Blind men cover Y7
The Blind Men and the Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe
This story is based on a religious parable from India. It tells how six blind men come across an elephant for the first time and try to decide what it must look like by using their sense of touch. Each comes up with different idea, as they all put their hands on a different part of its body.
The Blind Men and the Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe
Parable: a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. e.g. "the parable of the blind men and the elephant"
This parable is generally thought to be of Jain or Buddhist origins, but versions also appear in Sufi Muslim and Hindu writings. The story was introduced to Western audiences thanks to a poem of the same name by American poet John Godfrey Saxe. See below to read and listen to the poem.
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| About the Author | What is a Parable? | Close Reading: Poem |
