Useless Knowledge Discussion Questions

1. Charlotte Delbo begins None of Us Will Return with an epigraph that claims, "Today, I am not sure that what I wrote is true. I am certain it is truthful." Useless Knowledge begins with a very different epigraph, written by Paul Claudel, a controversial French poet who championed the collaborationist Vichy regime: "We came from too far to merit belief" (115). Why do you suppose Delbo would include Claudel's voice in opening you as the reader to the text? What does the epigraph mean? How does it function outside of the actual text?



2. Choose a poem from Useless Knowledge and read it closely. What tactics does Delbo employ to engage you as the audience? What is your reaction to the poem's meaning and/or goal?



3. In "The Marseillaise Beheaded" (130-133), what is the significance of the French national anthem to the events in the sketch? We discussed in class the famous singing recitation of "La Marseillaise" when Delbo's convoy entered Auschwitz, so why would she dramatize this scene? How does this complicate your understanding of witnessing as opposed to narration?



4. How is Delbo's text an example of witnessing as opposed to strict narrative?



5. Water and thirst play prominent roles in the chapter sketches "Thirst" and "The Stream." Drawing upon our discussions of thirst and the physical reactions we discussed in None of Us Will Return, what is Delbo attempting to relate to us in these two chapters? What is your reaction to these two chapters in succession?



6. Language after Auschwitz is ambiguous; one cannot utter the words "train" or "thirst" in a classroom such as ours without thinking about the experiences of those we have read about, as well as those we can never know. Delbo is particularly sensitive to the ambiguity of language; which examples in Useless Knowledge stick out to you? How do you see these everyday words and concepts differently having read her works (or Levi's)?




7. "Prayer to the Living To Forgive Them for Being Alive" (229-231) is the final section of Useless Knowledge. How do you read its message? Is it one of hope? Solace? Helplessness? Guilt?