“The Elephant” by Slawomir
Mrozek
Literary Terms
• Allegory: The term loosely describes any writing in
verse or prose that has a double meaning. This
narrative acts as an extended metaphor in which
persons, abstract ideas, or events represent not only
themselves on the literal level, but they also stand for
something else on the symbolic level.
• Theme: A universal truth, a unifying or dominant idea
• Satire: a genre or mode that exposes and ridicules
human vice and folly.
“The Elephant”
• The elephant is an absurdist modest fairy tail.
In an attempt to save money, a zoo director,
rather than purchasing a real elephant,
inflated with gas, floats away on the 1st day it
is exhibited, in front of a surprised audience of
school children. The school never again
believes in elephants..
“The Elephant”
• This story is a satirical allegory aimed at the
communist government that controlled
Poland at the time it was written (1958). In
repressive times, satirical allegory – in which a
serious critique of political authorities is
disguised as an innocent fable, is one way in
which writers can attack a writer can attack
without being imprisoned.
Setting, Point of View and Conflict
• A zoo in Poland (Setting)
• Third Person Omniscient (Point of View)
• Conflict (Human against Society)
Theme:
• Reading the allegory at its surface level, the
theme might be expressed as simple moral
lesson. (It is wrong to lie to young people)
• At a deeper level (The people can see through
a government that lies) The government takes
advantage of the power that has been given to
them, thus they are corrupt.
“The Elephant” Questions
1. What does the author achieve by including
the line, “…only the cry of the jackass
interrupted the silence”? Identify some other
lines that create a similar effect.
Jackass is a symbol for stupidity…..
This is both a joke and a signal of the stories
satirical intent. Other examples are
“Particularly Sluggish”, and “Hardly Moves”
#2 Realism
• The tendency to view or represent things as
they really are.
#3
• Despite its absurdity, the story is quite
realistic in a number of ways. What
technique does the author use to create a
sense of realism in the telling of the tale?
• The characterization of the director and the
keepers, the business like language of the
letter, the teachers lecture and the students
response.
#4
• What do you think is the purpose of the last
paragraph in the story? What would be lost if
it were omitted?
• The last paragraph provides a moral to the
story. It reminds us of the consequence of
lying to ones people.
#5
• In what way might “The Elephant” be
considered a satire?
• It pokes fun at the bureaucratic wrong doings,
and by extension the practice of the Polish
government of the day. This is signaled as
early as the second line: “He regarded his
animals simply as stepping stones on the road
to his own career”
Allegory: what do the following
things/people symbolize
Zoo Director
The Elephant
The Rabbits
The Zoo Keepers
Gas
Schoolchildren
Allegory: what do the following
things/people symbolize
Zoo Director
Typical Government Agent
The Elephant
Government achievement or goal, policies, practices (But the
elephant is not real it is full of gas)
The Rabbits
They are emblematic of the smallness of the governments usual
undertakings
The Zoo Keepers
Societies ordinary people (workers)
Gas
Empty promises
Schoolchildren
Trusting citizens that are eventually disillusioned by the states
lies.
Please include (2 quotes) from
Macbeth
• Compare the “Corruption of power” in the
short story “The Elephant” with the
“Corruption of power” in “Macbeth” /4
Writing
• Write your own satire, in which you poke fun
at a specific societal folly or political action.
• (2 Pages Double Spaced) Due Monday
• 1. articulate the target message: People
should not cheat on their taxes.
• 2. Think of a story to articulate the message:
for example “Someone cheats on their taxes,
then they have an accident because the road
has potholes in it.
Language conventions
• Active and Passive Voice:
• The second to last sentence is written in the
passive voice: “It is reported that they drink
liquor and break windows.”
• Rewrite this sentence in the active voice.
• Example:
• we admit that we made mistakes (Passive)
• It has been acknowledged that errors were
made” (Active)
Techniques that satirist use are:
• Exaggeration
• Understatement
• Symbolism
• Juxtaposition
• Irony