Estelle - In the Trenches

Embarrassed by the weakness of my body, painfully, I perch on the side of the cardboard seat alongside my other fellow friends (squashed like a ton of sardines). Surrounded by the protective barbed wire, I hear deafening bombs in the nearby distance. Why am I here? Dreaming, up in the menacing night sky, flakes of pure white snow elegantly drifts through the suffocating black blanket. Situated by the bleeding bodies, screams of irritation creates echoes through the bleak trenches. Beneath the crumbly soil, my predators: the rats scurry beneath my feet, feeding on my thick blood. Alarmed about whether I would return home, I carefully think about my past friends who suddenly died in vain. Why didn't I? Why did they leave me behind? Thoughts of death fill my head, tears of fear run down my cheeks and my slender hands start to tremble. I suddenly notice the deep snow suffocating the fresh green grass.

Bravely, I apprehensively climb the never-ending trench ladder, briskly remembering that it is Christmas Day and no need to dispute. Gingerly, I raise my hands and gradually parade towards the enemies. Out of the blue, the gleaming sun beams through the thick clouds and the depressing clouds depart, showing the vast blue sky. I use my ripped football to play a game. Hope and love fill the atmosphere and hatred disappears into thin air. A wave of hours of playing and smiles until the cannon goes off and the worthless war begins again. BANG! BANG!

Nazifa - In the Trenches

Here I stand, all alone, just my loyal crew to keep me company. As I stand waiting for this madness to end, I feel the air getting thicker, the blizzard getting stronger whilst I think about my doting family. Why was I picked? Why is this happening to me? I take someone’s life away everyday in this war, yet I still don’t know why. These filthy, treacherous trenches are freezing like Antarctica; cramped and crowded like a tin of sardines and I can hear blood curdling screams in the near distance . Repulsive rats lurk in the shadows of the trenches feasting on dead bodies every night.

Suddenly, I start thinking enough is enough! Why can’t we be friends on Christmas? Christmas is all about being festive and jolly. Before it was a blanket of snow   harshly suffocating the ground, however, now it looks like a sprinkle of icing sugar hugging the top of a cake. Being free from the catastrophic clouds, the sun conquers it’s fear by coming out into the day. Everyone is lively and cheering as we play football using our coats as goals and our crew as the fans. A wave of hope washes over my body until the cannon goes off, starting worthless war once again. BANG! BANG!

 

Biography - William Shakespeare

by Osman

William Shakespeare was born on the 23rd April (St. George’s Day), in 1564 in Stratford. He attended school at Stratford grammar and his father, John Shakespeare, who was the mayor of Stratford, believed that is was important to have an education. Shakespeare, who was inspired to become an actor at the age of 5, became an actor.

William Shakespeare, an amazing actor, got married at the age of 18 to a lady called Anne Hathaway in 1582. They had three children. Susanna was born in 1885 and the two other children, who were twins were called Hamnet and Judith. After the marriage, Shakespeare went to London with other actors. However, he realised that he was more talented at writing plays and sonnets than acting! When he started writing, he wrote a play called Henry V and that was the first ever play to be performed at The Globe Theater so many people went. In 1593, a terrible plague hit London and killed thousands of people. This tragically caused to shut all theaters down in London.

In London, the Globe Theater was introduced in 1598. To many people, it looked like a cross between a doughnut and a 50p! The Globe Theatre was different to our theaters. There were ‘groundlings’ and ‘sheltered tiers’. The sheltered tiers sat in seats with shelter and get pomanders to cover up the stinky smell. The plays that were played there were Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Henry V and many more. In 1613,the Globe Theater burnt down caused by an exploding cannon. Devastatingly, it burnt down the thatched roof.

Sadly, on the 23rd April 1616, his birthday, he died in a pub toilet. He was buried at a Holy Trinity Church. In his lifetime, he wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. He gave his property to his grandsons and rudely gave his wife the second best bed! . It is believed that if you remove his body he will put a curse on you! In 1997, a replica of the Globe Theater was built as a way to remember this incredible man.