Story Elements
What is the setting of the story?
The story takes place in an isolated village in Asia over 2,000 years ago.
Who is the protagonist in this story?
The Villagers are the protagonists as they have the problem to solve and are the plot's focus
The elephant's tail is like a ...
Fringed Rope
What strategy do the villagers use to figure out what this creature is?
They stand in different places and explain what they can feel and experience.
Define parable
A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.
What is the setting of the story?
The story is from oral tradition, so the author of the story is unknown.
Who is the antagonist in this story?
The villagers are also the antagonists because it is their lack of collaboration and communication that contributes to the problem of discovering what the elephant actually is.
The elephant's leg is like a...
Hairy Pillar
What is the issue with the strategy the villagers use to figure out what this creature is?
They do not experience or touch the entire animal, so their perceptions are limited. They do not share and listen to combine their ideas. They do not move around the animal for full perspective.
Define fable
In what TENSE is the story written?
The story is written in past tense because the narrator is telling a story about a past event.
What do the villagers do to figure out what this creature is?
They each stand near a part of the elephant and use their touch, smell, hearing, and experiences to infer what it might be.
The elephant's trunk is like a
Water Pipe
How is the disagreement about the elephant resolved?
The traveler told them to stop arguing and realize that they all were exploring different parts of the elephant.
Define Perspective and Point of View
Perspective is how a story is presented to readers. Point of view is simply the strategy used to convey that perspective. There are several types of point of view (POV) including first person, second person, etc.
The story is in the third person perspective. What does that mean?
The narrator tells the story an dis not one of the characters. The narrator uses pronouns like he and they instead of I and we.
What is the main problem or conflict?
The villagers begin to fight and argue when their descriptions and assumptions are not the same instead of listening and working together in collaboration to solve the problem.
The elephant's tusk is like a
Smooth Staff
What is the moral or lesson of the story?
Humans tend to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true.
Define Figures of Speech
Figures of Speech - Language used in an unusual way to make a point. Metaphors, similes, hyperbole, and personification are different types of figurative language that writers use to make their writing more descriptive and interesting.
What genre or type of story is it?
It is a parable because it teaches a moral or spiritual lesson valued by religious people.
What is the main theme?
The main theme is perception versus reality.
The elephant's head is like a
Upside Down Water Tub
What is an important lesson learned form this story?
The story teaches us that each individual understands and interprets reality based on their limited perspectives and experiences.
Define mood and tone
Tone is the attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience conveyed through word choice and the style of the writing. Mood is the overall feeling, or atmosphere, of a text often created by the author's use of imagery and word choice.