sweat lynn nottage

Focus on this part of the interview:

BROWN: One of the lines in the play that really grabbed me was about how it’s not the guilt or the rage that gets you, but the shame. Is that something that came out during your interviews with people?

NOTTAGE: I found that line in the process of writing. It’s something that came up when I was speaking to a dramaturge, Alison Carey. Originally I was like, “It’s guilt.” And she was like, “I don’t know, it seems as though a lot of these characters carry shame. It’s the shame that they’re not working and the stigma that that carries.” I felt shame was a much better explanation and a heavier emotion than guilt and rage. It’s something that really does eat us away, and we can’t talk about it. Whereas I feel that we express rage; we say, “Oh, I feel guilty,” or, “I feel angry,” but very rarely do we say, “I feel ashamed.”

Discuss the difference between guilt and shame as you understand it. Then discuss how shame manifests itself in ONE of the characters from the play. Also contemplate the role of and relationships with co-workers (in general, not just in the play) in promoting dignity at work or making us feel shame. Comment on three posts.