Shame & Guilt Argument Prompt

Soap won't wash away your shame.

DEPECHE MODE, "Shame"

Shame should be reserved for the things we choose to do, not the circumstances that life puts on us.

ANN PATCHETT, Truth and Beauty

Shame wields its power when you tamp it down and ignore its existence. Expose it to the light, and it becomes a vampire at high noon.

HOWARD ENGLANDER, "It's a shame we have so much trouble talking about shame", Chicago Now, August 29, 2017

Shame is closely related to guilt, but there is a key qualitative difference. No audience is needed for feelings of guilt, no one else need know, for the guilty person is his own judge. Not so for shame. The humiliation of shame requires disapproval or ridicule by others. If no one ever learns of a misdeed there will be no shame, but there still might be guilt. Of course, there may be both. The distinction between shame and guilt is very important, since these two emotions may tear a person in opposite directions. The wish to relieve guilt may motivate a confession, but the wish to avoid the humiliation of shame may prevent it.

PAUL EKMAN, Telling Lies

ARGUMENT PROMPT

Do guilt and shame have a positive influence on people, or are they destructive and punitive feelings and emotions people must learn to subvert? Support your position with personal experiences, observations, readings (Scarlet Letter), and history.