Prompt #1 Extra Credit Assignment
Flatland Essay :)
Throughout the novel Flatland, the author, Edwin Abbott, uses a variety of shapes and figures to distinguish the difference in social status along with gender superiority. Abbott implies multiple hints of social criticism and satire to portray a multitude of perspectives on the difference in social rankings along with authoritative figures while using mathematical allegory to relate the story to a time in which he was living in.
The world that the author creates in the book is composed of a rigid social structure, which was a satire of the world of Abbott's day which was in the 1880s. In the flat world, there could only be two dimensional figures. These are polygons, which …show more content…
Even though Abbott doesn’t directly state it, this is the equation for the volume of a 3-D object, which the Square comes to discover. The Square had discovered a new dimension through his visions, and was eager to share this with other places he visits. These visions definitely do not prepare the Square enough for the visit from a sphere from the land of three dimensions. At first he rejects the sphere, and actually tries to attack him for invading his world and attempting to change his views by teaching him about the third dimension. Finally, the Sphere pulls the Square from his plane and allows him to see the world in three dimensions. Square is converted and when he is returned to Flatland he is reprimanded when he proclaims what is known as the, gospel of three dimensions. This proves that trying to present a new idea was an extremely difficult thing to do in his world where the many sided polygons, that were so close to gaining more sides and becoming the perfection of the circle, had no interest in a different idea and principal of the universe, especially since it might upset the social …show more content…
The sphere ironically treats women equally! This said a lot about the difference in society because in the square’s world, the women are absolutely not treated the same at all and are treated as if they were “slaves”, not so much of the work aspect, but more of the aspect in which they had less rights as the greater sided figures, after all they were simply just a line. In the Sphere’s world, they were treated equally as the highest ranking figure in society to ever be known, the Sphere, and were quite valued and were known to be a vital part of society ironically enough. The Square’s feels as if he should worship the Sphere as a God-figure, because of his rich knowledge and experience and he is greatly impressed by the ideas and knows that even though it is wrong to believe and worship different ideas, he is taking the risk. Unfortunately in the end, the Square risk taking ended in execution but the legacy that he left was worth