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Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—All is Fair in Debate:
Mr. M parodies a common turn-of-phrase in Act 1, Scene 1:
As the saying goes, all is fair in love, war and debating.
Mr. M takes the idiom "all is fair in love and war" and adds "debating" to the end in order to assure Thami that attempting to appeal to the loyalty of his classmates in order to win the debate was not wrong. However, Mr. M continues that he was quite glad Thami's tactics did not result in his victory and that, instead, the most persuasive argument won the day.
The parodied idiom emphasizes the lighthearted nature of the debate, which is an attempt to bring together the two schools as much as anything else. However, the debate between Isabel and Thami is a precursor to the social unrest that follows, both in that it prompts arguments between Isabel and Thami but also in that the idiom illustrates Mr. M's strong belief in the power of reason. Mr. M thinks that education is powerful because it gives young people the ability to reason, and reason well. While all might be fair in love, war, and debate, Mr. M wants well-articulated rationality to win out in the end, in both debate and (more importantly) in life.
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