--- title: The Blind Men and the Elephant. — Fifty Famous Stories Retold · full text with trees description: The Blind Men and the Elephant., «Fifty Famous Stories Retold» by James Baldwin: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: There were once six blind men who stood by the road-side every day, and begged from the people who passed. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Fifty Famous Stories Retold](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/) / The Blind Men and the Elephant. # The Blind Men and the Elephant. The Blind Men and the Elephant. of «Fifty Famous Stories Retold» by James Baldwin: the whole text, 31 sentences and 427 words. Every sentence has its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/1/) — There were once six blind men who stood by the road-side every day, and begged from the people who passed. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/2/) — They had often heard of el-e-phants, but they had never seen one; for, being blind, how could they? - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/3/) — It so happened one morning that an el-e-phant was driven down the road where they stood. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/4/) — When they were told that the great beast was before them, they asked the driver to let him stop so that they might see him. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/5/) — Of course they could not see him with their eyes; but they thought that by touching him they could learn just what kind of animal he was. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/6/) — The first one happened to put his hand on the elephant's side. " - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/7/) — Well, well!" he said, "now I know all about this beast. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/8/) — He is ex-act-ly like a wall." - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/9/) — The second felt only of the elephant's tusk. " - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/10/) — My brother," he said, "you are mistaken. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/11/) — He is not at all like a wall. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/12/) — He is round and smooth and sharp. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/13/) — He is more like a spear than anything else." - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/14/) — The third happened to take hold of the elephant's trunk. " - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/15/) — Both of you are wrong," he said. " - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/16/) — Anybody who knows anything can see that this elephant is like a snake." - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/17/) — The fourth reached out his arms, and grasped one of the elephant's legs. " - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/18/) — Oh, how blind you are!" he said. " - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/19/) — It is very plain to me that he is round and tall like a tree." - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/20/) — The fifth was a very tall man, and he chanced to take hold of the elephant's ear. " - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/21/) — The blind-est man ought to know that this beast is not like any of the things that you name," he said. " - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/22/) — He is ex-act-ly like a huge fan." - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/23/) — The sixth was very blind indeed, and it was some time before he could find the elephant at all. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/24/) — At last he seized the animal's tail. " - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/25/) — O foolish fellows!" he cried. " - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/26/) — You surely have lost your senses. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/27/) — This elephant is not like a wall, or a spear, or a snake, or a tree; neither is he like a fan. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/28/) — But any man with a par-ti-cle of sense can see that he is exactly like a rope." - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/29/) — Then the elephant moved on, and the six blind men sat by the roadside all day, and quar-reled about him. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/30/) — Each believed that he knew just how the animal looked; and each called the others hard names because they did not agree with him. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/46/31/) — People who have eyes sometimes act as foolishly. - ← previous: [The Endless Tale.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/45/) - next →: [Maximilian and the Goose Boy.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/47/) - ↑ back to [Fifty Famous Stories Retold](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/)