Humour, Prose

Living with Mathematics

by Siddiq Islam Mathematics is a rare but serious condition that not many know about, and yet, it may be quietly affecting many of your friends at university. It is often caused by a degree in mathematics, and it gives rise to many symptoms, ranging from minor to debilitating. The condition is characterised by a […]

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Prose

A Century of Wave–Particle Duality

by Andrew Boothroyd What makes a good PhD thesis? One hundred years ago, Louis-Victor de Broglie completed a 70-page doctoral thesis in which he proposed that electrons, and by extension all matter, have an associated wave. Within a year or two, de Broglie’s conjecture was to become one of the central ideas of quantum theory, […]

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Creative Writing, Prose, Puzzle

Century Puzzle

by Siddiq Islam In wishing The Poor Print a happy one-hundredth issue, I submit a puzzle of unwarranted length (sorry). The aim of the puzzle is to highlight the ambiguity of relationships and the conclusions to which we jump. As you read, check the assumptions you make along the way, remember the information you receive […]

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Culture, Prose

AULT: Reflecting on the Future of Architecture

by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understandings. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into […]

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Editorial

A Word from the Editors: Century

by Siddiq Islam Now that one hundred Poor Prints have come and gone, what better a time for us editors to reflect on our time with this wonderful student publication. The Poor Print for me represents not only a physical newspaper, but the courage and talent with which Oriel students share their writing and art […]

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Comment, Prose

The Peculiar World of a Scientist

by Maria Kyriazi Imagine yourself. It’s past 9pm on a
Friday night, and you’re sitting in a room full of microscopes, dim light, almost completely dark, listening to the gurgling noises of the computer and the microscope. The building seems empty, but you know that there are still about ten or fifteen more people hiding behind […]

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Comment, Prose

SENECA LVCILIO SVO SALVTEM

by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood If I had a hundred mouths and a
hundred tongues, I would not even be able to begin to speak of the evils of take-away coffee. Shall I first say how this habit enslaves man, or how a man is a liar if he practises it? Ah, in the same way that […]

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Humour, Poetry

Nocowley Road

by Siddiq Islam I wander down to Cowley Road
To see where all the cows are stowed,
But when I find no cows are there,
They tell me I should look elsewhere. ‘How rubbishly they named’, I muse,
‘A cow-named road where no cow moos,’
But on I trudge to find the cattle,
My own, determined, bovine battle. I think to […]

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Culture, Fashion, Prose

AULT: Voyage in Our Vertical Space

by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understandings. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into […]

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Comment, Prose

Evolution, Eugenics and Euthanasia

by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood I will begin with the premise. Then, with painstaking care, I will draw out some conclusions. I hope that you disagree with the conclusions; I’m sure you’ll be shocked by some. But then, why? Is it because the premise is wrong, or because the argumentation is flawed? At what point?  You […]

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Art, Culture, Prose

AULT: Mastering the Craft

by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me).
AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understanding. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into it. […]

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Comment, Prose

The Elephant in the Room

by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood A habit is a quality of the soul which disposes us to certain acts; a virtue is a good habit which dis— … woah woah woah, hold on a second … soul?! Aren’t humans, like, the product of millions of years of evolution or something? How can we sincerely claim that […]

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Prose

Hindsight Is a Horrible Thing

by Anonymous Strolling I was, down the soft dunes
of a sea-facing shore. A man squatted, staring out at the susurrous undulations before him. His eyes glowed like pearls, his skin fair and spotless. His cheeks proudly rose out from dark hairs around his chin. How beautiful a beard can be on a man. And he […]

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Art, Culture, Prose

AULT: Must Good Art Involve Pain?

by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me).
AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understanding. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into it. […]

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Humour, Prose

‘Dear Beary …’ [24]

by Beary McBearface Hello there! My name’s Beary, one of the giant teddy bears who hang out in the JCR – I’m the brown one; my purple counterpart is John Henry. As The Poor Print’s self-anointed agony aunt, I’m here to help you with any troubles you’re facing. Please send me your college (or general) worries, […]

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Prose

Pursue Pleasure

by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood I’m a raging hedonist, As hedy as can be. You’ve never met a man who loves Pleasure more than me. Never ever I tell Thee! Let me assume, that you, like me, wish to live the most pleasurable existence possible. It seems to me, that since this is the ultimate aim […]

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Editorial, Prose

A Word from the Editors: Realism

by Siddiq Islam REALISM – late 18th century:
from real + -ism, after German Realismus Realism is humans’ attempt at capturing the world around them in a ‘realistic’ way. The word applies itself in many contexts, from the art world, where painters try to depict natural objects as accurately as possible rather than the more symbolic […]

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Culture, Music, Music score, Prose

Realism Unleashed:
Sonic Choreography

by Alessandro MacKinnon-Botti Embrace sonic realism through Sonic Choreography: use your body’s movements to create a living auditory canvas that captures the everyday. Sonic Choreography is an innovative way to express everyday realism. Your visual map becomes a musical score, translating the everyday into a unique auditory performance. For instance, once the idea has been […]

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Comment, Prose

Realism Resurgent: Lessons from Ukraine

by Anna Bartlett In 2023 there are more state-based conflicts than in any other year since the end of World War Two. Is this a return to realism or a signal of a new era of conflict? One of the oldest approaches to global politics, realism in international relations highlights the primacy of state self […]

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Art, Culture, Prose

AULT: Limitless

by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus some of our minds,
re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understandings. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how
we as students, citizens, and humans fit into […]

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College, Music, Prose, Reviews

October Champagne Concert 2023: A Review

by Jerric Chong As you will undoubtedly have gleaned from the grey, hulking buildings occupying the northern half of Oriel’s usually picturesque Second Quad, the Senior Library is out of commission as one of the nicest spaces to study in Oxford, instead awaiting its conversion into a temporary dining facility while the hall closes (for […]

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Humour, Prose

Origin

by Kilian King The JCR President and porter looked at each other, then back at the gently smoking crater in front of them, then at each other again. After an awkward silence, the porter cleared his throat and looked at her impatiently. ‘Are you not even going to try and explain yourself?’ he asked, in […]

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Editorial, Prose

A Word from the Editors: Origin

by Jerric Chong ORIGIN – early 16th century:
from French origine, from Latin origo, origin-,
from oriri ‘to rise’. [Oxford Languages] So here you are at last, donning your sub fusc and gown and traipsing up the steps of the Sheldonian with hundreds of others to hear some unintelligible Latin muttered at you, before filing out into […]

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Culture, Music, Prose

Renaissance Reminiscence

by Hani Ali You may, or may not, know about Beyoncé’s recent five-day stint in London for her Renaissance World Tour. If you weren’t aware, I may be tempted to ask you ‘what rock have you been living under?’ Five nights, three hours, sixty thousand attendees per night – Beyoncé’s first world tour in seven […]

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Creative Writing, Prose

After Belbroughton: Jude Bellingham and I

by Ben Nolan Extract from the New York Times bestselling autobiography of 24 June – the afternoon of 24 June 2022. Former football star Ben Nolan shares his experience of meeting his co-star Jude Bellingham in the long years after their Belbroughton debut. What follows is a tale of broken promises, sprained ankles, and strained […]

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Culture, Prose, Reviews

The Importance of Being Earnest: A Review

by Emily Lazell-Taylor ‘Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else 
should bring one anywhere?’ The annual Oriel College Summer 
Garden Play this year was the performance of one of Oscar Wilde’s greatest works – The Importance of Being Earnest. Having studied the play for my English Literature A-Level course and been captivated by Wilde’s genius ever since, […]

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Culture, Prose

Nostalgic Movie List

by David Akanji From all-time classics to trashy child-hood highlights. Indulge your older and wiser self in some throwback flicks, whether it’s Samuel L. Jackson reciting scripture or Amanda Bynes toppling the sporting patriarchy.rom all-time classics to trashy child-hood highlights. Indulge your older and wiser self in some throwback flicks, whether it’s Samuel L. Jackson […]

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Comment, Prose

A Word from the Editors: Summer

by Jerric Chong And so we arrive (as Oxford students have always done and always will do until the day of judgement come) at the end of another academic year, accompanied by the ever-gradual turning-up of the summer heat. As is traditional, our last issue of the year is dedicated to looking back, reminiscing about […]

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Prose

The Poor Print: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

by Michael Angerer The very first issue of The Poor Print was published in Trinity term 2013. To celebrate our tenth birthday, we’ve asked past Poor Printers
to provide retrospective editorials on their time with the newspaper. Here, Michael Angerer reflects on his time as an executive editor from 2017 to 2019. Ten years of The […]

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Humour, Prose

‘Dear Beary …’ [23]

by Beary McBearface Hello there! My name’s Beary, one of the giant teddy bears who hang out in the JCR – I’m the brown one; my purple counterpart is John Henry. As The Poor Print’s self-anointed agony aunt, I’m here to help you with any troubles you’re facing. Please send me your college (or general) […]

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Culture, Prose, Reviews

Sisyphus House: A Review

by Sam Hardaker Subtitled a ‘time bending rom-com’, the student-run Sisyphus House touched a nostalgic and sentimental nerve. Written by Abbie Nott and Megan Bruton, the new play had a unique and fresh voice, both loving and honest, truthful and fantastical, and Sisyphus House was able to transform a rather grey Thursday and my rather […]

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Humour, Prose

‘Dear Beary …’ [22]

by Beary McBearface Hello there! My name’s Beary, one of the giant teddy bears who hang out in the JCR – I’m the brown one; my purple counterpart is John Henry. As The Poor Print’s self-anointed agony aunt, I’m here to help you with any troubles you’re facing. Please send me your college (or general) […]

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Culture, Music, Prose, Reviews

Champagne Concert: A Review

by Jerric Chong We at Oriel are quite privileged indeed to be able to listen to an extraordinarily broad range of live music. Even discounting the superb ensembles and performers of every genre who can be heard across the city and university, Oriel is fortunate to be able to put on a wide array of […]

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Humour, Music, Prose

A Sophisticated Analysis of Sadomasochism and Cannibalism in Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ ft. Snoop Dogg (2010)

by Anonymous The heavy psychoanalytical undertones of Katherine Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ has been the subject of much scholarly attention in recent years, as has the Oedipal complexity that dominates the lyrics. However, less well documented is the gastronomic and culinary imagery which pervades the song both lyrically and videographically. This, coupled with a recognition of […]

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Prose

The Poor Print: Ten Years On

by Monim Wains The very first issue of The Poor Print was published in Trinity Term 2013. To celebrate our tenth birthday, we’ve asked past Poor Printers to provide retrospective editorials on their time with the newspaper. Here, Monim Wains reflects on his time as an executive editor from 2019 to 2022. I think I […]

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