Question A Square example essay topic

'Flatland' is a story of depth, and the lack there of. The tale of A. Square's ventures through Pointland, Lineland and Spaceland ultimately reveal to him the possibilities of the seemingly impossible. In this case, the 'impossibilities' are the very existence of other dimensions, or worlds. His guide throughout the journey, a god - like figure who refers to itself as 'Sphere', bestows upon A. Square the greatest gift he could hope for, knowledge. It is only after the Sphere forcibly takes A. Square out of his dimension, however, that he is able to shrug off his ignorance and accept the fact that what cannot be, can, and much of what he believed before is wrong. When he sees first hand that a square can have depth simply by lining up a parallel square above it and connecting the vertices with lines he is awestruck by its beauty.

A cube now exists, seemingly made out of squares. Where there was but one square before now there are six connected. To A. Square's mindset, this thing of beauty is something he could become if only he could lift up. It gives him hope, for in his world you are ranked without say according to your shape.

From the lowest convict shapes to the - not - quite - perfectly - round - but - practically - there priests. When A. Square asks the sphere deity what comes next, what about the fourth dimension, Sphere becomes vexed and sends A. Square plummeting back to his original world without the necessary knowledge to be effective in spreading the gospel of the third dimension. This is, of course, what leads to the end for A. Square; being locked up in an insane asylum for speaking of what simply cannot be. Adding to the irony is that no matter how hard A. Square tries, it is quite impossible for him to demonstrate it within the two dimensional realm. The knowledge that he thirsted for was his demise.

'Flatland' is a book which main purpose is to make the reader think; it raises many questions. Is there a fourth, fifth, sixth, infinite dimensions? Logically, there should be. Just as there is a dimension zero, a dimension one, a second and third dimension, should not there also be a fourth?

The Sphere speaks to A. Square of Geometrical Progression 1, 2, 4 and hints that it goes beyond even that (to 8). But of course, A. Square cannot see that while he is still in his own realm. It is only after he enters the three dimensional world that he can realize it fully. He then remarks rather quickly about how there should be something else.

He says to the Sphere that 'doubtless there is One above you who combines many Spheres in One Supreme Existence, surpassing even the Solids of Spaceland' (p. 102). He thinks logically that why should it stop here? There has to be another more 'spacious space' (p. 102) somewhere. The Sphere cannot answer the question A. Square so desperately seeks the answer for, and the reason for this is explained in the foreword by Abbot. Something that does not exist cannot even be realized.

That is where the impossibility lies. People in Flatland are even incapable of understanding the limitations of that view! The King of Lineland cannot understand something that his mind will not allow to exist any better than the entity Pointland can think outside his prison of thought. Another interesting part of the book is the way women are treated in society. To put it simply, it seems that the women of Flatland are the low class with barely enough brains in their pin diameter heads to retain thoughts or memories.

They are judged by all as emotional and unstable, and when the whole of your world believes a thing, it becomes a reality. They themselves believe it to be truth. It seems to me though, that the women in Flatland should hold all the power. They have the ability to become more or less invisible simply by looking directly at the desired target. They also possess a barbaric way of destroying others.

How come women, with the ability to become invisible and basically kill at will, are at the bottom of the pecking order? Flatland is ruled in a somewhat communistic manner, meaning that they all bend to the will of the superiors; they all follow the rules laid before them. Why are the superiors not women? I find it hard to believe that with everything else the way it is in Flatland that the women are not the supreme dictators. I think that there are two possible solutions to this query.

The first, which I doubt, is that the statement above concerning a whole, united behind a belief forcing it to be true is in fact true. It just leads to further questions however. Why, when this society came to be and when the laws were yet to be made, did the women not come out on top? In other words, why is some other different common belief not law?

I think that the second solution to the question hits closer to the mark. The actual author, Edwin A. Abbott, believed these prejudices to be truth. He wrote it that particular way because his mind could not 'think outside the box'. It is of course more easily seen now how erroneous his, probably rock solid, beliefs were at the time because we have the luxury of history, of seeing some of his beliefs in his society proven wrong. This begs the question, 'What do we believe now that time will prove untrue?' I think that it would be terrible to live in Flatland. More terrible if your mind was confined to only two dimensions.

Would it have to be? Square houses are deadly to the unwary, triangular ones even more deadly. You must be very careful when walking behind women, and they, in turn, must be ever aware of their surroundings. Since you cannot technically see you must feel, and even that is done with extreme caution for something as trivial as a sneeze could maim you for life. The goal of the inhabitants of Flatland, their reason for being (for the men at least), is to achieve the circular shape.

That is their zenith. Ironically enough, it is impossible. Try as hard as they might, they will never achieve a true circular form. They will never technically be circular.

The best of them may look and seem circular, but that is just because his sides are indistinct. It cannot be done, but that does not stop them from trying. The idea of always striving fruitlessly towards a goal that will never come to be, instead of finding contentment, holds some uncomfortably close parallels to our own society. I would have to say that Pointland, the Land of Point, has got it figured better than everyone else in all the dimensions. Say what you will, he at least is content.