In the second section of Streams 9, “Passion and Paradise,” the student work related to the Heuristic Elements of catharsis and sublimation.
Aristotle wrote of catharsis as a cleansing and purging of emotions:
“An emotion which strongly affects some souls is present in all to a varying degree, for example pity and fear, and also ecstasy. To this last some people are particularly liable, and we see that under the influence of religious music and songs which drive the soul to frenzy, they calm down as if they had been medically treated and purged.” (Politics 8.7.3-5)
and
“Tragedy, then, is the imitation of a good action, which is complete and of a certain length, by means of language made pleasing for each part separately; it relies in its various elements not on narrative but on acting; through pity and fear it achieves the purgation (catharsis) of such emotions.” (Aristotle’s Poetics chapter 6 1449b)
Freud adopted “catharsis” in reference to the means by which he and his early colleague and mentor, Joseph Breuer, addressed the emotional distress of their patients. In “The Origin and Development of Psychoanalysis” (1910), Freud wrote:
The cathartic treatment, as Breuer had made use of it, presupposed that the patient should be put in deep hypnosis, for only in hypnosis was available the knowledge of his pathogenic associations, which were unknown to him in his normal state. Now hypnosis, as a fanciful, and so to speak, mystical, aid, I soon came to dislike; and when I discovered that, in spite of all my efforts, I could not hypnotize by any means all of my patients, I resolved to give up hypnotism and to make the cathartic method independent of it. (American Journal of Psychology, 21, 181)
In Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud developed his concept of sublimation:
“Sublimation of instinct is an especially conspicuous feature of cultural development; it is what makes it possible for higher psychical activities, scientific, artistic or ideological, to play such an important part in civilized life. If one were to yield to a first impression, one would say that sublimation is a vicissitude which has been forced upon the instincts entirely by civilization.” (James Strachey translation. W. W. Norton & Co. 1962 page 44)
Sublimation requires discipline. Adolescents are compelled to attend school. In the Streams anthologies they articulated their emotional responses to time spent in classrooms furthering the progress of civilization. They also wrote of their sublime expectations and their hopes for a better world.
Fears, What Are They
by Lloyd Pulley
Fears can come at any time or any place.
Fears are hidden within your mind and soul
and can take over your heart.
Fears are like winds
that blow through the trees
on a cold winter day.
So you ask me what fears are?
I ask you the same thing,
because the fears in my heart no one can answer.
(Streams 9, page 59)
Pride
by Steven Evangelista
I seem to be an uneducated person,
But deep inside I am willing to understand
and look forward to learning.
My pride makes me hide away the shame,
But if I never learn then I’ll remain the same.
I don’t want to remain confused and ignorant
Just because I want to impress you,
So I guess I got to move on,
‘Cause I got much work to do.
(Streams 9, page 62)
I’m Going to tell You About the Way I Feel (excerpt)
by Devin Williams
The way I feel
is like when I go some where
I feel funny
because I’m around different people
When you are home
You are around your family
You feel safe
Because you know that’s where you are loved
But the real reason why I’m telling you this
Is because I feel someone
Has to know I feel like that
I have no choice
But to do what other people tell me
I mean if I do something
I have to tell my mom or my boss
I just don’t feel free
(Streams 9, page 63)
A Kiss
by Lashawn Richardson
You walk up to me
Your tongue I can taste
You gently put your arms
Around y waist
You pull me close
Your body to mine
Working very slowly
Just taking your time
Around your neck
My arms are placed
Then we stare at each other
Face to face
When both our lips
Finally meet
The warmth
Then tenderness
Is oh so sweet.
(Streams 9, page 65)
A Better Place
by James Williams
Wondering about the love I have
In my heart and soul
Sitting here watching children
Till the day that I grow old
In life there are lots of struggles
Little kids without any dreams
Let’s make the world a better place
Stop killing human beings
Our future depends on children
On each boy and girl
To grow up and change the world
From negativity to positive thoughts
Education in a society like this
Is most definitely a must
Remember we are in our children
And in God they’ll surely trust
(Streams 9, page 82)
Peace
by La-Taameka Bradford
Increase the peace,
Live in it or rest in it I always say
For we may not live to see another day
With so much violence going on,
My time is decreasing but I’ve got to hold on,
Peace is the word that we need to spread
Live in it, or rest in it,
You choose the way.
(Streams 9, page 91)
Streams 9
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