From a sociological perspective, the use of caviardage in social poetry can be seen as a form of cultural resistance. Poetry, as an art, has always had the ability to act as a mirror for society, revealing its contradictions and injustices. However, while traditional poetry tends to denounce social distress or tell stories of suffering, caviardage goes further, proposing a form of “transformation” of pain and hardship. Reflection on these issues, rather than remaining anchored in mere denunciation, becomes a tool for empowerment.
Poetry writing and drawing are two art forms that, when combined, offer a powerful means of exploring and transforming emotions, especially those related to difficult or traumatic experiences. For this reason, I hope that the use of caviardage, a technique that aims to “erase” negative aspects through writing and art, thus creating stories of hope and rebirth, will gain more and more attention in schools. This technique offers writers themselves the opportunity to “reinvent” the negative, but given its penetrating power, it can be really functional when used in schools.
Andiamo alla pratica!
Initially, the concept of caviardage is explained to students. The importance of this technique as a tool for reinterpreting existing writing is emphasized, removing excess words and leaving only those that evoke deep and relevant meanings. The teacher proposes a reflection on the power of language and its use as a means of resistance and transformation. In groups, a poetic text is chosen that deals with the theme of gender-based violence or trauma. The text should be able to stimulate reflection and discussion among students. Collective reading of the piece stimulates shared understanding and interpretation, creating a starting point for the activity. Each student is invited to choose, within the text, which words to delete and which to keep. This process requires attention and awareness, as each word is selected with the intention of revealing new meanings or expressing emotions that might otherwise remain silent. Students may also decide to move or add words to complete their new poetic composition.
The concept of “erasure” refers not only to a physical correction or undoing of the negative, but to a psychological and emotional process that allows students to detach themselves from the negativity of their experience.
To further integrate the reflection, students are asked to make a drawing representing the story contained in the poem they created. This allows them to use visual language to express emotions that might be difficult to verbalize, thus completing the process of processing trauma. Poetry writing, combined with drawing, thus becomes a tool for rewriting one’s story, removing the contours of pain and replacing them with those of a more positive perspective. Next, the group comes together for a collective rewriting activity, where students collaborate to compose a poem that summarizes the reflections that emerged during the caviardage process. Each student contributes a line or word that he or she considers significant, thus combining the different contributions into one choral composition. At the end of the activity, students are asked to explain why they decided to cross out certain words, and what the selected words represent to them. This discussion is crucial to the process, as it allows students to confront the emotions aroused by the writing and to gain a deeper understanding of the power of language. A final reflection is then initiated on the trauma caused by gender-based violence, the difficulties encountered in reworking the text, and the emotional challenges during the writing process. The final discussion also focuses on the power of communication and language, emphasizing how word choice can influence how we perceive and cope with traumatic experiences. Students reflect on how language not only describes but also transforms reality, becoming a tool for liberation and awareness.
This approach, which combines poetry, reflection and drawing, has been proposed as a technique for transforming grief into growth, in a kind of catharsis that allows the person to overcome the trauma and be reborn to a new vision of self. The relationship between caviardage and catharsis is a central theme, as both offer a path to reworking and overcoming, using language as a tool for emotional and mental liberation.
The relationship between caviardage and catharsis finds its application in experiences of trauma, in which both processes play a therapeutic and transformative function. Writing, drawing and art, through caviardage, serve as tools of “purification” similar to Aristotelian catharsis, but with a specific focus on rebirth after trauma. Trauma, which can be social, psychological or emotional in nature, can be reworked on a path from suffering to growth and self-reconstruction.
In caviardage, individuals are encouraged to “rewrite” their grief story so that it does not remain tied exclusively to suffering, but can evolve into a new narrative of hope, change and renewal. Just as catharsis allows for the “cleansing” of the soul through emotional experience, caviardage allows for the “cleansing” of trauma through artistic creation and the reworking of negative emotions.
This “rebirth” and “reconstruction” after trauma is a central theme in educational and therapeutic work with young people, especially in schools, where children face various emotional, social and family challenges. Caviarardage offers a way to rewrite, design and transform painful experiences into opportunities for personal growth and development.
There are several authors and texts that deal with issues related to the use of creative writing, catharsis, and art as a therapeutic method for social change, similar to the concept of caviardage we have discussed. James Pennebaker is a leading researcher in the field of therapeutic writing, an approach that explores how writing can be used to deal with trauma, release repressed emotions, and improve mental and physical health. His book “Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions” (1997) is a seminal work that draws on years of scientific study, demonstrating how the simple act of writing about one’s emotions can lead to significant psychological benefits. The relationship between the concept of therapeutic writing proposed by Pennebaker and that of caviardage, although not officially connected from an academic point of view, can be traced through an analysis of their common goals: both seek to transform the negative into the positive and to foster an inner healing process through emotional expression.
In conclusion, the caviardage technique has emerged as a powerful and versatile educational tool in school settings, especially for supporting and processing difficult situations and trauma. Because of its ability to foster emotional expression in creative and safe ways, caviardage helps students explore their emotions and reflect on difficult experiences, promoting an inclusive and supportive school environment.
The article Practicing the Caviardage Technique comes from TheNewyorker.
