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Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal a deeper or hidden truth... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to... read full definition
Chapter 46: The Cockpit
Explanation and Analysis—Blessed Be The Vice:
In Chapter 46, Rizal describes a cockfight that happens in San Diego on Sunday afternoons. Rizal describes the paradoxical way in which this immoral event, filled with animal cruelty and gambling, in fact is beneficial for the city:
On one side is a door, which is usually guarded by a woman charged with collecting the sa pintú, or the entry fee. From this contribution, which everyone puts in, the government is entitled to one part, several hundred pesos a year. They say that with this money, through which vice pays for its own freedom, they erect magnificent schools, build bridges and sidewalks, and establish awards to encourage agriculture and commerce . . . Blessed be the vice that produces such good results!
The narrator describes how the entry fee is heavily taxed by the government. And, at least according to the government, those taxes are used on public works projects like "magnificent schools," "bridges and sidewalks," as well as funding subsidies for businesses. (This is rather dubious, as Ibarra's long quest for a new school indicates that the government exaggerates how much tax money goes to education.) This provokes an oxymoronic sentiment: "Blessed be the vice that produces such good results!" Gambling and cockfighting support public goods, and they are thus "blessed" despite being a vice. In all, this is a fairly ridiculous situation: the government keeps illicit gambling rings open under the guise that they are being heavily taxed for public goods, while in fact still underfunding schools. Rizal's oxymoron uses dry humor to show government dysfunction in the Philippines.
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