Edwin Abbott's Flatland

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After reading the novel Flatland, by Edwin Abbott Abbott, Second Revised Edition 1884, I now understand how the Author combined the use of literature and Mathematics to bring together the story line of Flatland and Spaceland. With careful review of the lives of Flatlanders, I would like to explain to you what I understand about their pursuit and quest for the power of knowledge, and how literature and mathematics is used . I will describe this to you from my point of view as a "Spacelander" as well as use key references from the novel to emphasize my conclusion and understanding. I am going to assume that you do not know or understand what a Flatlander is, and quickly explain what they perceive to be the only reality of dimension. A Flatlander…show more content…
Especially the angle of an Isosceles Triangle. A Line being-Female (this is the only shape for a female in Flatland) and the following shapes being Male, Isosceles Triangle-Lower Class, Equilateral Triangle-Workman, Square-Tradesman and the Hexagons to Polygons being the Upper Class ending finally with a Circle, who in their world are the most knowledgeable and of a Priestly standing; even though they are not really a true Circle. They are with many sides too numerous to count or feel, thus making them appear to be a Circle. The more sides and larger their angles identify a higher standing in social class, as well as state of being in their knowledge. When it comes to offspring every member of Flatland child would gain one more side except for Isosceles Triangles, who only gain a single degree or sometimes half a degree more to their angle. This also suggests that every generation would with the proper guidance, prove to be more knowledgeable than the last. It is every person's desire in flatland to have their following generations aspire to A Circle with vast…show more content…
All members of Lineland are needless to say, all lines. A Square, learned that there was a realm of being below his existence. This dream caused A Square to ponder the conversation he had with his Grandson, thinking that maybe there is more beyond the Second Dimension. This thought was confirmed soon after by a visitor who showed him that there is in-fact the existence, of a Third Dimension just as his Grandson had suggested with his statement, "three-to-the-third." This new found knowledge made A Squares brain hurt, he could not fathom at first what he was seeing in Spaceland having been raised "Upward" to view his Two Dimensional world from the heights of the Third Dimension. I can only imagine how small of an existence I would feel I had led, if I was pulled from everything I knew to be reality and shown that in-fact I was looking at everything from a single-sided point of view. Their inherent quest for knowledge in Geometry and Space, however, did not traverse threw every member of Flatland. Even though the novel suggests that all members of Flatland would like to learn more, they were not open to hear what A Square, had learned from this visitor. They locked him away in prison so that he could not diminish the minds of the rest of society with his crazy

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