Lesson 1

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • “Animal Farm: The Cartoon Strip and the Cold War,” Mark Dunton, British Information Research Department, 2020

• • Animal Farm, Joy Batchelor, John Halas, Halas and Batchelor, 1954

Optional

• • “Art of Animation: Art of Animal Farm,” Joy Batchelor, John Halas, Character Design References

Materials

Tools

• Animal Farm: Cover Art

• Animal Farm: History of Visual Interpretations

• Animal Farm: Reading Schedule

Question Sets

• Animal Farm: Section 3 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• Animal Farm: Section 3 Question Set

Activity 1: Read – Discuss

We will examine a historical timeline of significant illustrated or animated interpretations of Animal Farm and discuss why and how various artists have created those interpretations. We will learn about the political motivation behind the first cartoon interpretations of the book.

Step 1

As a class, return to the Animal Farm Cover Art resource and review the various graphic interpretations of Animal Farm that feature images of Napoleon. As you review the various images, discuss these questions:

1. What does the graphic design of the cover suggest about the meaning of Animal Farm?

2. Why might a graphic designer or illustrator have chosen to interpret and depict the story in this way?

Discuss the ways you might envision a book cover that interprets and depicts the story as seen through your character’s eyes.

Step 2

Access the Animal Farm: History of Visual Interpretations handout.

Follow along as your teacher introduces the rich history of illustrated and animated versions of Animal Farm that have been developed over time—from the book’s publication in 1945 through current interpretations.

As you discuss that history, use the timeline on the Animal Farm: History of Visual Interpretations handout.

Discuss the following questions as a class:

1. How has the novel been interpreted visually during its publication history?

2. Why do you think there have been so many visual interpretations of Orwell’s allegorical Animal Farm?

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will read and discuss an online article about how the first visual interpretation of Animal Farm had a clear political purpose.

Consider the fact that many visual interpretations of Animal Farm have reflected a specific point of view, bias, or purpose—sometimes political in nature.

As an example, read a short online text about the first graphic interpretation of the novela: a 1951 comic strip commissioned by the Information Research Department (IRD) of the British Foreign Office to “counter Soviet propaganda.”

Discuss the following question:

1. What do the graphic images of the cartoon strip and its purpose and history suggest about the interpretation of Animal Farm that the IRD wanted to promote?

Activity 3: View – Discuss

At the direction of our teacher, we will examine the various 1954 animated interpretations of Animal Farm more closely.

Step 1

From your study of the historical timeline, note that there were three related graphic interpretations of Animal Farm developed in 1954:

• an animated movie

• an illustrated edition of the book

• a comic strip created by one of the movie’s animators

All three of these interpretive projects were directed by British animators John Halas and Joy Batchelor.

As presented by your teacher, learn about the history of these interpretations, specifically how they were conceived and funded.

Step 2

Examine a collection of design sketches and images from the movie by accessing an online collection titled “Art of Animation: Art of Animal Farm.” As you examine example sketches and images, discuss these questions:

1. How do the images of the characters and scenes developed by Halas, Batchelor, and their animation team compare with your own visualizations of the characters and events of the story?

2. What do the images suggest about how the animators and the producers of the movie have interpreted the story?

3. What message(s) might the Halas and Batchelor visualization of the story be trying to convey?

Note any images of your character that you find interesting and add them to the image bank you have been developing throughout the unit.

Activity 4: View – Discuss

We will watch scenes from the 1954 animated movie by Halas and Batchelor.

Step 1

As directed by your teacher, watch the trailer and selected scenes from the 1954 animated movie by Halas and Batchelor.

Step 2

After watching scenes from the movie, discuss the following questions:

1. In what ways is the animated movie similar to or different from the storyline of the book?

2. How do the images and interpretations of the characters and scenes compare to your own?

3. What messages do you think the producers of the movie intended to convey through their visual interpretation?

4. How do those messages compare or connect to the themes that Orwell conveys through his writing?

Activity 5: View – Discuss

We will examine other, more recent visual interpretations of Animal Farm by studying online images from those interpretations.

Step 1

Access the Animal Farm: A History of Visual Interpretations handout which presents resources related to the timeline of visual interpretations that you discussed previously.

As directed by your teacher, go to online representations or resources associated with the visual interpretations of the story.

Step 2

Select one of the interpretations that interests you and do further online research about the images and ideas of that interpretation.

Access and examine the resources listed for that interpretation and prepare a short summary that you can present to other students.

Use these questions to organize your research and summary presentation:

1. What do you learn about the visual interpretation, its creator, and its purpose?

2. How would you describe or characterize the images used in the visual interpretation?

3. How do those images compare to the Halas and Batchelor images from the 1954 movie and illustrated edition?

4. How do the images compare to your own visualization of the characters and scenes?

5. What messages do you think the creators were trying to convey through their visual interpretation?

6. How do those messages compare to the themes Orwell conveys through his writing?

7. Which images of your character do you find interesting? How might you include these images in your image bank and potentially in your own visual interpretation of the story?

Activity 6: View – Read – Write

We will finish researching one of the more recent visual interpretations of Animal Farm and write a short summary of what we learn and how we respond to the interpretation.

Step 1

Using the online resources listed in the Animal Farm: A History of Visual Interpretations handout, finish researching the images and ideas of a recent visual interpretation of the book.

Write a short summary of what you learn, using these questions to organize what you write:

1. What do you learn about the visual interpretation, its creator, and its purpose?

2. What resources did you locate and use to inform your understanding and analysis?

3. How would you describe or characterize the images used in the visual interpretation?

4. How do those images compare to the Halas and Batchelor images from the 1954 movie and illustrated edition?

5. How do the images compare to your own visualization of the characters and scenes?

6. What do you think the creators were trying to convey through their visual interpretation?

7. How do the creators’ visual interpretations relate or compare to the themes Orwell conveys through his writing?

8. Which images of your character do you find interesting? How might you include these images in your image bank and potentially in your own visual interpretation of the story?

Be prepared to share and explain your research and summary in Lesson 4.

Step 2

As you study the visualization and address Question 7, note any images of your character that you find interesting and add them to the image bank you have been developing throughout the unit.