As human beings, we are fascinated by our past. The past affects society in so many ways that most don't even realize it, and humans accept this conclusion. Whether it's the language spoken or the city a person lives in, everything around us has a story or some sort of meaning. As a society, we have chosen to accept and learn from our past. Although this is one way of dealing with history, George Orwell and Margaret Atwood both make a statement about the role and power of the past in their respective novels, 1984 and The Blind Assassin. George Orwell's novel 1984 describes a dystopian world in which "Big Brother" and the government control everything citizens do, say, and even think. A major aspect of Orwell's society is the complete control and erasure of history. In Orwell's novel, the government takes precautions to ensure that its nation's history is hidden or completely rewritten. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, on the other hand, tells the story of an elderly woman named Iris as she writes a novel about her entire past life to her granddaughter Sabrina. Atwood places emphasis, perhaps too much, on the past. Both Orwell and Atwood create scenarios that depict the two extremes: ignoring the past and living in it completely, in an attempt to prove the importance of finding a balance between the two. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayIn 1984, Orwell attempted to downplay the past by eliminating the "old language" and replacing it with a completely different language called " Newspeak.” Newspeak is an oversimplified language and completely detached from any history. True language has history and roots. The ancient language, or English, has Germanic and Latin roots. When people share a common language, they share a common history and that brings them together. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood is a perfect example of the ability of people to connect through language and literature. The anonymous man and woman connect as the anonymous man tells his lover, the anonymous woman, about the thrilling adventures of X and the silent princess. Atwood is careful to focus on the importance of language and the history behind it. Furthermore, Orwell removes all literary links with the past. Syme tells Winston about Newspeak, describing: "By 2050, sooner, probably – all real knowledge of the ancient language will be gone." All the literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron – they will only exist in The Newspeak versions, not only have been transformed into something different, but have actually been transformed into something contradictory to what they were. (Orwell 56). In today's society, knowledge and appreciation of people like Shakespeare and Chaucer allows people to connect. By eliminating old language and literary figures, Orwellian society loses all sense of community and history, and this is exactly what Orwell wishes for his readers. to see and understand. It shows us that a society that doesn't have a history to guide it doesn't work. Atwood places considerable emphasis on literary references in her book. She certainly doesn't hesitate to name people like Ovid, Lord Tennyson, and even Victor Hugo Although their general education is quite limited, Iris and Laura learn Latin, French, and they read books upon books. Iris once said: “I would choose the books that interested me: A Tale of Two Cities, by...