The Submarine

Submarine -your voice-

Michaelmas 2020

Note from the editors: After a long term, I’m sure we are all looking forward for our holidays, no matter which holiday we celebrate. This term, The Submarine is full of all kinds of fantastic work, written with care and thought. They are an indicator of the eort gone into this term and of a college body persevering through these unusual circumstances and still providing fantastic written pieces and artworks alike. As editors, we have enjoyed reading and editing the pieces this term, and we hope you enjoy reading them as well. We look forward for next term.

Avi and Edna Johnston

Maybelle Rainey, Form VI

Night Scene The moonlight shines through the trees and makes a dotted pattern of light that reaches into my room with its long spindly fingers, trying to find my eyes. Interrupting the quiet comes my dog, with her snoring like a small engine that is not quite managing to start. I gently stroke her fur to stop her.

I continue to read my book, getting satisfaction out of watching the pages turn as I finish one and flip to the next page. The soft light from my lamp is in a fierce battle against the regiments of darkness that have laid siege to the night. Waiting for those inside to give in to its embrace. I will not give in to it, I have yet to give in to sleep on this night.

I hear the quiet conversations from my parents in the room above me. These are the only hours that they can talk without my sister and I there to interrupt. Occasionally a tractor roars down the road, breaking the iron grip of silence that the night holds on the world. I do not know the reason why they have to work so late but I respect them for it.

Suddenly, the cat hops up on the window sill and stares at me with his big, shiny eyes until I shoo him away. He is a strange creature, one minute he will love you, the next he is trying to mutilate your hand.

The moon gets higher in the sky, taunting me with his light. Something outside rustles. I turn off my light and freeze. What was that noise? It happens again for longer and I see the trees sway. It was only the wind in the leaves.

I am getting tired. I am close to sleep.

I… must not…give...In.

Alexander Fought, Form II.

Sveva Ciofani, Form VI

Author Talk: Dave Rudden On Monday 19th October, all of the boarders and most day pupils in Form 1 had a Zoom talk with Dave Rudden in the BSR! Dave Rudden is an Irish author and writes books for 11-14 year olds, his books are based in Ireland and on his childhood experiences. Some of his books such as ‘Knights of the Borrowed Dark’, ‘The Forever Court’ and ‘The Endless King’ are on display in our school library. His preferred style of writing combines horror, comedy, fiction and mischief.

He loves video games and even showed us his gaming set-up and told us he prefers PS4 over Xbox. He also told us about how his wife has a ‘go bag’ and keeps an axe in it in case of a zombie apocalypse, and he showed us some fanart, which we all laughed at a bit because he was making jokes about his beard.

My impression of him was that he was a very funny person and definitely enjoyed talking to us as much as we enjoyed talking to him. He told us how to start writing your own books and how to tell if you're interested in writing them. He asked us lots of questions to get us talking to him and I really enjoyed it. It was such a great experience and I hope after the coronavirus calms down, he can come into us and we can talk to him in person!

India Hassett, Form I.

Julia Kaptein, Form VI

Film review: Inception Because of its release during the pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet became the most talked about film of 2020. Here, Archie McKeever reviews one of Nolan’s most famous films, Inception.

In a world full of sequels, spinoffs and remakes, Inception is a truly original take on the action genre, and it took director Christopher Nolan a supposed ten years to write. With its excellent score produced by Hans Zimmer and Oscar-winning cinematography, it has all the right ingredients to create a one-of-a-kind film.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a man who operates corporate espionage to the highest degree, as he has the ability to enter the dreams of other men and steal their ideas. In order to end his forced exile from America and return to his family, he is recruited by a rich man named Saito to implant an idea into a rival’s mind so convincingly that he will believe it is his. This operation is named ‘Inception’ and has never been done before as ‘true’ inspiration is impossible to fake’.

Inception does a genuinely and difficult thing, creating a truly memorable, mind-bending film which racked up numerous awards. The usual fast tempo of Nolan’s films keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout, and with the characters diving ever deeper into the dream levels, he creates a truly immersive cinema experience.

Inception is a film that you need to watch many times to fully grasp and appreciate, with its buckets of hidden details and Easter eggs hidden throughout the screenplay that only the keenest viewers will pick up.

Following his critically-acclaimed Batman trilogy, Nolan does not disappoint, creating a screenplay which is both filled with emotion and teeming with exciting action and an unpredictable plot.

Archie McKeever, Form II.

Carlotta Laudien, Form VI

Guilt, Amnesia and the Subconscious Mind A guilt-ridden American veteran who fought in Vietnam attempts suicide. He survives but is diagnosed with serious dementia which slowly eats away at his memories. Recovering in a hospital, and left with only a few memories, he has become quite child-like. At the time of the scene the only memories the soldier remembers are from his very early childhood. The soldier has been unconscious for a month since the incident.

(A nurse comes to check on the veteran. She puts her hand on his head to check for temperature. The soldier’s infantile mind awakens and he imagines himself in a dark room lying on a bed. A dark spectre appears beside him. It resembles his nine-year-old self.)

Ghost - Do You know me?

(A blanket appears and the soldier hides behind it not questioning where it came from, as if it was always there.)

Veteran - You’re me, but you’re not me. Go away!

Ghost - Do you remember what you have done? Why you are here?

Veteran - No, I don’t want to; go away!

Ghost - You must, if not willingly then I will force you.

Veteran - No, no. I’m scared. Please, no.

(The veteran crawls backwards in his bed, covers his face and begins to lightly sob. The ghost reaches out its hand and places it on the veteran’s forehead. The ghost has pulled the veteran’s consciousness into one of his buried memories. The veteran opens his eyes. An inferno wreaks havoc around him. There are men, women, children screaming. He is still in his bed but in a small clearing, the forest around him set ablaze.)

Veteran - I’m scared. It’s hot, it’s bright. Where am I? Ghost - Do you remember yet?

Veteran - No, no I don’t. Bring me home.

Ghost - I cannot take you back until you remember, then you can choose your fate.

Veteran - I remember nothing. I can’t focus. I feel helpless. I feel empty; floating through an abyss. I don’t feel right, like a visitor in someone else’s body. I feel scared. I feel like I’m dying, but I remember nothing. I remember nothing. I remember nothing. Help me.

Ghost - Only you can help yourself.

(In the veteran’s mind, an eternity passes; there is no real way to know how much time had actually passed. It hits him in an instant, his memories have returned.)

Veteran - I remember.

(The ghost touches the soldier’s forehead once more and they are back in the imaginary dark room. The ghost no longer has a physical body; it is now the darkness that encompasses him.)

Veteran - I wanted to remember, but I now want to forget.

Ghost - I can help with that.

Veteran - Please.

(The camera cuts back to the nurse, her hand is still on his forehead.)

Nurse - Oh no!

(The nurse hurriedly exits the room. Cuts to the next scene. The doctor is in a room with the veteran’s children who now have children of their own.)

Doctor - I’m sorry but it seems your father has passed away. One of our nurses was checking on him, when in that instance he had passed away. His heart ceased to work. It seems his heart forgot how to work.

Florian Zitzmann, Form IV.

Eliot Tschierschwitz, Form VI

This House Would Fine People Who Do Not Vote In National Elections

(for)

In many countries around the world, voting is an option or choice. In Ireland, for example, citizens get to decide whether they would like to vote in a national election. In others, like Australia, it is very much mandatory to do your part and vote. The punishment for not voting is as little as $15 or as much as having your bank account frozen. These countries recognise that democracy doesn’t work if a large portion of the population doesn’t vote. To enforce democracy, a system which I believe we can all agree is vital for the well-being of society, voting should be law.

Making voting mandatory is the best way to make politicians focus on the whole public, not just the upper-class population. As we know, the majority of people that vote are from upper and middle class families . This means that politicians and government officials are more geared towards them and their interests. The people who are less likely to vote are the people that are forgotten - the poor, less educated and homeless. Since they do not turn up to vote, the political parties do not tend to their needs, thus creating a vicious circle of further isolation. By making them vote, the major political parties are forced to take notice of them and this would reduce political favouritism. People may begin to take elections and candidates more seriously as they will be more inclined to become proactive in making a government that will appeal to the whole population, not just smaller groups.

As well as this, people would be more encouraged to stay informed and engage in politics if they have to vote. This may lead to an increase in education levels in countries. If people are obliged to vote in National Elections then they are most likely to want to make the most of their votes, meaning that they would want to educate themselves further to ensure that they make the right choice. Often it is the children under the legal voting age that are most informed about current affairs. The responsibility to drive change should not always rest with them. We must push the older generations to actively participate in the politics that will determine the wellbeing of our environment, economy and people.

Georgina Stewart, Form V

In the past, people have fought, campaigned and died for us to have the ability to vote in national elections. It is a civic duty and following that and taking the opportunities that have been placed before us is only right. Going to the polls and choosing your favourite party, or expressing your views barely takes any time and it is free so really why wouldn't you do it? Voting would actually save a lot of money. Whether we want to admit it or not, money plays a very large role in politics. If we made voting mandatory there would be no need for politicians to be backed by billionaires that fund their campaigns. If everyone had to vote, politicians would be able to spend less time persuading voters to actually go to the polls and more time expressing their ideas and key issues.

Mandatory voting has been seen as successful across the globe more times than once. Australia has had compulsory voting since 1924 and if you don’t turn up or send in a ballot you are ďŹ ned $20. Everyone over 18 must vote unless you have a valid reason for not doing so. This results in over 94% of the eligible voting population participating. This may result in higher trust in their country’s government because they chose it.

Voting is much more than a right, it is a responsibility. If we want our country to be united in sharing this great civic responsibility, then we must do what we can to get everyone to the polls on election day.

Form IV.

Eliz Kolat, Form VI

Democracy in America Democracy in America isn’t like democracy everywhere else. Every other democratic country in the world operates with a very simple system. The candidate with the most votes wins. That’s real democracy, right? So what’s America’s system? It’s called the electoral college. Each state has a certain amount of ‘electoral votes’, numbers ranging from three in some mid-western states to 55 in California, and when a candidate wins in a state, all of those electoral votes go to that candidate, rendering useless any votes for the other party in that state.

A republican has not won the popular vote in the U.S. since George W Bush was elected in 1988, but since then there have been twelve years of republican presidents. So how can someone who has not won the popular vote be in charge? And how is that a proper democracy?

Joe Biden won the popular vote by over five million in the 2020 U.S. presidential election this November. He received the largest amount of votes of any presidential candidate in history, with over 70 million votes.

Surely that should have been the defining factor that secured him his seat in the oval office in January 2021, right? Yet it wasn’t. But if two republican dominated states were worth more votes, he wouldn’t be president. This is why I don’t think there is proper democracy in the U.S. Shannon Walker, Form II.

Aeladh Bradley-Brady, Form II

Hedley Butler, Form II

Bernsburger Wiesen About one and a half kilometres north of my grandmother’s home, there is an area called Bernsburger Wiesen, which when translated means ‘the fields, the meadows and grasses of Bernsburger’. They are located somewhere in the middle of Hesse, and might seem pretty boring at first glance, but to me, they are the exact opposite. When walking the trail to the right, one can see a forest stretching out for miles. It is mostly comprised of pines, spruces and cedars but there are also larches, oaks and ashes dotted in-between. To the left, meadows cross hilly landscapes. Occasionally, one can spot typically German half-timbered houses.

This place is special to me in every season. In spring, flowers begin to grow in various colours by the footpath, birds compete with their songs and the sun fills the atmosphere with glimmering hope. In summer, the haystacks are piled up. The still air is interrupted by the sounds of tractors and insects humming, and during the early evening hours, two mating deer chase each other over the bridge between the forest and the field. With autumn’s arrival, the setting sun makes colours glow and a cold breeze announces harsher times ahead. In winter, if one is lucky, the meadows are covered with snow and tree branches hang under its weight. A certain stillness emphasises the expanse of this special place.

Regardless of the weather or season, and even in November when it’s rainy and cold, this is the place where I find peace and serenity. Sometimes it feels like time almost stops. I have had the best conversations with my mother here. I have seen my dog jump up on a haystack for the first time here. I have tasted wild berries sweeter than anything else here. And I have seen nature taking its course here. It is inexplicably beautiful, timeless.

Gloria Rose, Form V.

Lola Garofano, Form VI

Thank you for reading this edition of the Submarine.

And a big thank you to all the teachers who helped us get the magazine out this term.

Tita Schack, Form VI