Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Literature Part 11

"Paraded"? Marched up and down.

About what time has elapsed between the incident of the first stanza and that of the second? Probably a week or thereabouts.

What deed is referred to in the first stanza?

The seizure of the hill.

What is meant by "idly walking"? Without any definite purpose in view.

"Marked"? Noticed.

About what were the veterans probably "talking"? About their military exploits in years gone by.

What words are suitably used in describing these veterans? "Trembling" and "gray" suggest old age.

Arrange "their trembling heads and gray" in ordinary prose order. Their gray and trembling heads.

Why should the veterans be filled with "pride"?

Because of the brave deeds they had done.

Why did they laugh? Perhaps, because of some amusing occurrences they had seen.

What characteristics of the dandelions suggest these fancies regarding the veterans? The heads of the dandelions are white. As they sway in the breeze on their slender stalks, they incline their heads toward one another in much the same way as people do in conversation.

Why is the "laughter" said to be "noiseless"?

Because human beings could not be expected to hear the laughter of the dandelions.

What expression would you be likely to use, instead of "welladay"? Alas!

What is meant by "they blew away"? The seeds of the flowers were scattered far and wide.

What do you like about this poem? (1) Its charming poetic fancies. (2) The fitness of the comparisons.

Point out clearly how the appearance of the dandelions resembled a military attack, and how, in the later stage of their life history, they resembled veteran soldiers.

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT

(Second Reader, page 56)

AIM

The aim of the lesson should be, not only to lead the pupils to enjoy the humour of the poem, but also to appreciate the lesson it teaches. It affords a fine opportunity for the development of conversational powers in the pupils.

The pupils should be encouraged to talk freely, and the questions should often call for quite lengthy answers.

PREPARATION

Who has seen an elephant? You have, Henry?

Well, tell us something about him. He was very large. One of our barn doors is twelve feet high and six feet wide, and father said the elephant would just be able to go through that door. If he was in the school-room, his back would reach almost to the ceiling. His ears were bigger than the top of my desk. His trunk was twice as long as father's cane, and was nearly as big around at the upper end as a bag of wheat, and the lower end was as small as my leg is below the knee. His tusks were hard and white, one on each side of his trunk, and were longer than father's arm. His tail was small.

It did not seem to be as long as one of his tusks. His legs were larger around than the trunk of the biggest apple tree in our orchard.

His skin was something like a hog's skin, only thicker, and he had no hair. His whole body was a dirty, dark colour.

That is a fairly good description, Henry. You have helped us to picture a very large elephant.

PRESENTATION

As you have read this poem to yourselves, tell me what it is about. It is about six blind men "Who went to see the elephant".

As they were blind, how could they see him?

They couldn't see him as we do, but they could feel him, and that was to them what seeing is to us.

In what way was feeling the same to them as seeing is to us? It was their way of knowing the animal, and that is just what seeing is to us.

Where did this happen? It happened in Indostan.

I told you to look for Indostan in Asia. Point it out on the map. (A pupil points to it.)

What are we told about these men? They gave much of their time to study.

What do you suppose was their favourite way of finding out things? This lesson makes me think that they liked to find out things by their own efforts.

Why do you think that? Because it says that they wanted to "satisfy" their minds by their own "observations".

In what other ways do boys and girls satisfy their minds about new things? By asking questions about them until the answers satisfy them.

What other way do you use sometimes? We read books to learn about many new things.

What did the first man learn? He thought he had learned that the elephant was "like a wall".

Why do you say thought? He hadn't really learned it. He stopped making observations just as soon as he had one idea.

Why do you think he did that? I think he was in a hurry to be the first to state what he knew.

What words in the poem suggest that idea to you? The words "At once began to bawl".

How did this man come to think the elephant was "like a wall"? He fell against the animal's huge side, and it made him think of a wall.

What was the second man's opinion about the elephant? He thought the animal was "like a spear".

Account for that idea. He felt one of the elephant's tusks, and formed his opinion without going any further.

And what about the third man? The third man put his hands on the elephant's trunk and felt it all over, but as he did not go any further, he declared that the elephant was "like a snake", because it was the only thing, as far as he knew, that squirmed about as the trunk did.

What did the fourth man do? The fourth man felt the big front legs and declared the elephant was "like a tree".

Tell us about the fifth man. The fifth man happened to touch the ear. He felt all over it but nowhere else, so he said the elephant was "like a fan".