Development Unit: Animal Farm
We will read and analyze George Orwell’s 1945 allegorical novel, Animal Farm, and will explore the Central Question: How do authors develop themes and commentary through allegorical stories and characters? In reading the novel, we will consider his own characterization of the story, the meaning we find in it from closely studying a character and their symbolic role in the story, the historical and political context in which the novel was written and published, and various visual interpretations that have been developed over time. As we study plot structure, character development, and conflicts in the narrative, we will also consider its thematic commentary and the meaning of the allegory, including a focus on the impact of language and literacy. In so doing, we will address a secondary thematic question: How can language be used to control information, manipulate truth, and gain power? Throughout the unit, we will closely examine the story from the point of view of a key symbolic character, develop claims about the story’s meaning and the character’s role in the allegory, retell the story from that character’s first-person point of view, and design a book cover that complements the character’s narrative.