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Lesson 7

Characterization and Visualization – What visual images come to mind when we think about the characters of Animal Farm?

We will examine how visual artists and others have visualized Napoleon and used representations of him on covers of Animal Farm. In character study teams, we will then explore how our character has been represented visually, and we will individually search for or create images to accompany our character self-introduction.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I participate collaboratively in my character study teams to form claims about my characters?

  • Can I analyze how my character responds to the rebellion or other event?

  • Can I develop a draft of my character self-introduction in a first-person narrative?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Animal Farm, George Orwell, Signet Classics, 2004

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: View – Discuss

We will examine how various visual images for Napoleon and corresponding Cover Art for Animal Farm have been represented over time.

Step 1

Turn to the first description of Napoleon in the story:

“Napoleon was a large, rather fierce looking Berkshire boar…” (Chapter 2).

As a class, discuss what this and other descriptions of Napoleon cause you to visualize.

Step 2

Access visual images of Berkshire boars, noting specific details and discussing how those details enhance or contradict the images you have visualized for the character Napoleon.

Step 3

Discuss the publication history for Animal Farm, noting that there have been many editions of the novel, in English and other languages, and that many of those editions have unique cover art that has been developed for them.

Examine a set of cover art examples in the Animal Farm Cover Art handout presented by your teacher that focus on Napoleon as a central character.

First examine cover designs 1 and 2, which present cartoon-like images of Napoleon.

As you look at these images, consider and discuss the following questions:

  1. What does the cover art illustration of Napoleon suggest about his character?

  2. How does the cover art image compare to or influence your own visualization of Napoleon?

  3. What does the cover art image and design suggest about the allegorical meaning of Animal Farm?

Step 4

Now examine cover designs 3 and 4, which present very different, more sinister images of Napoleon.

As you look at these images, consider and discuss the same questions:

  1. What does the cover art illustration of Napoleon suggest about his character?

  2. How does the cover art image compare to or influence your own visualization of Napoleon?

  3. What does the cover art image and design suggest about the allegorical meaning of Animal Farm?

  4. In what ways are cover designs 3 and 4 different from cover designs 1 and 2? How might various cover designs influence a reader’s first impressions of the story?

Conclude your discussion of the cover designs by considering this final question:

  1. Why do you think many editors and publishers decided to portray Napoleon on the cover of Animal Farm?

Activity 2: View – Discuss

We will examine additional visual images for Animal Farm characters created by artists, animators, and graphic novelists and conduct initial web searches for images of our selected characters.

Step 1

Watch as your teacher presents a series of character images for various visual interpretations of Animal Farm over the years.

Note how others have represented an example character and the character you and your team are studying.

Think about and discuss how these visualizations both relate to and differ from the ways in which you are visualizing the characters of the novel.

Step 2

In your character study teams, continue to search for, analyze, and discuss visual interpretations of your character that you can find online.

Use this question to guide your review and discussion:

  1. How does the visual interpretation of the character relate to and differ from our various visualizations based on evidence from the text?

Step 3

Imagine that you are an artist who has been asked to design a cover for Animal Farm that visually represents your character and a key scene from the novel. Think also about how you might illustrate the character self-introduction you are drafting.

Describe for your character study team what your cover drawing or other visualization might look like and which key details you would include.

Compare the ways you each might imagine interpreting, visualizing, and representing your character and a cover for Animal Farm.

Activity 3: View – Write – Read

We will either search for or begin to create visual images that represent our visualization of the character.

Step 1

Note again that one of the requirements for the Section 1 Diagnostic is to include “visual representation(s) of your character (original artwork or image(s) drawn from others’ interpretations)” in your portfolio.

You will later add to these images in Section 2 and use them in Section 3 as you design an original book cover for Animal Farm.

At this point, you should be exploring possible visual representations by either sketching out your ideas or searching for online images and collecting them in a digital “image bank” for your character.

Step 2

Continue to search for or examine online images for your character, as guided by your teacher.

Identify images that align with your own visualization of the character.

Begin to create an image bank of various online images of your character, or a set of original sketches that represent your character as you visualize them.

Prepare to share the images you find or create with your character study team.

Step 3

In light of the visual images for your character that you have identified or are creating, reread and further develop the first-person self-introduction you drafted for your character.

Activity 4: View – Write – Read

For homework, we will revise our first-person character self-introductions and either search for or begin to create visual images that represent our visualization of the character. We will continue reading chapters 6 and 7, noting additional details presented that further complicate the plot, our character, and conflicts in the story.

Step 1

For homework, continue to search for or examine online images for your character, as guided by your teacher.

Identify or create images that align with your own visualization of the character and add them to your image bank. Prepare to share these images with your character study team.

Step 2

In light of the visual images for your character that you have identified or are creating, reread and further develop the first-person self-introduction you drafted for your character.

Step 3

Finish reading Chapters 6 and 7, considering these text-specific questions:

Chapter 6:

  1. What new details about the pigs and their evolving relationships with humans further complicate the story’s plot and your character’s situation? What do you find troubling or ironic about the new developments of the story?

  2. How does the building of the windmill present “unexpected difficulties”? Why is overcoming these difficulties and putting their stamp on the setting of the farm so important to the animals?

Chapter 7:

  1. How do Napoleon and Squealer further scapegoat Snowball to increase their power over the other animals? How does the violent execution of the four pigs who had collaborated with Snowball serve as another key turning point in the story?

  2. How does the scapegoating of Snowball further reinforce Napoleon’s position as supreme leader of the farm and contribute to Snowball’s role as Napoleon’s foil?

Overall:

  1. How has the character you are studying been involved in or affected by what happens in the rising action of Chapters 6 and 7?

Continue to note key passages and details about your character in your Character Note-Taking Tool.

Record new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.