Dead Souls Lesson Plan

Character Portaits

Kind of Activity:

Artistic Response

Objective:

Students will create a "portrait" of one of the novel's characters.

Structure:

As we make our way through the Dead Souls, it becomes clear that Gogol is not one to mince words. The information he provides on our main characters' looks and personalities continues to pile up, creating rich and active imagery.

At this point in our study of the novel, students should have clear mental images of these characters and should have a strong sense of how each of them looks. As such, for this activity, students will create a "portrait" of some sort that depicts one of those characters. Although it's...