Maybe you will like it!

Composers such as Scott Joplin wrote those melodies which were based on military marches and combined with the labour songs. It all developed into the new Swing, which came alive in the late 1920s and spread across the world for the first time, introducing the European audience to jazz and allowing musicians like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller to play for the soldiers in the 1940s. Big Band Swing was the most popular music form in the early 20th Century, but later jazz developed in all kinds of ways, like Bebop, Cool Jazz and Fusion. One of the famous musicians who Larkin mentioned was Miles Davies; one of the founders of Bebop. Along with Miles Davies, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane contributed to this new movement of jazz which developed throughout the 1950s. Larkin had some harsh comments to make about John Coltrane when he died; he gave condolences and all respect to Coltraneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family, but also said that finally there was now peace and quiet in jazz! He said this because of the spontaneous improvisation in jazz that came with the Bebop, where the 72

TIDAL In March, Jay Z announced his Internet music streaming service, TIDAL, to the world.

ike many artists, Jay Z is unhappy about the proportion of the revenue musicians receive each time their song is streamed on Spotify, the market leader. The aim of TIDAL is to provide ‘a better service and a better experience for both fans and artists’. Royalties of up to double what Spotify currently offers will be paid to artists and better quality audio will be available for consumers. In a push to publicise the revamping of this service, Jay Z and other artists, including Coldplay, Madonna, Rihanna and Kanye West, turned their Twitter profile pictures blue before the re-launch on 30th March. But there are some fundamental problems with TIDAL that leave me sceptical over whether it will live up to its promises. Unlike Spotify, TIDAL does not offer free music streaming. Instead, they have two tiers of monthly subscription: $9.99 for standard audio and $19.99 for high quality audio. However, it is only the latter that plays double the royalties than Spotify. The standard subscription pays exactly the same amount of money. Furthermore, unlike Spotify, TIDAL offers no free service. How will they compete against the market leader by charging more? On top of this, I personally have never noticed Spotify being bad quality. In fact, I’ve always thought it was rather good. Who will be willing to pay twice the price for this new service instead of buying some better speakers?

TIDAL is co-owned by Jay Z and several other artists including Alicia Keys, Beyoncé and Calvin Harris. If a painter owned an art gallery and filled it with his own work and that of his friends, would he be being fair to the other painters whom he didn’t know as well? In the same way, this service is likely to prominently feature the music of those who own it. Kanye West may be contradicting himself in the near future, given a line from his 2010 album: “no one man should have all that power”. Taylor Swift, who removed her music from Spotify back in November 2014, recently put her music on TIDAL. The artists now have worryingly large control and influence as to where their music is available. What we will probably see over the next few years is a more fragmented music industry. Google recently paid for an exclusivity deal for Take That’s new album. U2’s most recent album was released on iTunes for free. If artists choose to place their music only on certain streaming services, the consumer will not be able to listen to all the music they might like to without taking out several subscriptions with different providers. Surely music should be available to all? Alicia Keys said last night that TIDAL aims to “preserve music’s importance in our lives”. Of course artists deserve to be rewarded for their music, but by squabbling over payment rates music will become much more exclusive, leaving it only to those who can afford it.

27 3

Article written by

Jim Cooper

Sports

INTERVIEW WITH PADDY McDUELL ...about Bedford becoming National Under-17 Cricket Champions.

Article written by

Fred McLean

ow many schools did you have to play on your route to the final and who was the most challenging on paper?

To win that game in such tight fashion and against a top school like Sedbergh was awesome. Obviously to progress to the final was a hugely satisfying feeling as well!

I can’t actually remember how many we played; it must have been 4 or 5. Sedbergh were the hardest on paper because they had a similar team to us with a deep squad and some quality individuals.

Was the 3-month wait to actually play in the final frustrating? Massively, especially after being on such a high from the semi-final! We just wanted to get straight back out and play. We coped with the wait well though, many of the lads played throughout the summer and the early morning sessions we had before school at the start of term turned out to be worth it.

To win the final by 150 runs must mean that teamwork was at an all-time high; who would you select as your outstanding player in the final?

Was it satisfying to end Mr Sherwin’s period as your coach with a victory? Was he emotional?

It’s hard to point out one player; as you said the teamwork was extremely high and that showed in the result. A couple of highlights for me were Jake Duxbury’s innings getting us off to a very good start and Emilio Gay’s knock at the end, allowing us to get such a big total. But with the ball, everyone contributed and we were outstanding. Josh Selvey was dangerous up top and then our spinners Shiv Patel, Benski, and Shiv Jhala gave them no chance.

For the team and myself it was definitely a major reason it was such a top day. I’ve been lucky enough to have been coached by him since Year 8 and he has given huge amounts to school cricket and is one of the reasons we have been so successful over recent years. I think Sherwin (The Dingo) was as emotional as an Aussie can be. The fact that it was his last game acted as a big motivational boost for the team as we wanted to end his run at the School on a high. After all he has given to Bedford School cricket, I think he deserved just as much as we did to win the final and it was very fitting that we were able to do that for him.

Which are you more proud of: hitting 106 of 107 balls or taking 2-1 bowling figures? Definitely hitting the 100. It was September and therefore I hadn’t been playing much cricket recently so I think I surprised myself with my innings. To hit a century in Sherwin’s last game was satisfying as he always likes to give me stick for not ‘going big’. When you won the semi-final against Sedbergh by just one run back in June, how did it feel to qualify for the final? It was an immense feeling. I think too many times with our team throughout the years we have known that we are a seriously good side, but then not shown that on a big stage. 27 53

THE FINALS CREATIVE WRITING INSPIRED BY FENCING Article written by

Alan Wong

The finals of a competition never belonged to him, but after ten years of passion, dedication and a handful of luck, there he finally stood.

foil he casually named “Singe” was grasped in hand as he faced his final foe in the finals of a fencing tournament.

blade tip way above his head. An unusual grip that emphasised on parrying attacks and lunging at unpredictable angles.

He initially thought he was going to freak out under the pressure. What surprised him most was the serenity he felt. He was completely and utterly calm. Dangerously so.

“Ready.”

The two fencers stepped forward simultaneously and lifted up their blades to their faces as a sign of good sportsmanship, but he was pretty sure his opponent, who he nicknamed privately as DMG, had done it out of habit – not respect. He put his mask on, and immediately his vision darkened, slightly obstructed by the gauze that protected his face. Everything beside him vanished, sucked into a dark void. His enemy was before him, whose white uniform stood out against the dark surrounding. “En garde.” He adopted his usual stance, the Italian Style: his soles shoulder length apart, left foot pointing away and right pointing forward. Knees bent, torso slightly leaning forwards. His left hand loosely hung by his side, while his sword arm brought the weapon up. Instead of the usual forward pointing grip, he held Singe with a bent wrist, bringing the

DMG, on the other hand, had perfected the traditional stance. His torso sat straight on his waist, poised and confident. Offhand was brought above his head, sword hand aligned with the blade, pointing straight at the other fencer. Threatening him. Warning him not to come too close. “Fence.” He wanted to study his opponent for a bit longer, but the opposition had other ideas. DMG charged. With a light, nimble tap, his enemy forced Singe aside, exposing its owner’s chest and leaving him defenceless. DMG, building up his speed, extended his arm for a lunge. The blade tip landed on his shoulder. A loud beep accompanied by a green light was generated by the scoring machine, signalling a draw of first blood. But DMG did not stop as he continued driving forward with momentum, pushing him, causing him to stumble backwards while the attacker safely dashed past him. He instantly recognised the technique used.

The Flèche. He analysed. A sophisticated lunge attack that involves one to lean forward, and let gravity accelerate the thrust. Fast and precise, the Flèche can only be parried by a strong swat from the side. Coupled with the fact that the attacker would be behind me right after I blocked his attack, landing ripostes is not going to be easy. “Ready.” I’ve got to try anyway. “Fence.” DMG extended his sword arm and charged again. Being mentally prepared was giving him the confidence he desperately needed. He twisted his wrist downwards, guiding Singe toward the enemy blade with a counterclockwise arc, pushing the incoming sword off course. Gotcha! By then his foe was already charging past him. He took his chance and spun around. Seeing the opposition’s exposed back, it was his turn to counterattack. He attempted a quick jab, and Singe glanced over DMG’s back. His blade tip did not connect however – he missed. The ref announced a no hit and the two fencers moved back to their starting positions. Taut and ready, both fencers were about to unleash their very best in the next several seconds. The exact same thing happened in the next skirmish: DMG bull-rushed him, he parried but missed his riposte. Then again, and again. Until the fourth time, he landed a lucky hit on the charging fencer. “One, all.” Relief washed over him as their score tied, but shortly afterwards DMG landed hit on him with another well-performed Flèche.

“Two, one.” Get your head in the game. A solid parried attack, a lucky hit. “Two, all.” There we go. “Three, two.” Patience is key, don’t lose your calm. “Three, all.” Keep it up. “Four, three.” Get it together. This is his match point. “Four, all.” This is it. “Ready.” He was tired. They were tired, he knew it. Coming this far, he was already satisfied, happy, even. A silver medal would do just fine... but that did not mean he was not going to give his best shot. Continuing the trend, he knew he was going to lose, so he decided to change, to risk. “Fence.” He watched as DMG charged once more, as predicted, and extended his arm for a last-ditch lunch. It was all or nothing in that moment. One last loud beep came from the scoring machine. He glanced over to it. A red light. He then gazed back at the situation he was in: Singe was bent into a beautiful arch, its tip pressed onto DMG’s chest, while the other blade was two inches away from his own torso. For the very first time, he had won.

27 73

SIX NATIONS Article written by

AJ Momi

This piece was written before the Six Nations Competition began

Rugby Football Union was established in January of 1871 and the first ever rugby international, England vs. Scotland, followed shortly.

cotland emerged as victors after that match, and the bragging rights remain to this day. After 12 years of friendly matches between the teams, the inaugural Home Championship, including England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, was played in 1883. Before France and Italy (the other two nations who complete the Six Nations) joined, it was referred to as the ‘Home Nations’. Having participated in four ‘Home Nations’ tournaments, France officially joined in 1910 and the four nations grew to five. Italy formally completed the Six Nations when they joined in 2000, and the same structure remains in 2015. Every Six Nations tournament has an air of immense anticipation in the preceding weeks, but the 2015 competition has an added significance; for the six major European teams it is the last chance they have to fine-tune any imperfections within their play before the World Cup that is due to be staged in England this calendar year. The utility of this tournament as an opportunity for each squad to demonstrate both their intentions and potential cannot be questioned. The Championship kicked off with what is sure to be a fierce and closely matched encounter between Wales and England on Friday, 6th February. The victor over the years has shifted more times than most people can recall, giving an edge to this match that will surely be visible on the pitch. Wales will be extremely strong at home in the Millennium Stadium, 78

as its famously partisan crowd has been proven to provide a level of pressure that gives opposition teams a noticeable handicap. Much has been made of the debate as to whether the roof should be closed or remain open during play, but in my opinion it will be irrelevant on the day. 73,000 people will form the important atmosphere as they scream for their respective country. England is looking very strong at the moment with great potential within the squad. In the absence of Owen Farrell, fly-half George Ford deputises and will have many critical eyes mapping his every movement; he could prove himself as a key element in England’s attack and stake a claim for a permanent position in what will be an important year for England. I believe that whoever wins this opening game will become the automatic favourite to win the Six Nations, as this clash represents the battle between what many people consider as this year’s two strongest squads. A notable difference between the two, however, is experience; between England’s starting team they have 358 caps whilst Wales’s side has 648. This will be a true test for England’s young side. England’s fate has been questionable in the build up to this epic Six Nations opener. This is because of the injuries that have occurred in recent weeks, ruling out valuable players including centres Manu Tuilagi and Brad Barritt, lock Courtney Lawes and – as previously mentioned – Farrell, all of whom are of use to both sides of England’s game play.

SUPER BOWL XLIX On 1st February 2015, the world witnessed Super Bowl XLIX contested between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

here could not have been more storylines surrounding the build-up to the game: from the ‘deflategate’ that surrounded New England, to the potential dynasty that could be brewing in Seattle. The game itself was a toss-up until the final play, where a Russell Wilson pass was intercepted by Malcolm Butler to seal the final score of 28-24. The game was an exciting one, but in the end the Seahawks did not lose because of one last-minute interception. Seattle lost because New England consistently found cracks in Seahawks’ famous secondary: the Legion of Boom (cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Richard Sherman, and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas). Patriots’ offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels was tasked with drawing up and calling plays; he is the reason the Patriots won the game. Having Tom Brady as your quarterback,

however, does help with making correct decisions on crucial plays. For example, on a 2nd and 8 early in the first quarter, the Patriots lined up with wide receiver Danny Amendola on the outside. Before the play began, cornerback Richard Sherman was lined up against Amendola, but quarterback Brady did not know whether Seattle had lined up in a zone defence or a man-to-man defence. Brady then motioned Amendola to move across the formation, and when Sherman was seen to be following him, Brady knew that Seattle were in man-to-man, and used wide receiver Brandon LaFell’s slant route to create an easy open look to Amendola for a 6-yard gain. As a result of McDaniels’s formation and implementation of the motion, the Patriots were able to exploit the Seattle secondary for an easy play. On the next down, New England lined up in a ‘twins formation’ (this is where two wide receivers 27 93

Article written by

Noah Van Mierlo

line up on the same side of the ball). One of the receivers, Julian Edelman, pulled the exact same pre-snap motion as Amendola by moving to the other side of the ball. When his ‘supposed cover’, Kam Chancellor, didn’t run across and follow him, Brady was made aware that Seattle was in a zone defence. Edelman, running against soft coverage (a staple of many zone defences: this is when the defence drops deeper but doesn’t give much specific attention to receivers in order to stop big plays for huge gains), was quickly able to cut to the left and free himself open for a quick ‘Brady throw’ that got the first down along with a few yards after the catch. Another smart move by McDaniels was his usage of the All-Pro tight-end, Rob Gronkowski. As one of the most explosive players – and arguably the best tight end in the game – there was a lot of speculation in the buildup to the Super Bowl as to how Seattle would attempt to stop the man known as ‘Gronk’. It is common football knowledge that simply placing a linebacker to cover Gronk would not end well. In this instance, however, Seattle did do this and New England was prepared to make them pay. On the New England touchdown play that came 30 seconds before half-time, the Patriots lined up

in a spread formation (i.e. when there is one receiver on each side of the ball, which allows the offence to ‘spread’ the field for the running game while also giving the quarterback passing options), with Gronk on the right side. Seattle assigned linebacker K.J. Wright to Gronkowski in man coverage. At the time of the snap, Wright was about 6 yards away from the line of scrimmage, and therefore anticipating a short route. When the play started, Gronkowski then ran what is called a sluggo route (slantand-go) with a hard fake 6 yards into his run. This fake causes Wright to stop his feet for the slightest of moments – but the damage was done. Gronkowski then ran past the linebacker in a straight route, and caught a perfectly thrown ‘Tom Brady’ pass for the touchdown. Overall, these types of plays are what McDaniels ordered all game, as he never deviated from his plan to take advantage of the Seattle defence. Of course, this could not have been done without having arguably the greatest signal-caller of all-time in Tom Brady and a talented group of receivers like Edelman, Amendola, and Gronk. While an interception might have sealed the game, New England would not have had the opportunity to do so if not for a genius display of football playmaking.

ODE TO MOURINHO A 2012 Daily Mail survey revealed what men have wanted to know for years.

Article written by

Henry Gee

he article, published on 6th April, contained a list of about twenty conditions. These twenty conditions would break most male hearts; twenty key traits of ‘the perfect man’. This is not to be scoffed at; such a list has been the subject of many a quest throughout the years. Unfortunately for us, one man ticks every box – and then adds a few extra boxes, which he proceeds to tick with his very own special style. This man, if we can even consider him one of our equals, is of course the self-styled Special One. his players, Mourinho often puts himself on the line for those for whom he cares. Many tears have been shed upon his departure, and in testament to his loving nature, many messages are traded even after a relationship has ended. The much-feared ‘c-word’ amongst men – commitment – is something Mourinho embraces. He declared after his second coming at Chelsea that he was prepared to ‘marry’. Mourinho’s match day routine involves ringing his wife before he goes out onto the pitch, and getting dressed up in his latest suit; a dark Armani number, often accompanied with a jumper and scarf in the winter months. European style mixed with English class? Check. His smartly cropped, elegantly greying hair would make even George Clooney look twice.

Born on 26th January 1963 in a small town in Portugal, José Mourinho has spent the last ten years of his life checking items off the ultimate bucket list: win the Premier League? Check. Win it again? Check. Win the league in another top country? Check, check. Win the Champions League? Check. Why not, for the hell of it, win it twice? Check. Unsurprisingly, success was one of the most important discriminators for women when selecting a partner. How does one measure success? Well, women seem to think that the divide between success and failure is around the 50k a year mark. Yet another ‘check’ for Mourinho in his quest for perfection. Mourinho’s wages have been reported to be in excess of £10m a year – more than enough to satisfy even the pickiest women. However, it is between the flurries of success and flashes of brilliance that we come to realise just how amazing Mourinho truly is. His charismatic charm has changed the way we think of press conferences; they have become an art form, and Mourinho the grand master. Mourinho has single-handedly redefined the pre-match preamble as the pre-match make or break – and so often he makes it. If clever is on the list, check it off.

Despite his obvious physical appeal, Mourinho has always been polite and courteous when approaching others. He admits attraction to some individuals, another important factor according to Daily Mail reading women, and also knows where to draw a line, saying he “prefers not to speak” about other individuals – a quality women apparently appreciate. Attractive, yet proper when it comes to courting others, Mourinho is the ultimate gentleman. The hatred must end, the campaigns must end, and the jealousy must end. We must recognise the greatest gentleman alive today. Sir Alex Ferguson might lay claim to being older and wiser, but then again, youth is on the magic list too!

Intelligent, successful... he’s every woman’s dream! But how does Mourinho treat his loved ones? Famed in footballing circles for developing the closest possible relationships with 81

M O S A I C F

or over 80 years, Mosaic has existed as a separate publication and a magazine in its own right; a forum for creative writing and where artistic expression can flourish. In this past academic year, the School has witnessed a vast growth of creative writing evident within the Detwieler which showcased interpretations of the theme ‘Conflict’, the creative writing seminar with Louis de Bernieres and the four shortlisted pieces in the Fowles Essay Prize – all of which were creative pieces. Next academic year will witness the birth of a creative writing society, taking place every two weeks on rotation with the English Society. It will be a space in which students can learn how to craft language and where they can share ideas.

In amalgamating Mosaic and MDLII, creative writing is showcased each term as opposed to one annual publication. I feel that the growth in popularity of creative writing this year demonstrates that despite the presence of technology within the daily life, pupils still enjoy putting pen to paper and utilising their imagination. It is a medium through which one is able to escape the constraints of analytical thinking providing freedom to express oneself. This reality is the timeless appeal of creative writing, and the Mosaic section of MDLII will serve as a constant reminder of the appeal and vast nature of creative writing and expression.

Robert Salvesen Editor of Mosaic

Artwork by John Holroyd

CONFLICT – ELEMENT 119 21st June 21 1918 “Get over here now Squad 6!”

taff Sergeant James Jackson, the most feared Staff Sergeant in the army, was a tall muscular man with a scar down the right side of his face where a Japanese Katana had struck it. He had black hair, and had a short beard which he was so famously known by. The group of men rushed over to him at his command; no one disobeyed the Sergeant. “Now men, we have a mission to execute. The Germans have been mining for several days now and I have been informed that they have found the only source of Element 119, a top secret element which can be used to make nuclear weapons; now, our mission is to infiltrate the mine of the Germans and get rid of the discovery before they put it to use, understood?” “Yes sir!” replied the soldiers in unison. The soldiers queued up to get equipped, as a standard-issue Thompson submachine gun was handed to them. An underground passage had already been mined by American miners in order to mobilise towards the German mines. “Let’s go, let’s go!” shouted the Sergeant repetitively. The Sergeant, followed by Corporal Bryce, escorted the nervous men through the path which had sharp rocky walls with cuts going in every direction.

Article written by

Romeo Chryssaphes

simultaneous sound of gun fire and an odd-sounding, low-pitched shriek. A shadow rapidly crossed the side of the wall. “Organise, organise,” whispered the Corporal. The men moved carefully, more afraid with every step. There was an opening at the end. “Organise yourself at the opening, go, go, go,” said Sergeant James with an abnormally quiet voice. The soldiers assembled around the opening. All they could see was a mysteriously dark abyss. The men assembled in single file as they stumbled round the poorly made, creaking woodwork. After following the path for 30 feet, they came to a stop at a quartz wall at the end, but this wall was perfectly cut, perpendicular to the floor, not like the dirty limestone on the outside of the walkways. In the quartz wall the letters CXIX were engraved. “Must be the Germans, trying to trick us. This stupid wall is fake. Let’s blow it up, there must be something behind.” But as the Corporal set up the C4, footsteps were approaching, louder and louder, shades of black from moving figures crossed the wooden barricades, an ominous green glow appeared from the eyes of many undead humans as they approached Squad 6 from behind. The men swiftly turned round and opened fire… It was as if the discovery of Element 119 had led to the disappearance of Squad 6.

“Halt! I heard something!” The men poised their rifles in position. There was a sudden 28 3

DER AUFSTAND Article written by

Sam Wainwright

Chapter 1

n our history lessons we are told that the great ‘Deutschland’ conquered the allies 206 years ago, in 1945. They forced them to surrender after 6 years of devastating conflict. The allies were countries called Britain, France and the USA, although, they do not exist today. What was France is now Deutschland, Britain is now the land of ‘Härteland’. The USA was split into two ‘Kühland’ and ‘Wühsteland’. I think a country that was once called Canada takes up the majority of Kühland, and Wühsteland is mostly islands. I live in ‘Nachtragenderland’ a place once called Russia and Mongolia, it is bigger than Deutschland itself, but the population is spread out. The countries Japan and Italy still exist, as they are Deutschland’s allies. My school are taking us on a trip to the capital of Deutschland, Berlin. I’ve heard it is the most beautiful place on the earth. All the luxuries you could ever want are given to you there, all the richest people in the world live there and the leaders of the Deutsch Empire live and work there, the president being Heinrich Hitler, descendant of Adolf Hitler who founded the empire, runs Deutschland with an iron fist, with strict laws and punishments. He finished off his descendants’ work of wiping out all the ‘undesirables’. I personally think this is wrong, my parents tell me to keep quiet about it, I’m not sure why but I just do it. Apparently there’s this giant gate which looks magnificent and is one of the greatest wonders of the world. I have not 84

seen it but I have heard amazing things about it. Berlin would definitely beat the cold place that is Greußen, my home town, I think it was once called Tomsk. “I hope you have a good time on your trip to Berlin, Vlad” said my mother, Anastaysia. We don’t have Deutsch names in Nachtragenderland, they’re Russian names; Russian was the language spoken here before the Deutsch Empire was founded. In Härteland I heard they also have their old language, English, but it is mandatory we speak German at school. If you don’t know German fluently by the age of 25, you are sent to work in the salt mines in Deutschland, luckily I learnt German quickly, whereas my brother didn’t. I hate Deutschland for that, my brother did not understand German at all and failed to pass the test. I have not seen him since. “I will Mother, I heard Berlin is fantastic.” I reply. “It certainly is, I went for my German fluency test there, when I passed they let me see the 3 statues, you know, the golden statues of Adolf Hitler, Arnold Hitler and Manuel Hitler in the city square. They really are magnificent. I think Hitler is standing on somebody called Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister who tried to defeat him. I also remember the gate that looks magnificent when lit up at night.” “Mother, what if I have to meet the government, those people I dislike. I hate the way they run the empire and kill other races. Will they notice my distaste for them?”

“There is a very low chance you will meet Heinrich Hitler, he rarely talks to commoners.” “People are saying we might meet Gerd Schüll”. Gerd Schüll is a member of the government; he is in charge of education. “Avoid answering uncomfortable questions.” “Okay I’ll try, goodbye Mother.” “Bye Vlad, please be careful.” I walk out into the street, my school bag on my back. It is always cold here, even in summer, it’s currently autumn and there are orange and red leaves littering the ground, in my opinion, it’s beautiful. My school is near the Great Lake; nobody has really called it anything else. It is a giant lake that is situated underneath Mount Rau; a mountain that dominates the whole town, when the sun is behind it the whole town is dark, like it’s an eclipse. The lake is used mainly for fishing but water sports also take place there.

We arrive at the airport, I’ve only been here once to go on a family trip to Verräter, the capital of Nachtragenderland, Verräter means traitor, and I wonder why they called it traitor? I remember the feeling of taking off and landing in a plane, it was thrilling; I can’t wait to do it again. In the departure lounge there is a huge array of shops and places to eat, Viktor and I go to look in a shop called ‘Gertrude’s finest chocolates and confectioneries’. After buying some German chocolate we turn to see a man wearing an ushanka and shades. He stares down at us and when we go to walk around him he firmly clasps his hands on our shoulders. “You two, how old are you?” he grunts. “15” Says Viktor, I’m too scared to say a thing. “Are you for or against the party?” he whispers. This shocks me, the exact question I do not want to answer. My stomach churns and my heart pounds with fear. What should I say?

When I arrive at my school there is a coach ready to take us to the airport on the other side of town. I sit next to my friend Viktor on the bus. Viktor is always optimistic, while I am often pessimistic. Some people think our friendship is strange because we have very different personalities, but we have known each other for years. I trust him completely.

“I am against it, I am not sure about my friend though” Viktor whispers back.

“Hi Vlad” he says.

“Y-yes.” I stutter.

“Hi Viktor, how is Kristina?” I reply, Kristina is his little sister; she fell ill recently.

“Are you saying that because your friend said so?”

“She’s fine, just the flu that’s going around town, she’ll be better in a few days.”

“No, I have secretly thought that for years, could we move somewhere not-so public if we’re going to commit treason?” I mumble

“Are you excited about this?” “Very, I’ve always wanted to go to Berlin, I heard it’s like the Eden but better, and they speak German.” The Head Master Mr Vorbishev calls out a register and we are ready to go.

I stare wide-eyed at him, Viktor, of all people, against the government? Maybe his parents talked about it and this influenced him. “Well, are you?” the strange man grunts, looking at me now.

It’s Viktor’s turn to look surprised. “Okay, my name is Dmitri Stalin, I am the ancestor of the last leader of Russia, Joseph Stalin. Your parents both work for

Der Aufstand, a group working to revolt against the government, to take over and crush their racist belief system.”

down the brain and heart, making it seem as if he just dropped dead, only an autopsy can possibly show how he died.”

“So why does this concern us?” I ask sternly.

“Scientists in Berlin are very good though, have you seen the genetic experiments they do?”

“You’re going on a trip to Berlin right? I need you to do something. Try to find out where Hitler eats, yes, that means breaking the law. Viktor, your father has obtained permission for him to grant your school trip access to meet him. This means you need to follow him when the meeting is over and tell us which room he goes into.” “Couldn’t you just enter by force?” inquires Viktor. “We try to be more precise, more assassinlike. We don’t want to cause a huge uproar we just want to get in there and take him out without any trace of us being there?” “And how would you do that exactly?” Viktor is always curious.

“Viktor’s right, the scientists that work in Berlin have done stunning yet horrific things, they will probably know what ‘Griftig’ is and recognise it,” I add “That’s a risk we are willing to take; to kill without any trace of foul play, ‘Griftig’ is our best bet. All you need to do is find where he eats, that could be a dining room or his bedroom. Are you up for it? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” “I’m up for it,” I say suddenly, I did not mean to say that so loud, it just slipped out. Dmitri smiles. “Perfect, you will be commended for your courageous efforts once the act is done.”

“We are thinking of poison called ‘Griftig’, it’s a fast acting poison that just shuts

Chapter 2

iktor pins up a piece of paper on a paperboard in our hotel room. It is quite a nice room, with two separate beds, a TV and Wi-Fi. ‘Nachtragenderland’ is much better off than some countries, which live in complete poverty. The piece of paper is a timetable for our trip. We begin on Saturday, tomorrow, with a tour of the history museum, and it’s probably going to be about World War 2, nothing new. Then we visit the Berlin Gate at night so we can see the spectacular illuminations. Then on Sunday we visit the science museum, science really interests me, I want to be a scientist when I finish school and study at Munich University, the biggest university in the 86

Deutsch Empire. Then we visit Heinrich Hitler himself. Afterwards we will break off from the gang and follow Hitler, pretending we got lost if he notices us. We hope it will go well, being my pessimistic self; I have a nagging feeling it will end catastrophically. Probably in our arrest and then banishment to the Wilderness, a large island once called Australia. When we are at Berlin Gate I notice a lot of security. Maybe there have been signs of rebellion in Berlin and security has increased. Just as I think that, a loud bang goes off. I quickly swivel around along with the rest of the group. There are people setting off some

kind of bombs that make bright lights, maybe fireworks. They are holding signs saying ‘Das ende ist jetze’ that means the end is now. The end of their lives is now because the security guards have come in, firing machine guns at them, there is chaos, people running but being gunned down, some people still throwing bombs at the police, I see one of the officers get hit and he is engulfed in flames. The scene is so chaotic I have no idea what to do, I turn around and hear Mr Vorbishev shouting for us all to run back to our coach. But suddenly his eye turns red and blood splats on the floor and he slumps forward. At that point everybody runs in a scramble not sure where to go. The rioters seem to have guns now and are violently pushing the police back. I turn to see Viktor lagging behind limping and I see that he’s been shot. I run toward him and help him up. Police reinforcements have arrived and are forming a defensive line, medical services are arriving and I give Viktor to one of the ambulances. When I arrive at the hotel I call my father to see if he can get me home. “Father, father, have you heard what’s happening in Berlin?” I say hurriedly down the line. “Yes, I have, are you okay?” he says, there is urgency in his voice. “Yes I’m fine but Viktor got shot, last I saw of him he was taken in an ambulance.” “I know who launched the attack, a group working for the government.” He informs me, this shocks me.

“What? Why? Launch an attack on their own police force?” “It would seem Hitler would go to any level to not be assassinated. Did a man called Dmitri Stalin speak to you at the airport?” he asks, he seems very worried about something. “Yes, he wanted us to find where Hitler eats. Why? He works with you doesn’t he?” Dread fills me as I realise what I have done. “He did, but Dmitri Stalin died suspiciously. I believe the Dmitri Stalin was an imposter. You were fooled.” “Then who was it?” I ask now, extremely worried about what information I’ve given away. “I think his name is Mario Schürll, a spy who has tried to track us down for years. Yes it’s true your mother and I work for a secret rebellious organisation, that’s no lie. That attack was meant to kill you and Viktor, you need to leave that hotel now.” “Dad, I’m scared, come and get me.” “I will try to get one of my colleagues to pick you up soon. On Wilhelm Street at 10pm. Goodbye son, good luck, I love you.” He hangs up. I pack my bags as fast as I can and get ready to leave. I go to open my door but it’s smashed inwards knocking me back. “Vladimir Forolov, you are arrested for high treason against the Deutsch Empire.” A man with an ushanka and shades stands in front of me, smirking.

Artwork by Alex Williams

Artwork by Shay Boyd

ONE FINAL PEACE Article written by

Conor Hilliard

he two soldiers look at each other, across the blown out road,

The haunted smiles of his wife, His part in that once-glorious coup,

One in desert khaki, one in gunshot grey,

All that glory swallowed by the mists of the past.

One too young, one too old,

He remembers the last war too,

Both frozen with dismay.

He was told it would be the last, But here he is again,

The boy in khaki remembers his boyhood,

Fighting for a cause he does not love,

Crisp spring mornings frolicking in the dirt,

For the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disdain,

Lazy summer days in the wood,

For a homeland he cannot think of

Calm autumn evenings with his sweetheart,

Against a foe he does not hate.

Cold winter nights surrounded by family. He remembers joining,

They came for glory,

Red flags and glorious camaraderie,

And here they will die.

The pretty girls all smiling,

They fought for their country,

Heartfelt laughter and innocent revelry.

And hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where they will lie.

He feels none of that today. Now he is cold and clammy,

The two soldiers look at each other, across the blown out road.

Now it is safe to say

The young and the old,

He is the last.

Eternal foes. They face each other, stiff as boards,

The old man is grey,

Dreary eyes once aglow,

Grey in mind, grey in heart, grey in life,

And reach their own accord.

He remembers his time before this day, 28 93

Artwork by Navin Chodha

THE AWAKENING Article written by

Peter Wood

elmont was a modest town, consisting only of a few thatched cottages, a school, a small village shop and a church. As a result, nothing ever happened in Belmont, ever. One may even describe it as a ghost town with the mist rolling in at the dawn of every day, tumbling over bushes. The next day I woke up early, peering out into the morning fog that engulfed the church opposite. I was already dreading another boring day at school with Mrs Pegler. Mrs Pegler was not only the most boring teacher in the world, but she was the most horrible person anyone could have the misfortune of meeting. Her sharp, old eyes would give a beam of oppression over anyone to question her. She would sit at her desk consistently throughout the day, only occasionally getting up to prowl the room looking for mischief. I was feeling optimistic for the day ahead, as I realised not all would be bad. I was going to see James, my friend, after he had taken a week off to go and stay with his grandparents in Ireland. James was always the life of the village, helping out with anything needing doing. James and I had been close friends since the age of 8 when I had first moved to Belmont after being kicked out of my old school for skipping lessons. I think what made James and I get along so well was our thirst for adventure; we would always sneak off during school or go out after school in search of an adventure.

When I arrived at school, I noticed James standing by the door, he looked eager to see me as though he had something extraordinary to tell me. I hovered by the door concerned about what James was thinking. We went in, took our places in the small classroom, he brought a chair closer and began to explain his discovery. “Wow!” I exclaimed, eager to know more about his discovery. “Do you want to check it out after school?” he asked, hopeful that I would say yes. The school day seemed to drag on for an age, I couldn’t stop watching the clock, counting down each second until that familiar, and somewhat comforting sound of the bell signalling the end of the school day. At precisely 3.30pm the bell rang out, echoing along the empty corridor of the school. James and I met up outside, ready to head off to see what he had found. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going but I guessed it couldn’t be far as there weren’t many places to see in Belmont. He suddenly halted, frozen by the entrance to the church graveyard. Strangely the mist was still hovering in the churchyard; from my experience it had normally cleared by midday. But I quickly cast that thought aside, leaving my mind open to anything, awaiting James to express what he had found. He gestured over to one of the gravestones, this one was one of the oldest 29 13

in the churchyard, the engraving had been worn away and all that was left were some faint dates on the bottom of the stone. It read: 1856-1870, I didn’t take much notice of the date but was drawn to what James was pointing to, his face had gone as white as a sheet and his hand was shaking as it would in the cold. I peered down to see a large crack in the ground, a tear, roughly the size of a fully grown adult had opened up from the base of the stone, travelling south for about 6 feet. It was still light but neither of us could make out anything through the crack in the ground. “What do you suppose it is?” James muttered. There was silence… “How did it happen?” I replied, lost for words, ignoring James’ question. We both took a step back and stood, frozen with a sense of dread and fear, but also of excitement. Finally something was happening in this barren land, something amazing. We agreed to head back to the centre of the village and go back to our homes. That night I lay awake for what must have been at least half the night, constantly running theories through my head as to how or what happened. I imagined James was doing the same, who wouldn’t? We had just seen something impossible, in a town where ‘impossible’ just never happens. I lay there ecstatic but frightfully scared. The next day we left school at break, tearing down the High Street in the off chance Mrs Pegler might have seen us. We were getting soaked running through various puddles barring the path ahead; there was the most terrific storm that past night. Rumours were going around the town that the church had been struck by lightning but I couldn’t see any damage from by bedroom window that morning so I assumed they were just rumours spread by the elderly community, which to be honest was the majority of Belmont.

When we reached the churchyard, the mist had thickened and there were now areas which were completely hidden by the mist. Our visibility had decreased to about four feet. It had started to rain on our way to the churchyard and James and I were now drenched from head to toe, hair dripping and fingers shivering. We approached the grave only to stop in our tracks. The hole had completely opened up and lying in the trench was a young man. The first thought that sprung into my mind were grave robbers, but that was quickly cast out when I realised the body was in perfect shape, lying in a grave from 1870. The man’s face was as pale as death itself, his eyes were sealed and his mouth was closed. There was no sign of life. James was staring at me confused at how calm I was being in amongst this occurrence. I was secretly excited but scared which I wasn’t going to admit. The rain was getting worse now and the ground was becoming soft and squelchy underfoot. Suddenly James began shouting, “Look, look!” He was obviously scared, I could always tell, his voice would go higher in pitch and he started to stutter. I pivoted on the spot to see the body wriggle, its arms and legs were slowly moving, but his face remained motionless. James backed off, leaving me stranded on my own, looking death straight in the face. The face was cold to the touch and the rain was dripping from his pale face collecting in a small puddle at the base of the trench. His eyes then began to move, but they didn’t open. It was as if they were looking for something through his eyelids. After only a few seconds, the man’s face became animated, just like someone who had woken up from a bad dream. Although still pale, his animated face gave off a cold, dark feeling, mirroring death itself, at which point a strong wind whistled through the churchyard squealing through branches. He lay there for some time, becoming less active every second until finally,

he returned to a motionless state. Then he sat up, resting his back against the gravestone. Water was trickling down the side of his face, running down his arm and dripping off the tips of his fingers drop by drop. His lips were a dark majestic purple contrasting with the bright red of the blood seeping from his bloodshot eyes. I noticed the puddle of water he was sitting in had turned a blood red colour which now covered his lower body. He had thick white hair, such as that of an elderly gentleman only to be placed on the body of a young, strong man. I was lost for words but ecstatic as to what he was. I turned around to see James had retreated even further almost out of sight in the blinding mist. Upon turning back to the man I noticed he was staring at me. ‘Was he awake?’ I asked myself, ‘or in a mere dormant

state?’. His eyes had turned a menacing black which portrayed fierceness to this being. He continued to look at me, upon moving I realised that he was in fact conscious and very able. I became increasingly scared as he stared at me in which every direction I moved. Suddenly blood started spurting from his mouth leaving his face paler than before, the life was draining out of him, second by second. As he began to stand he collapsed back into the trench and was submerged by the mixture of rain and blood that now occupied most of the trench. The rain was easing off now and the mist started to clear. Within minutes the mist had cleared and the full churchyard was now visible. We dashed back to the village to advance our story to the townsfolk, yet little did we know, it was only the beginning.

Artwork by Jacob Joseph

Artwork by Daniel Lin

EMBRACE Article written by

Rob Salvesen

his is my refuge. A passive environment, sheltered from the maddening and incomprehensible mayhem that one refers to as ‘la vie quoditienne’. The cold wind wraps its arms around my frailty, but I feel no embrace. I reminisce in vain of the last time; warmth and comfort were the opening arms of an embrace, as I watch couples walk by. Belonging, caressing, ‘amour’, their absence from my vocabulary was a fact I was all too aware of, replaced by words whose true meanings have been lost amidst our modern lexis. The physical discomfort of the cold ambience is nothing compared to the psychological torture that resides within. Before I know it night will become day, and day will become night, as the cycle of the world continues. I will watch from afar, a façade etched to one’s persona, a spiritual sanctuary that brushes off the frost of the world, as it edges into one’s being. But no leaves will begin to curl as I wither inside. For to those who glance at one’s façade, spring blooms, however, autumn yearns within. Afore the calls of the birds signal the spark of ‘la vie’, and while the sun still sits below the horizon, there is a pervasive sense of existence that penetrates one’s conscience. I savour this brief respite, a moment of calm introspection away, for it is gospel that as soon as the sun emerges with the storm, the tears will begin to flow. The tears of the storm that infiltrate one’s existence, washing away what is built in these moments. For during my introspection

my tools are weak, and my material sand. A meagre construction, disappearing amongst the waves, removing the traces of belonging that one begins to sculpt. In these moments, salvation is in vain. The impermanence of all that exists becomes blatantly apparent and one can’t help applying it to oneself. For I am an impermanent being, my existence forgotten as soon as I fall. I look over the edge. Crowds begin to accumulate on the streets below, glinting amidst the morning light. The light reflects around the streets, precipitating a mirage of colour, from yellow to red, to black as the light reaches my darkened eyes. The shadows cast by the rising sun accumulating in the recesses of my façade, indicating the faux nature of this appearance. A concealed figure, I watch the emotions displayed on the faces of those I observe, the ever-changing expressions. I longed to possess such flexibility in my emotions, I reluctantly admit to my sadness. Hopelessness, the emptiness and despondency. I feel the loneliness and isolation of the solitude, and although I yearn for such reclusive peace and privacy, it simultaneously feeds that of abandonment. For I watch them, yet no individual ever sets eyes upon the recluse. I reflect over years gone by, the sweet scent of nostalgia filling my conscience, a momentary lapse in darkness. I smell the salty darkness, the scent that catches one’s attention in the warm summer’s breeze. I feel the fibres of my existence relax, as I attempt 29 53

to nurture my inner child. Provide the absent nurture of my childhood. However, soon I feel these memories escaping, like sand through one’s fingers. I am questioning the authenticity and validity of these memoirs, perhaps these are merely fabrications of my desires and dreams. Who am I to possess such ignorance to dream? All we dream of is never achieved, and perhaps these past reminiscences are merely unachieved desires. “Watch me. Hear me. Acknowledge me”, a silent plea admits the cold wind. My voice is etched with desperation, a desire for acknowledgement from the oblivious audience that one perceives from above. I acknowledge the selfish nature of my pleas, for I am with all in my life. My upbringing has presented

me with a stage, food and water, the props to my act, the stage directions written in my education, yet an audience eludes me. No response emerges from the labyrinth of streets, no message of acceptance, the silence broken by the shattering of a crystal, falling from my pale visage. I question the silence amongst the city of tongues below me. I breathe slowly, taking comfort in the familiarity of the movement of the stagnant air, as it enters the lungs, filling the body with a cold ambience. Rays of light reflect, into the corner of my sleep-deprived eye, rousing my attention. I turn to see a single glass shard, protruding from the chimney post to the right of me. I walk over examining the red brickwork, a poem carved into it. It read:

For you reading this, a fallen angel like me whose façade hangs loosely, your mistress. You are alone but with company, A cold embrace that this state provides, but human compassion eludes you. The fall interrupted by where we stand now, society mocking the broken. We try to hide our dishevelled wings, our broken plumage in vain. But the vanity of this society, does nothing but exclude the fallen angel. So now a fork in the road lies ahead, a decision that like me you will take. One can continue pretending admits the city of tongues, your audience oblivious to the play. Or follow my lead, complete your fall, and return to Heaven above.

Artwork by Max Foulkes

THE BEACH Article written by

Logan Jones

The sun was still rising on the August morning when the old man sat in front of the house by the seaside and observed the tide. Usually he would not wake so early, but on this morning, for some inexplicable reason, he had done so.

ith his cat curled up on his lap, he watched the waves crawl up the beach, before they fell, exhausted, back down into the sublime blue depths of the ocean. As the light continued to creep over the mountains on the left, he saw it gradually pierce its way into the windows of the still sleeping village that curled round and down the peninsula. In the distance, he saw a young man and woman stroll down the beach, hand in hand. They were little more than vague dots at this point, but he could see their youth in their gaits. He wondered why they were awake so early. There was a gentle chill that morning, so the old man pulled the blanket further over his shoulders. The cat continued to sleep soundly on his lap. The couple were closer now, and their features could be seen more clearly. The old man saw that the man was handsome and sturdy – though not overly bulky – as he had once been, while the woman was petite but striking. They glowed in the lights of the dawn and they laid out a blanket and settled in front of the old man, but at a distance. The young woman waved and smiled, which he returned. “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” she called to him. The young man looked up at who she was talking to, and acknowledged the old man, who nodded. 98

The young man then began to wade out into the water, disturbing the pink, yellow, blue surface. If it was cold, he showed no signs of discomfort. He basked in the golden glory of the morning like a Baptist, or someone to be baptised. The young woman lay propped up on her elbows, watching him. He walked until the water came to his chest, then began to swim towards the horizon. Everything was calm. Not even the seagulls swooping overhead made a sound. All that could be heard were the waves, gently and perpetually rising and falling on the shore, and the light breathing of the cat sleeping soundly on the old man’s lap. He’d seen them before – not them; two like them – many years ago now. They liked to go to the beach and swim in the water, which was cold, but just right for a hot day. Let’s swim out to that rock. See it? Out there. She did not seem daunted by the distance, so they swam. Every time they turned back to look at the beach, the people seemed less real. The land seemed less real. They were so far now, and yet still not at the rock. Soon it was just them, with life teeming underneath them, out in the deep blue, alone. There were no boats and certainly no other swimmers. One would have to be mad to dare go out that far, and they were mad. They could have been the last people alive. It was a significant distance back to the shore, but the waters were calm and there were few waves, if any.

They got to the rock and he climbed onto it, reaching out his hand and helping the girl up as well. Once they were on top of the rock, they sat and looked at the beach, so far away now that it could have been an hallucination. The sun beat down on them, but they did not mind. Life was in their hands and love was in their eyes. He looked at her, and her piercing eyes stared back at him.

whole attic was a trove of memories that had been locked, almost buried, away for longer than the old man cared to think about. Cricket bats, shoes, boxes of old photos – each one hit him like a train and he began to quietly cry. Once he had composed himself, he set to work again looking for the parcel. It was hidden under a box of old Christmas tree lights, and looked almost as pristine as it had all those years ago. The old man picked it up, brushed off the dust and proceeded to take it back outside.

They swam back, but this time in the warmth of late afternoon. It was not usually a time of day he liked, for everything that could be done usually had been, but that didn’t bother him when he was with her. She had the ability to make even the most ordinary of days worth remembering; an infectious charm that made the mundane seem exuberant.

The young man could barely be seen now, but the young woman did not seem at all worried. She was playing with the cat, who was now prostituting itself proudly. When the old man stepped out, both looked around.

People on the beach were bewildered to see them arrive, for they had not seen them leave. To them it seemed they had come out of the ocean. Their towels were still laid out on the beach, where they had left them. The only difference was that upon the young man’s lay a parcel. He caught the eye of an elderly, frail gentleman who nodded at him, archly. The young man picked up his towel, slotted the parcel under his arm, began to take his sweetheart home and said nothing more about the matter. He, now old, had never opened it; not for fear of what might be inside, but for fear of the significance of what might be inside.

“Does she have a name?” the young woman called to the old man, startled by the suddenness of her question. He told her, and she smiled and told him it was her name. Then it was quiet again, while the old man regarded his parcel. “What’s in the box?” the young woman said. The old man paused. “I don’t know,” he replied. “It’s not mine.” “Whose is it?”

The old man was pulled out of his daydream by this memory suddenly. The young man was still swimming for the horizon, his lover still lay on the beach. He got up, disturbing the cat, and left them for a moment while he went to see if he could find that parcel. He decided that the most likely place for it to be was the attic, so he went straight upstairs, pulled down the stepladder and climbed up into the musky darkness. He could not remember the last time he had been in there, for it had certainly been a while; indeed, cobwebs dangled from beams and rafters like frail ghosts. The whole room smelled damp but not unpleasant; an archaic aroma, evocative of so many painful but beautiful things. The

The old man looked up at her, paused, then looked out at the young man, still swimming. If the exercise was at all strenuous, he gave no indication; he moved effortlessly through the water as if he had belonged there his whole life. “He can have it.” The young woman smiled, seemingly unperturbed by the unusual offer. She turned back to the ocean, and they both watched as the young man continued to make for the horizon.

Artwork by John Holroyd

THE BEDFORD SCHOOL INDEPENDENT PROJECT EXTRACTS FROM LOWER SIXTH DISSERTATIONS This year all lower sixth students undertook the BSIP programme. The Bedford School Independent Project is a body of work encompassing various forms of academic extension, and many students chose to submit a dissertation as their final outcome. Of these, selected extracts now follow. These students have produced informative, thoughtful and reflective research-based investigations into areas that are as varied as they are academically challenging.

rank Kupshik undertook a linguistic and historical study of the development of various languages and dialects spoken by the Jewish diaspora, focusing on a comparison between the Sephardim and the JudaeoSpanish language and the Ashkenazi and Yiddish, a Judaeo-German language. In this passage we see an example of the detailed analysis that characterises the essay: “Due to its first appearances in the beginnings of the second millennium, Judaeo-Spanish is very similar to Spanish dialects such as Old Spanish, the only major difference being that while the Old Spanish language was written in Latin Script, Ladino was originally written using Hebrew characters. In comparison to modern day Spanish, many differences are spelling-based and thus only visible in literature and other written works, as the sound remains the same across the two periods of Spanish, however there are also examples where we can see that the sound of words has evolved between when Ladino (and Old Spanish) and modern Spanish were spoken. Below, shows

a sample sentence written in Judaeo-Spanish (in Latin Script), Spanish and then English: La prinsesa, avyendome oido avlar de me vyajes, me demande si yo savia giar una barka, i a mi repuesta segura, eya incho una tinajika de agua La princesa, habiéndome oído hablar de mis viajes, me pregunta si yo sabía girar un barco, y a mi respuesta segura, ella hinchó una tinajita de agua The princess, having heard of my voyages, asked me if I could handle a boat, and at my sure answer, she filled a small jar with water From this short extract, we can spot many differences between the spellings of words in Ladino and in Spanish, even though when spoken they sound the same. One of these differences, which occurs multiple times, is the use of the letter ‘y’ in place of ‘i’ in diphthongs where the stress occurs on the second vowel (see ‘avyendome’ and ‘habiéndome’ or ‘vyajes’ and ‘viajes’ and compare with ‘savia’ and ‘sabía’, where the stress is on the ‘i’ sound). 12031

Articles written by

Mr M Graham (June 2015)

Other differences include the lack of accents in Ladino, since it was originally written using the Hebrew alphabet where accents are not present (compare ‘avyendome’ and ‘habiéndome’); the letter ‘h’ at the beginning of words (compare ‘incho’ and ‘hinchó’) is missing (it would be silent with or without), and there is a small change in diminutives from ‘iko/a’ to ‘ito/a’ (compare ‘tinajika’ with ‘tinajita’). Aside from these specifically linguistic features, the Sephardim replace certain words in Spanish to correspond to Jewish culture and custom. For example, as an ‘s’ suffix on the end of a noun in both Spanish and Hebrew implies that it is plural, the word for God in Ladino is ‘Dio’, whereas in Spanish it is ‘Dios’ (the word ‘Dios’ however is singular and in fact derives from the Latin word for God, ‘deus’). Also, since the Jews and the Christians have different days of rest (it being Saturday for the former and Sunday for the latter), Ladino uses, in place of the Spanish ‘domingo’ meaning Sunday or God’s day, the Arabic word ‘alhat’, meaning ‘one’ (signifying the first day of the week).” Frank also reflects on the impact of more recent historical developments and considers the current status of these

ames Smith tackled a more overtly historical subject, although with clear relevance to a range of other academic disciplines, in his ambitious study of Marx, discussing the statement “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles”. In order to avoid too much crossover with material covered at A Level (this was a feature of the BSIP criteria), James focused on the French Revolution and also accessed a good deal of modern work on the subject of how relevant Marxist theories remain in the twenty-first century. He began by addressing some semantic issues in relation to the class system of late eighteenth century France: 102

language groups alongside their chances of flourishing again in the future: “A revival of use of the language has occurred in ultra-orthodox populations around the world as a native language. As well as this, the war-time generation of native speakers are and have been teaching their descendants Yiddish as both a secondary language and as a trademark of Jewish culture … On the other hand, Ladino has not enjoyed such a revival. Since populations of Ladino speakers were so widely spread, and there were never such dense populations of speakers after 1492, Ladino continues to decline in use as the increasingly small population means that there is less need to speak the language. Sephardic Jews, after their move to Israel, began to learn Hebrew again and thus Hebrew became their primary language. As of now, the youngest native speakers are already in their sixties, since they do not pass down Ladino to their descendants. However, as with Yiddish, some universities and other associations are aiming to maintain and preserve the Ladino language either through courses, music, newspaper articles and even chat rooms, to stop its decline and bring it back as a part of Sephardic culture.”

“Robin suggests that to interpret the revolution as the pinnacle of class struggle between the nobility and the bourgeois, which served to replace feudalism with capitalism, is a fallacy altogether. She interprets the issue from the alternative narrative, where to a greater extent the nobility and the bourgeois had become synonymous. Thus the capitalist system developed through a gradual process and was not a changing of the guard. Rather, it was an alternative system that served much of the same elites. Moreover, the argument can also be made that, despite the natural assumption, not all of the nobility were rich and hence they didn’t all act with hope to resist revolutionary

force during the period. This was in large part due to the fact that the nobility was so vast that many faded into impecunious obscurity – to the extent where some were even unable to raise the modest sums needed for entry to military service. What we are left with is numerous nobility; many were noblesse de race and therefore sitting at the higher end of the aristocracy and alternatively many were anoblis and potentially from a bourgeois background. And some were, despite impressive lineage, struggling to make ends meet. From this narrative, the degree of conflict here appears questionable (at least in the conventional sense).”

“The mechanism of the revolution then, appears an amalgam of several different relationships of class struggle and power manipulation … In terms of the French Revolution, all things considered, the mechanism of the popular revolution itself can be seen to be an intricate web of several different class struggles, including the monarchy versus the commoners,

the nobility versus the bourgeois and the bourgeois against the commoners (as well as everything in-between). The way that these examples of struggle were poised led to the popular revolution which put in place the new constitution. It cannot be emphasised enough how peculiar and intricate the combination of class relationships were that led to the revolution in France. This is in essence sheds some light on the validity of Marx’s statement: if class struggle as a concept must reside in some ultra-rare ‘Goldilocks’ state (‘just right’) to actually achieve change, then surely the entirety of history cannot be based on it. Here lies the usefulness of the Cuban Revolution which demonstrates major change without the major player being class struggle. Overall it boils down to the same factor that has been omnipresent over the duration of this essay: the manipulation of power... Although class struggle, as a concept, often appears more accountable for certain events of history, in the vast majority of cases one of these two circumstances will have occurred: (I) The manipulation of power was the prime cause of the event outright, for example, the Cuban Revolution; (II) The manipulation of power stimulates class struggle which acts as the prime cause of an event, for example, the French Revolution.”

Updating the economics theme, Alex Stammers completed a macroeconomic study into the effects of quantitative easing on the UK economy after its implementation in March 2009. He begins by setting out the context and explains how, following the 2008 financial crisis and the collapse of Lehman Brothers, central banks around the world looked for a radical solution. In the UK the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) implemented Quantitative Easing (QE) with the aim of increasing consumer spending and investment in order to expand aggregate

demand, which in turn would help stabilise the country’s economy. Alex acknowledges the problems associated with such an approach and considers the causes of the ‘credit crunch’, when most consumers were hit with rapidly rising prices as their wage rates remained relatively constant. He also asks whether any alternatives would have been preferable. The main focus of his analysis, though, was to outline what he identified as the many positive aspects of the QE policy, which he argued had resulted in multiple beneficial effects for the UK economy in 2008/2009.

Following a wide-ranging analysis moving beyond France to include the history of modern Cuba and reflections on the recent recession in the USA and Europe, James concluded that, whilst Marx remains relevant, the ‘class’ driver might not be all there is to it:

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These included reduced unemployment, the recovery of GDP, and a reduced need for the kind of extreme austerity and budgetary control measures seen in other countries: “Whilst the UK did experience some aspects of austerity such as public spending cuts and budget cuts for the military, the austerity measures could have been significantly worse if it were not for the implementation of QE. QE stimulates spending in the economy by depressing interest rates and incentivising spending as well as adding to the wealth effect of property. Such spending on its own reduces the need for austerity measures as the economy can spend itself out of the recession without the need for a reduction in spending. The UK economic recovery compared with that of Greece for example large tax increases, along with cuts on government salaries. This shows the stark difference in the austerity measures taken and ultimately QE was the mechanism that allowed the UK to avoid having to take such measures. A recession is not the time to reorganise the economy and try to reduce public debt. Economic growth and recovery should be paramount and then public debt can be reduced once the economy is back on track. Therefore we are able to see the importance of QE as a tool to reduce the need for austerity measures which could have severely worsened the economy in 2009.” Upon assessing other effects and consequences, Alex concludes: “As with any economic policy, QE has both positive and negative effects for the economy. The extent to which QE is positive or negative is debatable. There is a strong argument over

dam Johnston carried out an extensive study into our understanding of nutrition and its impact on athletes. In a striking and well-argued opening section, Adam strikes a controversial yet 104

how effective QE can be and many economists still debate its effectiveness and whether the MPC’s monetary policy can actually be called QE. However, despite this fierce debate, it is clear that the policy of QE had some real effects on the UK economy and particularly the economic recovery post-2008. Arguably QE acted like an emergency panic button for the MPC in 2008. Having cut the base interest rate to an all-time low of 0.5% there was little else that they could do in relation to interest rates to stimulate the economy. The Bank of England had to turn to the unconventional strategy of QE in order to save the crashing economy. The decision to implement QE was crucial to prevent an even more severe long-term recession. The effect of QE was to introduce some liquidity back into the paralysed banking sector which enabled the economy to begin to trade again as the banks were able to lend money once more. The knock on effects of this lending led to firms and consumers being able to continue to trade and spend, which was critical to the economic recovery of the country. The by-products of QE are undesirable, such as a degree of inflation which may harm the standard of living of a number of people through the constriction on savings returns. However, with regard to long-term economic stability and recovery QE is useful as it stimulates growth and tries to prevent a liquidity crisis for the integral financial sector. For these reasons Quantitative Easing has been an important and viable economic policy for the UK following the 2008 financial crash despite the problems it can present.”

timely note in warning of the likely health effects of shifts in global eating patterns originating several decades ago in the US: “This shift in direction for the food industry has gradually led to such a change in the way food is

prepared and sold, that most of the food eaten in the industrialised countries is substantially different now from the food eaten just fifty years ago. The entire structure of farming has changed and food can now be produced that is both nutritious and capable of staying fresh for a very long time. The global food industry has been built upon these ‘improvements’ and it is now normal to expect food preparation to take only a matter of minutes. At the same time society has changed and the way we eat has also changed substantially. People have demanded ever faster and more accessible food to complement the way we live our lives. The food industry has played its part and recognised the ever-increasing demand for sweet food, by gradually increasing the amount of sugar it contains. This has taken place while the health messages have continued to demonise dietary fat and the ever increasing number of obese people has been blamed on our sedentary and lazy lifestyle. However apart from having much more appealing food the incidence of heart disease has continued to rise and has been joined by the increase of other deadly diseases such as diabetes, cancer and dementia, all of which are still increasing today. Consequently, the cost of health care in the USA has spiralled out of control and in Britain the situation is almost as bad, with the NHS being close to the stage where it is failing to provide the service that is expected.”

his selection concludes with some wonderfully evocative writing from Jim Cooper, who sought to evaluate how far Mahler’s assertion that “a symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything” is true in his First Symphony. Jim opens by admitting the subjective nature of all attempts to interpret music before going on to offer his own take on the first movement, Frühling und kein Ende (Spring and No End):

In addition to assessing event dietary trends, Adam also focuses heavily on the links between our understanding of nutrition and its impact on sporting performance. On a personal level I was interested to read of the psychological and physiological effects of caffeine and this preceded a more extensive discussion of carbohydrates, yeast, fruit and vegetable juices, immunity-boosting probiotics and supplements such as L-Carnitine, the ethical implications for athletes also being discussed. The dissertation closes with some useful words of advice for prospective athletes and some thought-provoking conclusions on the impact of diet on general health and wellbeing: “Overall, what have we learnt? We’ve learnt that our current lifestyles aren’t as healthy as we thought they were with everything we eat having high amounts of sugar in it. Our recent ancestors made a colossal mistake in their research and have sent our world into disarray, increasing obesity and the number of diseases we now suffer from because they made sugar such a big part of our lives. Sugar is more deadly to the body than we could have ever believed and it is fats which give us our energy and keep our cells healthy. We also know that, genetically, we are all different and therefore can react differently to each situation. However, now it has been proven that fat can be beneficial and carbohydrates are definitely not, it is easier to make good choices.”

“Music is often used to explore abstract ideas. Certain sounds become associated with certain emotions, places, animals and people. For example, we associate the woodwind section of the orchestra with pastoral, calming scenes whereas the brass section is usually used to depict conflict or triumph. Different sounds mean different things to different people. It is important to remember this as Mahler’s First Symphony can be interpreted in many 105

different ways. One’s thoughts on any piece of music are heavily influenced by what other music one has heard. My thoughts on this work are a product of my own experiences, and not necessarily what Mahler intended or what his original audience thought. The first movement is Mahler’s interpretation of creation. The impression of a vast empty space is created by strings playing the note A across seven octaves ranging from the lowest A in the double basses to the highest A played by the violins using harmonics. The tempo is static, with no parts moving, and the dynamics are very quiet. It is as if this bare, empty sound world is waiting to be filled with harmony, just like the universe was waiting to be filled with life. Many composers employ the same technique at the opening of compositions. Thomas Adès starts the third movement of Asyla (1997) with similarly slow, high, string octaves. Adès uses this to convey the feeling of slowly waking up with a hangover as the senses begin to stir and your eyes begin to open. In a similar way, Mahler uses this technique to show the world beginning to wake up as life is slowly introduced to a dormant, lifeless landscape.” Also especially striking is the analysis of the final movement, Dall’ Inferno al Paradiso (From the Inferno to Paradise): “The final movement begins with what Mahler describes as a “sudden outburst… of despair of a deeply wounded and broken heart”. A cymbal crash is followed by a loud, fortissimo chord from the entire woodwind section and the highest brass instruments. This snarling chord conveys the pain and anguish of hell (“Inferno” in the title is a reference to Dante’s “Inferno”, the first part of “Divine Comedy” which

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is followed by “Pergatorio” and “Paradiso”). A descending chromatic triplet motif is used heavily in this section, symbolising the terror of hell. This music is unnerving yet exciting for the audience. Mahler shows us his first representation of hell with ferocity and passion … The final chorale theme that Mahler uses to give the ending a victorious, united feeling is a variation on the original theme from the very beginning of the first movement. This gives the piece a sense of unity, suggesting that things tend to finish how they began and that nothing ever changes. Mahler could also be portraying man’s development from its humble beginnings to this final victorious, unified hymn tune.” In concluding, it is claimed that Mahler does indeed leave little unsaid in his First Symphony and the analysis would seem to bear this out. From Frank Kupshik’s historical-linguistic study of Jewish languages and James Smith’s bold analysis of Marxist theory through to the timely relevance and thoughtprovoking arguments of Adam Johnston’s study of nutrition and Alex Stammers’ analysis of Quantitative Easing, these BSIP dissertations have set the bar high for next year’s Lower Sixth. In his closing thoughts Jim Cooper encapsulates much of what it is that makes great music resonate down through the generations, and this seems a suitably profound note upon which to end: “This work truly encompasses every aspect of the world: its creation and its destruction, life and death, the trivial and the important, heaven and hell. By removing the restrictions of a programmatic title, Mahler allows us to consider all of the facets of his work, rather than just one idea.”

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