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Elephant in the Dark

Elephant in the Dark. A poem by Rumi. Rumi. Celebrated Persian mystic and poet Lived 1207 – 1273 Actual name was Jalal ad-Din His most celebrated work is the Masnavi. The Masnavi. Long poem written in Persian in rhymed couplets

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Elephant in the Dark

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  1. Elephant in the Dark A poem by Rumi

  2. Rumi • Celebrated Persian mystic and poet • Lived 1207 – 1273 • Actual name was Jalal ad-Din • His most celebrated work is the Masnavi

  3. The Masnavi • Long poem written in Persian in rhymed couplets • Intended to provide guidance for his disciples and future generations • Includes fables, short stories, allegories, and proverbs

  4. Elephant in the Dark • Comes from the Masnavi • Written as an analogy • Translated into free verse form poetry

  5. What is an analogy? • An explanation of how two things are similar. • Usually an extended comparison that explains something unfamiliar by showing how it is like something familiar.

  6. What is the analogy in this poem? • What three elements are presented to us in the poem? • The elephant • Five men • The darkness • Try thinking of it like a metaphor

  7. What is the analogy in this poem? • What three elements are presented to us in the poem? • The elephant = Experience / World • Five men • The darkness • Try thinking of it like a metaphor

  8. What is the analogy in this poem? • What three elements are presented to us in the poem? • The elephant = Experience / World • Five men = Lack of cooperation • The darkness • Try thinking of it like a metaphor

  9. What is the analogy in this poem? • What three elements are presented to us in the poem? • The elephant = Experience / World • Five men = Lack of cooperation • The darkness = Partial knowledge / Search for truth • Try thinking of it like a metaphor

  10. Final Analogy • If the men would work together to find out what the animal is, they would come to know that it was an elephant. • No one person can attain full knowledge on their own. Instead of looking at a part of a thing on one’s own, people should work together to see the whole.

  11. Alternative Title • “Overcoming the Fear of Ignorance” • “Understanding Ourselves Better by Studying Animals” • “Overcoming the Limits of Human Understanding” • “Learning to Overcome Our Fears”

  12. Alternative Title • “Overcoming the Limits of Human Understanding”

  13. Just a misunderstanding • How often are we mistaken? • How do we feel when the mistake is pointed out to us? • What is the proper way to cope? • What is the most successful way to correct a misunderstanding?

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