Elephant_6 Blind Men

8/19/2019 Elephant_6 Blind Men

1/13

The Story of the Elephant

Teacher: Olivia – Alexandra TUDORAN

“HenriCoanda

” Technical College, Timisoara


2/13

The Story of the ElephantOnce upon a time there were six blind men. Theylived in a town in India. They thought they were veryclever.

One day an elephant came into the town. The blindmen did not know what an elephant looked like but theycould smell it and they could hear it.

‘What is this animal like?’ they said.


3/13

Each man touched a diff erent part of the elephant.


4/13

The first man touched the elephant’s

body. It felt hard, big and wide. He said…

…‘An elephant is like a wall.’


5/13

The second man touched one of the

elephant’s tusks. It felt smooth and hard and sharp.

He said…

…‘An elephant is like a spear.’


6/13

The third man touched the

elephant’s trunk. It felt long and thin and wiggly.

He said…

…‘An elephant is like a snake.’


7/13


8/13

The fifth man touched one of the elephant’s

ears. It felt thin and it moved.

He said…

…‘An elephant is like a fan.’


9/13

The sixth man touched the elephant’s

tail. It felt long and thin and strong. He said…

…‘An elephant is like a rope.’


10/13

They did not agree. A man had been watching and listeningto the blind men.

‘You are not very clever. You only touched part of the

elephant. You did not feel the whole animal. An elephant is not like

a wall, or a spear, or a snake, or a tree, or a fan, or a rope’.

The men argued.

It’s like a wall!

No, it isn’t! It’s like a spear!

No it isn’t! It’s like a snake!


11/13

L ike the blind men we keep tryingto convince each other that our stor iesare r ight – that what we think orexperience is what everyone else should

think and exper ience.

…all people are like the blind men because different people understand the world in differentways according to where they are coming from.

…but no one knows for surewhat the ‘elephant’ (reality)REALLY looks li ke.

The End!


12/13

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,

And felt about the knee.

"What most this wondrous beast is like

Is mighty plain," quoth he,

"'Tis clear enough the Elephant

Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,Said: "E'en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can,

This marvel of an Elephant

Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope,

Then, seizing on the swinging tailThat fell within his scope,

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant

Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong!

MORAL .

So oft in theologic wars,

The disputants, I ween,

Rail on in utter ignorance

Of what each other mean,

And prate about an Elephant Not one of them has seen! “

“It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

The First approach'd the Elephant,

And happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side,

At once began to bawl:

"God bless me! but the Elephant

Is very like a wall!"

The Second , feeling of the tusk,Cried, -"Ho! what have we here

So very round and smooth and sharp?

To me 'tis mighty clear

This wonder of an Elephant

Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,And happening to take

The squirming trunk within his hands,

Thus boldly up and spoke:

"I see," quote he, "the Elephant

Is very like a snake!"

T

h e

E

l

e

p

h

a

n

t

&

t

h

e

S

i

x

B

l

i

n

d

M

e

n

b

y

J o

h

n

G

o

d

f

r

e

y

S

a

x

e


13/13

Elephant_6 Blind Men

Documents

Transcript of Elephant_6 Blind Men