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?