THE BLIND MAN AND THE ELEPHANT

POEM

Six blind men each touch a small part of an elephant, and from that small touch they believe they know what an elephant looks like.

Not seeing the
BIG PICTURE

SYMBOLIZES MANY THINGS

RELIGION

• Not looking at the big picture
• Thinks their belief is 100% correct

RELIGION

• Each man has a different belief about the elephant
• Beliefs are partially correct
• Close minded, failing to see the big picture

3 MEN

• In the story 3 men are fighting over Pi's religion
• They all believe their religion is the right one

"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!"

"It's good to see a boy so keen on God. We all agree on that." [...]. "But he can't be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim. It's impossible. He must choose."

BLINDness

• Literal or figurative
• The men in the poem are blind

BLINdness

• Pi becomes literally blind in the story
• Is never blind to other opinions

Thank You