I've written this piece and was wondering if anyone could give me any criticisms and suggestions.
Also could you please indicate the grade this would obtain end-of-year.
Thanks
"Winston's desperate need to form connections with other people is the cause of his downfall." Discuss.
In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four an entire generation is deprived of all human needs by the government’s implementation of a totalitarian regime. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is presented to the reader as an unlikely hero; a man challenging the ideology of a government superpower. Through George Orwell’s manipulation of language the reader feels sympathetic for Winston despite previous knowledge that there are no hero’s in a world such as that of Nineteen Eighty Four; a world likened to the totalitarian regimes of Hitler and Stalin. Whilst Winston’s actions begin timid in their degree of rebellion Orwell escalates to acts that are undeniably punishable by death. Winston, an ordinary man, longs to form a bond with a like minded ‘comrade’ in order to gain intellectual satisfaction. Whilst this may lead to the physical downfall of the protagonist it is the state of Oceania that leads to the psychological demise of Orwell’s character.
In a world such as that in Nineteen Eighty Four the necessity to form connections with another is essential for the salvation of the people. Having experienced the tyrannous nature of Hitler’s totalitarian regime Orwell exploits his use of human deprivation as a method to subdue the people of Airstrip One. Through the manipulation of language Orwell has presented the reader with a society lacking the ability to form a genuine connection with another. In the world of Oceania one does not speak with friends or acquaintances but rather ‘comrades,’ a broad term used to address everyone. Through this manipulation of language Orwell has restricted the way in which an individual can interact with another. Orwell manipulates the reader’s ability to call another by their name, rather than a general name, in order to arouse comparison within the reader’s mind to the state of Oceania and their own world thus initiating acknowledgment of the implications of such a restriction. Orwell suggests that the need to form bonds with another individual is essential to the progression of society through the explorations of Winston. It is through Winston and consequently his demise that Orwell demonstrates the implications of a restriction in human relationships. Winston’s relationship with his now estranged wife conveys the limitations of the ability to create an affiliation to another. Katherine, Winston’s wife, was an automaton reproduction of the doctrine of the Party. Winston describes her as having ‘the most stupid, vulgar, empty mind that he had ever encountered’ in one of his thoughts. Through Orwell’s description of Katherine, the reader is prompted to perceive Winston as a higher being in that he is able to recognise the manipulation of the Party on the individual. It is then surprising to the reader that Winston envisions pushing Katherine off a cliff; ‘I would have, if I’d been the same person then as I am now,’ as this evokes a sense of disgust within the reader. It is through this disgust that Orwell demonstrates the fragility of the human relationship. Winston’s need to create a genuine connection with another causes him to overstep the boundaries imposed by the totalitarian rule and it is in fact this rash nature that leads to his demise.
Whilst it is Winston’s physical need to form a bond with another human that causes the physical demise of the protagonist it is his desire for intelligence that leads to his downfall. Oceania, a world destitute of any intellectual aptitude, can only exist through the apathy of the citizens. Orwell demonstrates this through the restriction of history and the impact this has on Winston. Orwell has constructed a world in which history is devoid and one ‘accepts the official mythology.’ Orwell has chosen the word official to insinuate that the idea should be accepted however, he subverts the reader’s expectation as ‘history’ is expected. In using ‘mythology’ Orwell has created an oxymoron as mythology implies that the idea is a religious idea that is not widely acknowledged, such as Greek mythology. Throughout the novel Winston endeavours to regain his perception of true history; that is history that has not been modified by the Party. Orwell suggests that history is essential to the progression of humanity through the restriction and doctoring of history in order to validate the lies fed to the people by the Party. Ironically, Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, a paradox implemented by Orwell to highlight the oblivious nature of humanity, the very place which is responsible for the destroying of history. Whilst working, Winston discovers a photo that vindicates the freedom of three men who were recently accused of treason. This instance of historical contact initiates Winston’s need to form an intellectual bond with history. As his endeavour to locate a source of true history escalates he finds himself in the heart of the proletariat. It is this exact area that Winston is captured by the Party’s thought police. Orwell has constructed the novel in such a way that Winston’s exuberant need to discover history leads to his physical downfall.
Similarly, it is the limitation of language that restricts Winston from making any connection with another person or any other object. In the world of Nineteen Eighty Four, the totalitarian rule of the Party has allowed Orwell to implement a new, modified language; Newspeak. Winston, being less oblivious, recognises that ‘the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought’ unlike his ‘comrade’ Symes who entertains the thought that ‘it’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words’ despite being more rational than the average Party member. As the reader will read this text with a modernistic approach Orwell has intentionally contrived the reader’s perception of language. In the conclusion of Hitler’s Nazi reign and this modern day the idea of language represented the broadening of expression rather than narrowing it. Orwell has exploited language as a device to convey that any idea may be manipulated by an empowered body. Orwell’s limitation on language demonstrates the necessity of expression and coherence in an individual’s life. Orwell posses Winston with a diary, contraband prohibited by the Party in their restriction of history. Winston struggles to write a sentence because he does not know what to write; he does not know how to express himself. Through this manipulation of language Orwell has created a world in which if a relationship was able to form it would not be able to last due to the limitations of language, whether that be the ability to say ‘that 2+2=4’ or something more complex. The citizens of Oceania are unable to form any real connection with another and it is this realisation that destroys Winston as a person.
Throughout the novel Nineteen Eighty Four, Orwell explores the idea that the downfall of a person may not necessarily encompass death but rather limitations. Orwell has presented a society in which humanity has been annihilated through the execution of strict totalitarian practice. Oceania is a world in which no relationship can sustain the limitations applied by the unquestioned government. Winston, an intellectual being exhibits the characteristics that the reader wishes to exhibit themselves. In doing so, Orwell has shown the reader that they may not be able to survive the reign of a dictatorship. Thereby, conveying his message that the state of a society is reliant on the apathy of the citizens.
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