Book Description:
Hope
has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage…
The Short List of Certainties explores the
many ways in which we are blind to the depths of our fears and to the heights
of our noblest selves. Experimental when necessary, but classic in design, Lois
Roma-Deeley has woven together a narrative structure that traces the “hero’s
journey” while reaching into and beyond the social issues of our time.
Roma-Deeley’s writing entices the reader to join two strong-willed and modern,
yet vulnerable feminist spirits, on this venture. The twin daughters of
Hope —anger and courage— materialize and dematerialize throughout time,
physical space, and social boundaries to liberate the world while destroying
classic mandates. The twins struggle within themselves, argue with each other,
and rage at the world as they fight against work-a-day violence, social
injustices, and even Hope itself. The Short List of Certainties offers
no easy answers for the brokenness found within ourselves and our world, but
there’s no turning back now. The blind "what-if" awaits.
Reader’s Guide Discussion
Questions
The Short List of
Certainties
by Lois Roma-Deeley
Paperback:
104 pages , $14.95
Publisher:
Franciscan University Press (July 9, 2017)
ISBN-10:
0996930558
ISBN-13:
978-0996930550
1) The
Short List of Certainties
opens with the prologue poem, “Snow Blind,” in which the speaker is watching a
glacier calve and then experiences a temporary loss of vision.
Define “blindness” in terms of fear. In terms of faith. How are they similar? Dissimilar? Give examples of each
drawn from your own life.
How
would you explain
the phrase “the blind what-if?”
2)
There
are two epigraphs attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo and Pascal which introduce
the book:
Hope
has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the
way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.
–St. Augustine of
Hippo
You must wager. It is not
optional. You are embarked.
—--Pascal
a) According to St. Augustine,
one of Hope’s beautiful daughters is Anger. Throughout history and in
individual lives, “righteous anger” has been used as a justification for change
and, in some cases, physical violence. Find an example from current
events. What are the
tangible effects of this anger? In your opinion, is the use of this anger justified?
b) Do you agree or disagree that there may be other forms of
violence which are not physical? Explain.
c) Within
the book the twin daughters of Hope--Anger and Courage-- struggle
within themselves, argue with each other, and rage at the world as they fight
against work-a-day violence, social injustices, and even Hope itself. How are the emotions of anger
and courage a product of hope? How and why are they at odds with each other?
d) What are three ways in which
the structure of the book is shaped by the feelings or interactions of the twin daughters?
e) Define the “wager” to which Pascal refers in the epigraph. What does it mean to be
“embarked”? What
does it mean that the gamble or bet is “not
optional”?
3) In what ways does the structure of this book follow the idea of the hero’s journey as being one of
adventure and transformation? In what ways does the book depart from this
notion?
4)
Time,
memory and “the journey” all are key elements in this book. For example, the
first lines of the poem, “Nearby Is the Country,” state: “The past moves inside
me/as water from a swollen river makes its inevitable way/to the sea.” How are time and memory like
moving water? Who do you
believe could be the “bloody blind one” standing on the rooftop waiting
to be recused? Who or what do
you think could be the rescuer?
5)
The
poem “Dematerializing” draw heavily on the tale of “The Ring of Gyges,” as set forth in Plato’s Republic, which explores the idea of
human virtue. What would you do if you knew there would be no consequences to
your actions? Does your answer match your core beliefs about
who you want to be?
7) The poems “A
Banjo Strums Itself to Sleep” and “The Mirage of Saints Confess Their Unholy
Thoughts” employ the editorial strike-out
function (as in strike-out) as a way of creating juxtaposition among
images to produce a poem that can be read and experienced at different levels. Choose one of the poems and analyze the different meanings found
when reading it with and without the struck-out text. Which way feels more
authentic to you and why? Do you believe this technique causes the poem to be more effective or less
effective?
8) The
signature poem “Two Daughters” ends with the lines: “burn a path through this
world/or move on to the next.” In what
ways can a person “burn a path” through the world?
9)
In section three,
many of the speakers are presented as imperfect human beings. In what ways do these personas serve the themes
of this book?
10) What might your friends and family say are on
your own “short list of certainties?”
Explain why they would or would not be correct in their assumptions? Is there
something you might add to your list that others might not know about?
