The Whole Elephant
adapted from an Indian tale
Four blind men went to see an elephant.
One touched the leg. He said, “The elephant is like a pillar.”
Another touched the trunk. He said, “The elephant is like a club.”
The third touched the belly. He said, “The elephant is like a big jar.”
The fourth man felt the ears. He said, “The elephant is like a fan.”
Then, the men began to argue. One man who passed by asked them why they were arguing.
Then, he said, “As a whole the elephant is not like what you said at all. You need to know the whole truth.”
Blind Men and the Elephant
adapted from a folktale
Once, a king ordered all blind people to come to his castle. Then, he ordered many elephants to be brought to them. The blind men went to the stable and began to feel the elephants. The king asked each men what the elephants were like.
One man touched the leg. He said, “Your elephant is like a post.”
One man touched the tip of the tail. He said, “Your elephant is like a broom.”
One man touched the tail stump. He said, “Your elephant is like a branch.”
One man touched the belly. He said, “Your elephant is like soft soil.”
One man touched the sides. He said, “Your elephant is like a wall.”
One man touched the tusk. He said, “Your elephant is like a horn.”
Then, all the blind men began to argue.
How are the two stories different?
A Only in “Blind men and the Elephant,” the blind men begin arguing about the elephant.
B Only in “The Whole Elephant,” the blind men get together to touch an elephant.
C Only in “Blind men and the Elephant,” a man asks the blind men why they are arguing.
D Only in “The Whole Elephant,” a man explains what the elephant looks like to the men.