Blind men and an elephant facts for kids
The Blind men and an elephant is a well-known idiom. An idiom is a phrase where the words together mean something different from their individual meanings. This story comes from India. It teaches us important lessons about truth, mistakes, and why we need to talk to each other. It also shows why it's good to respect different ideas.
This idiom helps us understand how we observe things. It also shows how our own bias (our personal feelings or experiences) can change what we think. Idioms can sometimes be tricky to understand when you are learning a new language.
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The Story of the Elephant
Imagine a group of blind men. They want to learn what an elephant is like. Since they cannot see, they decide to touch it. Each man touches only one part of the elephant. For example, one man feels only the elephant's side. Another man touches only its long tusk.
After touching their part, each blind man describes what he felt. But because they each felt a different part, their descriptions are very different! They start to disagree loudly about what an elephant is really like.
What Each Man Felt
Each man describes the elephant based on the small part he touched:
- One man who touched the side said the elephant was like a wall.
- Another man who felt the tusk said it was like a spear.
- The man who touched the trunk thought it was like a snake.
- Someone who felt a leg believed it was like a tree.
- The man who touched the ear said it was like a fan.
- And the man who felt the tail thought it was like a rope.
None of their descriptions were completely wrong for the part they touched. But none of them were correct for the whole elephant! This shows that if you only know a small part of something, you might not understand the whole picture.
A Famous Poem
There is a famous poem about this story. It is called "The Blind Men and the Elephant." It was written by John Godfrey Saxe (1816–1887). The poem starts by describing the six men from India who wanted to learn about the elephant, even though they were blind.
The poem highlights how each man was partly right about the small piece he felt. But they were all wrong about the entire elephant. This is because they did not share their information or try to understand each other's experiences. The poem teaches us that we need to combine different viewpoints to get a full understanding of something.
Lessons from the Story
The story of the blind men and the elephant teaches us several important lessons:
- Different Perspectives: People can have different ideas about the same thing. This is because they might experience it in different ways.
- Communication is Key: It is important to talk to others and share what you know. If the blind men had talked, they might have put their ideas together.
- Understanding the Whole Picture: To truly understand something, you need to look at all its parts. You also need to see how those parts fit together.
- Avoiding Bias: Our own experiences can make us think our way is the only way. This story reminds us to be open to other ideas.
This ancient story is still important today. It helps us think about how we learn and how we work with others.
Related Ideas
Images for kids
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Blind men and the elephant
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Blind Men Appraising an Elephant by Ohara Donshu, Edo Period (early 19th century), Brooklyn Museum
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The blind men and the elephant (wall relief in Northeast Thailand)
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Seven blind men and an elephant parable at a Jain temple
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Blind monks examining an elephant, an ukiyo-e print by Hanabusa Itchō (1652–1724).
See also
In Spanish: Los ciegos y el elefante para niños
