In Winston Smith, the protagonist of 1984, Orwell creates an ordinary person, an “everyman” who stands for all the oppressed citizens of Oceania. Yet, as the novel closes, Winston cries as his love for Big Brother overwhelms him. Is Winston the novel’s hero, by Orwell’s definition

Assignment Instructions

Respond to the following in the form of a short essay. Your essay should consist of at least five paragraphs.

George Orwell once offered this definition of heroism: ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed.

In Winston Smith, the protagonist of 1984, Orwell creates an ordinary person, an “everyman” who stands for all the oppressed citizens of Oceania. Yet, as the novel closes, Winston cries as his love for Big Brother overwhelms him. Is Winston the novel’s hero, by Orwell’s definition? Is he a hero that readers can admire and emulate? Explain your position by tracing Winston’s actions throughout the novel and considering the results of those actions.

Cite specific examples from the novel in your response. Use the notes you take and the questions you answer in the Student Guide to help you formulate your response.

You will hand in your completed response on the final day of this unit.

Process

You should always use a process for your writing that includes planning and drafting. To complete this assignment, you will do the following:

• Review the assignment instructions and grading criteria thoroughly. The writing assignment you complete in this unit will be graded against a rubric that assesses the essay in a number of categories. These categories focus both on the essay’s contents and its clarity.
  • Read the rubric on the last page of this document. Keep the criteria listed on the rubric in mind as you complete the writing assignment.
  • Remember to write in standard formal English and use the third person (no personal opinions) and the present tense.
• Complete a plan for your essay.
• Begin drafting your paper, using your plan as a guide.
• Review and revise your first draft. You should try to have another person read your work and give you feedback as part of your revision process.
• Write the final draft of your project. Be sure to follow these requirements and recommendations when completing your draft:

Open a new Microsoft Word document. Type your name, your teacher’s name, your school name, and the date at the top of your document. To help your teacher know from whom the project came, save the file as:

NG403B-ENG404B_NC_03_01_1984_Literary_Essay_FirstInitial_LastName.doc

Example: ENG403B-ENG404B_NC_03_01_1984_Essay_M_Smith.doc

Type your essay in the document you create.