Reflection on Shame

             Shame is something that's done to you. Something that happens to you, or something you do that you later regret. Shame happens. It's a feeling that creeps into the body, unwelcome but heavy. I find that since writing is an extremely active action, it eliminates the passivity out of any story the writer is recalling. Even if the writer is telling a story about how they did absolutely nothing, the writer is claiming the action of nothing by writing about it. And that's something. The writer chooses what style to write about the event--there are all these choices that come with writing. Writing is all about agency. Even though it may not be the writer's intention to share what they experienced, they may be writing for themselves writing still somehow becomes a social act, no matter how personal it is. People read to feel less alone; when we read we connect to other experiences. A writer writing about their personal experiences can be speaking someone else's truth.

          Writing allows people to analyze their experience in a way that no other art form can. A writer can write ten pages about what was going on in their minds during a ten second span. It allows us to expand on intricate, delicate emotions and concepts. A reader can sense the writers mental state based on what they write. When I shared my personal essay in class, people pointed out things I didn't realize myself. People thought that I had misplaced guilt, guilt that I thought was deserved. It's interesting how people get different readings of the same work. I think that has to due with people bringing up a part of themselves into what they read.