One aspect I did not expect to be so intriguing while reading Tell Me How it Ends was the idea of guilt of privilege. As we discussed in class, there is a sense of guilt as Luiselli compares her journey to the US with the journeys of the children she interviews. One quote that really struck me was as she described her frustration with explaining her trip to a border patrol agent. She explains, ” we find a country that is as beautiful as it is broken, and we are somehow now part of it, so we are also broken with it, and feel ashamed, confused, and sometimes hopeless, and are trying to figure out how to do something about all that” (24). Her journey to the states has been far less, or if at all, as traumatic compared to the children’s. As she compared the journeys, it becomes clear the questions in which US government asks immigrants; are you smart enough, or traumatized enough for a visa? She recognizes her privilege of having the resources to get her visa, and feels guilty for having an easier journey. On a different note, I think this quote also goes well with our discussion in class of what we, as university students, can do about the problems we discuss in class. While we gain knowledge, we become better equipped to tackle these issues; yet, a feeling of helplessness grows as we learn just how deep rooted these problems are. The conflict between gaining power through knowledge, confusion of how to use the knowledge, and frustration of not knowing where to start weighs heavy on our minds and Luisellis. In conclusion, Tell Me How it Ends evoked an interesting reflection on the guilt we can carry for learning about these topics and what we are to do about it.
Hi Kiri, this is a very thoughtful response to the role of guilt when reflecting on these complex issues. I found myself comparing Luiselli to her students, and I think the emotion that fuelled their activism was more so anger than it was guilt. In my opinion, I believe guilt can be an unproductive emotion just because it is very uncomfortable to feel and often times people try to avoid it. For instance, and I’m sure many of us have done this, when we’re walking around the city, we would avoid making eye contact with a homeless person sitting on the ground to avoid the feeling of guilt, or we’d just pretend that we didn’t notice their existence/situation. On the contrary, anger is the emotion that actually drives social change and inspires people, like Luiselli’s students, to actually try and do something about the problem. I think it wasn’t until Trump got elected that Luiselli’s guilt translated into anger where she gained the courage to confront a guy wearing a MAGA hat.
Your analysis of guilt in Luiselli and the (in)action that can result from feelings of guilt and gaining new knowledge is insightful and productive, Kiri. And Milena’s follow-up is also really generative. You’ve both identified some of the ways that affect and emotion can be paralyzing or galvanizing.
Our discussions in class and the fantastic blog posts you all have composed on Luiselli have also made me (as the professor) realize that I can incorporate paths toward action as some of the knowledge that I impart. I’ll definitely be revisiting learning outcomes and the information I include in lectures after this semester, so this has been impactful for me, too!