“Squaring the circle” this being based on the English saying “You can’t fit a round peg in a square hole,” actually that’s not quite right, because a round peg can fit into a square hole, the correct phrase is “You can’t fit a square peg in a round hole.” The square peg could be seen as No.6, which does not fit into the Village. In the scene in ‘Arrival’ when the Prisoner is undergoing an aptitude test in the Manager's office in the Labour Exchange, by placing a round peg into a square hole, the square hole adapts itself to become a round hole, so that the round peg then fits. A metaphor? Most certainly, the Prisoner is a round peg, and the Village is the square hole, which adapts itself to make the Prisoner fit! When it comes to “Squaring the circle,” in ‘Arrival’ however, during the Prisoner’s aptitude test, it could be said that the square had been circled!
You could shave off the edges, rough hew them as you may, to make the square peg fit a round hole, but that would still not make it right
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Squaring the circle, as Wikipedia puts it, is also the metaphor for any unsolvable question. As a geometrical problem as well as a philosophical one it dates back to the ancient Greek, Aristotle, probably beyond. One of the most famous drawings illustrating the metaphor is from Leonardo da Vinci from around 1490, called "the Vitruvian Man". - BCNU!
ReplyDeleteHello Arno,
DeleteThat is quite right. Perhaps I should have added that piece of information myself, but I thank you for doing so in your comment. I'm obliged to you....sir.
Very kind regards
David
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