Ritual sacrifice, because it uses a real victim , does not permit of dramatic identification. Aristotle's definition is a good starting point, but it suggests a purely cyclical operation. Purgation of negative emotion is followed by a new buildup of this emotion, which is followed in turn by another purgation. This ritual pattern is preserved in the sequence of weekly church services and annual feast days. Yet the term culture , which derives from agri culture , culti vation, suggests that the higher forms of art add to our experience something irreversible .
Pedagogy is the art of cultivating the young so that they blossom into cultured adults.
These botanical metaphors point to an irreversible process of creating social value. The work of high art , on the other hand, cultivates us in turning us away from the brutality of sacrifice. Having identified ourselves with the position of the tragic protagonist as well as with the social forces that require his downfall, we are less eager to rejoice in such downfalls in the future. Fables are a part of oral culture that survives in our own. We are invited to apply these lessons to our own lives.