The question that is often asked by many intellectuals is does history shape literature or does literature shape history? Many historical writers simply use research from past or present events. Authors write about these events that occurred or about the people who played an important role in history. So in fact history does, shape literature. There are many books that a reader would not understand without the knowledge of the historical time period. History changes the way we look a pieces of literature. Literature built upon what is gone, helps share memories of past events. Philosopher John Locke expressed what he saw throughout literature. The following authors give their readers a glimpse into the historical setting of that time period. “The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink” (T.S Eliot). Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys, is a novel that reflects the time period of the Soviet invasion of the country of Lithuania in 1941. The book educates us on the past, its imperfections and key factors.…show more content… It was a time of poverty, some did not even have a job. Unlike today, a dollar was worth much more back then. The heads of the household worked extremely hard just to put a small amount of food on the table. Kids did little things just to make some pocket money. Women did not have the same rights as men, and were often looked down upon. Today, women have just as many rights as the men. While previous generations blamed moral failure (the faithless were punished with poverty, or behavior was another factor (laziness and bad habits) reformers believed that the places in which the poor lived and worked was a great factor to their state. "The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. And they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them “ (Mother
