The Blind Men and the Elephant
Teacher Notes
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.
What is happening?
Can you paraphrase this?
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.
STAN means “land of.” It comes from an Iranian word that means “to stay” and refers to where people stay or live.
Afghanistan = land of the Afghan people
There are at least seven countries today that end with the suffix STAN.
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.
To be inclined to something means you have a tendency to do something.
If you are inclined to learning, you lean towards learning;
you want to learn.
People sometimes say, “I’m inclined to agree,” which means they are leaning toward agreeing.
The first approached 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 first approached 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!”
broad = wide
bawl = cry loudly
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!"
‘tis = it is
(contraction)
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a SNAKE!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a SNAKE!"
spake = past tense of spoke
quoth = said
(these words are no longer commonly used)
The Fourth reached out an 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 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!"
e’en = even
(contraction)
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a ROPE!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a ROPE!"
grope = grab
scope = reach or range of view
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!
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!
disputed = argued
The six men were increasingly stubborn, insisting they were
correct in their assessment of what an elephant was like.