Edwin Abbott's Flatland

What is the purpose of a geometric character analysis? It may seem a bit weird to compare people to shapes, and maybe even offensive. If someone told you that you were a green triangle, what would you do? Would you know that green triangle was actually a symbol for you? You might be a sturdy, hard working, and persistent person.

The book Flatland basically describes a 2dimesional world where shapes live with no knowledge about 3 D objects moving like 3 D things or dimensions. Reading this book helped me think differently about geometry because I never would have thought much about the value of being able to see things in the way that we do. Sure in this book there weren’t any math equations in this book but the perspectives of the square character, thoughts, the flat land shapes classifications and actions made me think about how great it is to see things the way we see things in geometry and life and move the way we do that flat landers can’t. In flat and they’re classified by the shape, gender, and even job in some cases, the shapes are triangles, pentagons, lines hexagons, and other irregular shape. Women are treated like threats to the level they are watched and basically imprisoning and watched like monsters.

There is a line of thinking out there that would lead a person to believe that everything is always as it appears – everything is on a nice straight plane. Look at the surface of the ocean, and all that needs to be seen is seen. This admittedly shallow line of thinking can lead to multitudes of problems, especially in the case of this class when looking at something like literature. That especially rings true when observing a novel like Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Parton, where a deeper meaning seethes out of every word in what originally looks to be a straightforward tale. This is particularly true in the all-important intercalary chapters of the book, as they provide a break from the main plot and an aside into something different

Every book has a story behind it. Even books about square and triangles have much more meaning if you think about it. The author, Edwin Abbott, studied theology, the studies of religion. I believe that when he wrote Flatland, he possibly had theology in mind with likely connections. The possible connections between the story of Flatland and theology could be the similar “god-like” creature from another world, the teachings of the unknown, and the unacceptance of that new information.

Since all they could see were straight lines at everybody they had to use brightness from what they called the “fog” to tell how many sides a shape had. I found this part super cool because they had to train their eyesight for a long time just to be able to identify others. The second half of the book had to deal with the square’s journey into the third dimension. First, he had a dream about a one dimensional world, called Lineland, where he had to explain to lines and points that there is more than their dimension.

Along in with the author’s use of metaphors is the frequent use of imagery. In this reading, it is simple to envision the scenes as the different scenarios are explained and the audience can easily picture Staples in the places he is describing and also the people he comes across. Perhaps the most powerful and memorable imagery is provided in the author’s description of people’s different reactions and faces when they come into contact with him. Actions speak volumes and an immediate change of facial expression is possibly one of the

Chubby sausage fingers grasp the triangle shaped crayons and begin to draw on the clean white paper. A rudimentary drawing is produced, three potato shapes and a triangle atop an askew square. The child points out the inscrutable shapes, “This is Mommy, Daddy and me and that’s our house.” A house, shelter from the outside world. ” The boy was not sure if it was a house in which dreams came true or if the house itself had been made out of dreams (Donahue p.1).”

I was particularly interested in this reading because it contained one of Plato’s highly interesting stories, “Allegory of the Cave.” First of all, I thought that having to draw the way we pictured the cave was quite an interesting activity to do. I am aware of the activity’s simplicity, but rarely is one ever asked to draw in a dual credit course, and I found that to be fun while it lasted. Furthermore, the story’s concept of enlightenment was well explained, and I did not think that Plato’s philosophy was incomprehensible in this narrative. Lastly, I found the plot and scenery to be rather engrossing and

After becoming dissatisfied with his life, a triangle makes a visit to a local shapeshifter to add another angle to his shape in hopes he will become more interesting. However, one more angle proves to not be enough for the triangle who becomes greedy and wants more and more angles. Readers will watch the triangle change into a quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and finally a decagon before he finally realizes he was perfect as he was and wants to become a triangle again.

And it connects with the Australian Curriculum areas: Create symmetrical patterns, pictures and shapes with or without digital technologies. The Storytelling strategy engages all students in listening and promotes their imagination, emotions and critical thinking skills while learning the main concept of math. The class discussion along with questioning strategy throughout the lesson promotes students’ exploratory conversations and shared experiences on mathematics. The main theme of this lesson is to enable students to understand Aboriginal symbols in the painting and reinforce the relation of the mathematical concepts behind the symbols.

The square’s journeys through lands of no dimension, one dimension, and three dimensions, taught him not only the differences

Many of the ideas in this book about proportion, and construction are illustrated in the Pantheon.

Simple lines can evoke feelings in readers because we can imagine ourselves as being connected with these shapes, for example Mccloud shows the image of a jagged shape in which he implies it shows anxiety. To which using Molly Bang’s principles of shapes, pointed shapes are viewed as negative or people are more frighten when looking at this shape. When viewing this image in Mccloud’s book someone may view these pointed shapes as being a shark tooth or knife that provokes fear in someone. In addition to the example Mccloud made with the image of madness he also used the symbolism of color from Bang’s principle, that define darker colors are not viewed as safe while the diagonal shape of madness implies motion which might make someone experience

"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.

Color, though by and large subordinated to the boundaries of figures and geometric bodies, occasionally revolts against the domination of spatial form. Therefore, the yellow on the margins of the middle circle flows over the geometric boundary into the space above, where it becomes a background for the little sketched figures; similarly, in the lower-right triangle, the diffuse orange, although contained in geometric boundaries, permeates the fiddler, bird and synagogue in the background, as if merging all the disproportionate object on one level of color and depth; and the lower-right corner, several colored stripes cover up the indecent scene of a boy urinating on a pig.