Change Of Perspective In The Cellist Of Sarajevo By Steven Galloway

Novel critic Greg Doran states that Galloway “paints an inanimate portrait of three people living in wartorn Sarajevo” to illustrate “how the human spirit responds to conflict” (Doran 153). This analysis interconnects with the didactic nature of the novel, which conveys a strong lesson about identity and hope. The story about how three people experience a temporary change of personality in the face of conflict and lose sight of their values due to this conveys a message to the reader. Though Arrow, Kenan, and Dragan all deviate from the path they were on after losing hope, a small part of them still cling to the past, a small part of them still hope. The stronger the hope of the characters, the more they will pursue their values and beliefs. Thus, as the characters in the novel regain hope, they regain their identity. Hope is symbolized by the Cellist in the novel, and upon hearing the Cellist playing, Arrow and Kenan remember the values they once held dear. Arrow realizes she does not wish to kill anymore as she does not hate anyone, and Kenan decides to fetch Mrs. Ritovski’s water. This conveys the message that hope is powerful, and hope is what drives people to follow their values and beliefs, guiding people to regain their identities. The Cellist shows that even in the darkest of times there is hope and that hope should be held

"We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings" (BookRags, 1) - Albert Einstein. This quote is particularly true, since it is very important to maintain what identifies us as human beings, especially during horrific times, such as war. The Cellist of Sarajevo, a novel by Steven Galloway, delivers an interesting story by using internal conflict of the three characters, to demonstrate a theme, of the great possibilities of regaining humanity with the belief of a better life and a brighter future, thus revealing that finding hope is crucial for the survival of humanity.

The Shoe Horn Sonata provides an insight into the lives of two women who were made prisoners of war by the Japanese and explores the little known and horrific conditions and events the women endured. With the use of distinctively visual techniques, John Misto brings Bridie and Sheila’s experience vividly to life. Through the use of projected images, sound, music and symbolism; the horrors of war, survival and resilience are portrayed throughout the drama.

Music is known to leave its mark on people helping them to overcome challenges in their lives or to give them courage to defy the odds. In one’s daily life, music is normally taken for granted or is seen as nothing special. As ordinary as it may seem, music can convey emotion in times when the body is numb or all hope is lost. Similarly, in The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, the cello’s music gave people hope and determination to live their lives in spite of the rampant siege around them. Therefore, music very much impacts the lives of the principal characters Dragan, Kenan, and Arrow.

She does not lose the innocence of her true self. Another example of humanity is in Arrows thoughts. As Arrow escapes the fallen building “she wonders what it means that the insignificance of her injury does not bring her any particular sense of relief”(19). Commonly a sniper in war would be grateful for being alive but Arrow does not feel the same. She knows to be alive means that she must continue the horrific acts of a sniper. This shows her humanity because for a sniper, killing should not have any emotional effect,but Arrow feels regret because she knows it is not right to kill anyone. Furthermore, she realizes that murder is never going to be right. Arrow asks herself if she “has good reason to hate [the men on the hills] absolve her”(190). Arrow understands in times of war, there is a code to follow which means only targeting the enemy soldiers. The men on the hills are disobeying this code because they are not

Run and hide or stay and fight. The fight or flight response is the first thing the human brain activates when there are threats to its survival. Steven Galloway’s novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, puts the main characters in many situations that require quick decisions to ensure survival. This instantaneous response is central to the one of the characters in the novel named Dragan. He is an elderly man whose family has escaped Sarajevo while he stays behind. Though he has the support of his sister, he depends almost entirely on himself for survival. The choices he makes to ensure he lives reflect the response he has to the effects of the war. At the beginning, Dragan isolates himself from everyone including friends because he is afraid of losing them. He is afraid to cross an intersection and waits for hours out of fear of death by the snipers of the men on the hills. A transition begins in his mind when he witnesses the consequences every choice carries when his friend Emina is shot by a sniper. By the end of the novel he decides that he will live in the battle-torn Sarajevo however he chooses and not be intimidated by the men on the hills. Dragan uses the power of choice to hide and be fearful, although by the end of the novel, he chooses to be brave and have hope for the return of the Sarajevo of his memories..

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway was an intensely gripping book. The opening line, "It screamed downward, splitting the air and sky without effort," made the book come to life almost instantaneously. I really like this novel because it shows the hardship of war on an extremely emotional level, which I believe is what makes us humans more understanding and empathetic of these circumstances. It also made me sickened by the ignorance some people have during wartime. While we sleep soundly in our beds, there are people being blown to pieces and watching every aspect of their livelihood crumble.

“After the First Death” is a thriller with a theme revolving around cruelty. Miro and Artkin,the terrorists, have physically killed people. The General has psychologically hurt his son by telling him of “The Plan”. Kate lied and used her body to get what she wanted out of Miro. “After the First Death” shows that cruelty comes in different ways as physical and psychological.

Courage or cowardice, which option would be your choice? Since the dawn of civilization there has been a never ending fanaticism with dualities. Good or bad, right or wrong, and the hero versus the villain. Is it because we cannot bear what is past black and white, or just subconsciously color blind to the fact. Yet a middle ground still remains, there will always be an existing common ground between any two halves; we only need to perceive it. Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo forces our imaginations to surpass those concepts of duality. In the novel a war is taking place in Sarajevo, but there is an even greater war within the individuals caught in the crosshairs of imminent danger. We know courage is a preferred trait over cowardice,

This novel follows the distinct stories of three characters: Arrow, Kenan, and Dragan. Galloway featured these people because they offered three different perspectives during the siege and how it affected them. Arrow is a woman who is a skilled sniper in the military during the siege. She had given herself the name “Arrow” when she realized her hatred for the men in the hills, when she previously never hated anyone. At the start of the war, Arrow was a member of the shooting at the university because of the unique skills she possessed she was asked to join the military resistance against the soldiers in the hills. Initially she refused because she didn’t want to kill anyone because someone told her to. Later, she is convinced by Nermin, a solider,

So, when he started to make his new list he thought it was difficult to think of the good among the evil (Trebinčević 296). When he sat down and really thought about it, there were just enough people there to help him and his family stay alive and to escape the horrible life they were living (Trebinčević 296). The first item on Kenan’s new list was, “Thank God for Obren, who warned Dad and Mujo away from the Partizan Sports Hall” (Trebničević 297).

If I could spend 14 Tuesdays with anyone, it would be Nina Simone. Not only was Ms. Simone a remarkable singer, but she was a classical pianist as well. Her songs flow with a rhythm only the best can play. Many of her songs have become jazz standards today, and her original song , “Alabama Goddam,” became an important song for the Civil Rights Movement.

On December 9, 2016 I had the pleasure of viewing Sofia Vasheruk performing Tchaikovsky Piano concert No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 at the previously recorded Young Pianist Festival in Amsterdam on November 24, 2013. She performed in the big hall of Muziekgebouw aan`t IJ, was accompanied by Noord Nederland’s Orkest and directed by Stefan Asbury.

sister’s house in Ukraine, he began work on Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, which he finished that year.

In Bruno Nettl's article A Place for All Musics? Confrontation and Mediation he talked about how the “School of Music” and “Departments of Music” are so far from the reality of accepting all music. These schools typically only study Western European art music and Nettl through this article is pointing out the major flaws with this system as a distant observer. He wrote, “Even the various sorts of Western art music may not be included on equal terms. Actually, there are some ways in which the music school functions almost as an institution for the suppression of certain musics. Its library may avoid the purchase of popular music, and in decades past some music deans forbade students to play popular music or jazz in their spare time. . .”