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Section 3: Overview

Animal Farm: Historical Perspectives

How has the novel been interpreted visually during its publication history? How might we develop a graphic design that reflects our own interpretation?

We will examine the rich history of varied visual interpretations of Animal Farm by illustrators, moviemakers and animators, and graphic artists. We will first explore an early interpretation of the book (the 1954 animated movie by Halas and Batchelor), more recent movie adaptations or illustrated editions, and an interpretive summary that references one of those interpretations. We will do further research on a visual interpretation we find interesting, and develop a comparative claim about how the interpretation aligns with or departs from Orwell’s written allegory. To communicate our understanding of the book, we will develop a book cover design proposal and mockup that reflect our interpretation of our character, the allegory of Animal Farm, and its historical correspondences.

  • Lesson 1:

    Visual Interpretations – How Has Animal Farm been interpreted visually during its publication history?

    We will learn about the history of illustrated and animated interpretations of Animal Farm and examine artwork from various examples. We will select one example that interests us and do further research and examination of the illustrations and artist.

  • Lesson 2:

    Halas and Batchelor’s Interpretation – How did a 1954 animated movie of Animal Farm compare to (and diverge from) Orwell’s presentation of his allegory?

    We will watch the 1954 animated movie of Animal Farm by John Halas and Joy Batchelor and compare its plot and storyline, characterization, and themes to the narrative written by George Orwell. We will discuss why the creators made changes to the story, considering what we know about history and the funding of the movie.

  • Lesson 3:

    Ralph Steadman’s Interpretation – How do a critical summary and illustrated version of Animal Farm interpret and represent Orwell’s allegory?

    We will learn more about the publication history and meaning of Animal Farm by reading a critical summary titled “George Orwell’s Animal Farm Illustrated by Ralph Steadman.” We will closely examine images by British artist Ralph Steadman and discuss how he has depicted key characters and scenes from the book. We will write a claim and short response that communicates our evolving understanding of Orwell’s allegory.

  • Lesson 4:

    More Recent Interpretations – What have we learned about various visual interpretations of Animal Farm? How does a 1999 TV movie of Animal Farm compare to the 1954 animated film and to Orwell’s presentation of his allegory?

    We will share what we have learned and observed about the various visual interpretations of Animal Farm and discuss claims about their meaning and relevance. We will then watch scenes from the 1999 animated TV movie of Animal Farm. We will compare its plot/storyline, narration, characterization, and themes to the narrative written by George Orwell and the 1954 animated movie. We will write a claim about how an interpretation presents or diverges from Orwell’s allegory.

  • Lesson 5:

    Developing a Cover Design Proposal – How might we visually depict our interpretation of Animal Farm through the eyes of our selected character? How might our depiction be conceived as a cover design?

    We will preview the expectations for the Section 3 Diagnostic and the Cover Design Brief we will respond to, then begin to design our own visual interpretations of the allegory for an original book cover that features our character.

  • Lesson 6:

    Representing a Cover Design – How might our design proposal for a book cover be represented in a graphic mockup?

    We will review our Cover Design Proposals for a new Animal Farm book cover featuring our character, then begin to design a mockup for our cover design, which we will review and submit for the Section Diagnostic.

  • Lesson 7:

    We will participate in a design review with a team of other students in which we will present and explain our Cover Design Proposal and Cover Design Markup for an original book cover that features our character and communicates our interpretation of Orwell’s allegory through that character’s point of view.

  • Lesson 8:

    Section 3 Diagnostic Feedback – What can I improve based on feedback from the Section Diagnostic?

    We will review feedback on the Section Diagnostic. We will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 9:

    We will share the analyses we have made about our independent reading texts and make connections to the unit. We will plan a final product to share our experiences from reading independently and the knowledge we have gained.