Paired Texts > The Emperor's New Clothes

In this famous retelling of an Indian parable dealing with perception and the subjective nature of truth, six blind men approach an elephant and come away with very different perspectives.

Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863-1940) was an American writer and poet, best known for this poem. It is considered a classic in sports-related literature and perhaps the most famous baseball poem ever written. In it, an arrogant player steps up to the plate with the weight of the game on his shoulders.

"The House Fall Apart" is an informational text compares the fall of the Roman Empire to the destruction of a house with neglectful owners.

In the popular fairytale "The Princess and the Pea," a royal family uses an odd test to determine if a young woman who claims to be a princess really is one.

Born in the center of a tulip and stuck forever at a small size, Thumbelina faces many challenges because she is so different from others around her.

In Alan King's poem "What My Father Said," a boy wants to play with his friends but his father puts him to work.

In Maude Barrows Dutton's retelling of the folktale "The Tyrant Who Became a Just Ruler," a cruel leader decides to rule over his people fairly.

In "Hodja and the Hungry Coat: A Turkish Tale," a laborer teaches rich partygoers a lesson about judging others.