The Lions Of Little Rock

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Metaphorical Character Analysis”

In this activity, students select four friends or family members and develop a character analysis for them using the method Marlee uses in the book.

In the novel, Marlee describes her family members by drawing comparisons between their personalities and types of drinks. Create your own character analysis of four close friends and/or relatives in order to metaphorically describe their personalities. Then, draw parallels between Marlee’s family members and your own using examples from the novel. Use the questions below to guide your thinking. Construct your answers in your reading journal.

• What metaphors will you use to describe your family members (food, cars, etc.)?
• Who are the four friends/family members you will analyze?
• How do the metaphors for each family member reflect their characteristics?
• What comparisons can you draw between your analysis and Marlee’s analysis of her family members?
• Write a short paragraph for each of the family/friends you analyzed using the questions above to guide you.

Teaching Suggestion: You might consider encouraging students to think of kind and honest depictions and to draw comparisons between their metaphors of choice. Students might create their analysis in writing to protect the student’s personal feelings about those closest to them.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who are English Language Learners or who might benefit from scaffolding this activity, consider allowing the student(s) to use the same analysis Marlee used and apply it to their family members. Also, students may benefit from the use of a graphic organizer, such as the blank four square that can be found here. Student might use each of the squares to represent one person they are analyzing, and they can include details about their family member/friend in the square under the name. Students might use the center square for the label “Character Analysis,” or they might create a title for their work.