Examples Of The Cellist Of Sarajevo

battles of Sarajevo, Bosnia in the 1990s and Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful focusing on life

If you could revisit any moment in your life and change the decision you made, would your identity be any different? Could your identity, the values and beliefs you hold, be altered or erased by one drastic event? One novel, which explores the development one’s identity is Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo. Galloway clearly explores identity through the three main characters of the novel; Alisa, Kenan, and Dragan, conveying a clear lesson about hope through the experiences of the three characters. Though the conflicts from the siege cause them all to deviate from their personalities before the siege, they eventually all revert to their original personalities, regaining their identities.

In attempting to reveal insight upon the first part of this two-fold question, one must first discern the meaning of human nature. According to the authoritative opinion of The Random House College Dictionary human nature is defined as; "the psychological and social qualities that characterize mankind." In assessing the psychological and social qualities of mankind, it was easy to find oneself consumed within the vastness of characteristical qualities for which humanity has been endowed. These qualities range from ignorance to knowledge; grief to joy; from incontinence to self-restraint; lust to perseverance; injustice to

"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.

Ishmael`s hope for a better life portrays one example of the theme “Always have hope”. The war was very traumatic for everyone in the country. In fact, Ishmael joined the army at only 12 years old. While fighting in the war, Ishmael recalled his family and the wisdom they left with him. For example, Ishmael`s father said, “If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person he or she will die” (Beah54). Ishmael holds on to his father`s words as they comfort him and divert his attention away from the war around him. He could`ve given up many times during the journey. Instead, Ishmael does not lose hope and continues to move on because he knows that life will get better.

The understanding of human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that all humans tend to possess (Winkler, 1996). My basic view of human nature correlates with

As the days go on and the war deepens the impact it is making on Sarajevo Kenan begins to realize that the horrendous state Sarajevo is in will never change for the better. When Kenan sees people walk in a direction that may be unsafe he considers warning them but decides not to because, “Telling them there might be a sniper watching the bridge is a little like saying the sun has come up this morning” (113). This displays that the war has been going on for so long that it has just become a part of everyone's lifestyle, and the citizens of Sarajevo have adapted to it, therefore making it normal. Moreover, the men on the hills completely decide Sarajevo’s fate. This is shown when Kenan reflects on why they are firing and concludes that “They’re firing at the ambulances to tell him, and everyone else, that help will not arrive if they have anything to say about it” (162).

One’s humanity is not measured by what they have but what they are willing to do. If an individual shows that they will be overpowered by an opposing threat, they have already lost. In Steven Galloway’s novel The Cellist of Sarajevo, the attacking Serbians have surrounded Sarajevo and have taken away the safety of the civilians. In order to protect themselves and their fellow civilians, one must be willing to sacrifice their own safety to help others who are struggling in these times of war. By fighting back, the civilians of Sarajevo show that the men on the hills cannot control their lives. These people will not intimidate them. As a result of the main

In literature, it is common for authors to apply different stylistic techniques in order to assist in providing the readers with a message. This idea is prominent in Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo, a novel which follows the story of three characters in the war-torn city of Sarajevo. Despite the fact that the characters never meet, they are each unified by a cellist and the song he plays for twenty-two days to honour the citizens who lost their lives while waiting in line for bread. Throughout the book, a recurring idea is that of hope for the future of Sarajevo, which is shown through the contrast of symbols from the beginning of the novel to the end, the cellist himself, and the adagio that the cellist plays. It is evident from the meaning created through objects and people that Galloway is able to use symbolism to enhance the idea that a city which once was destroyed can still be repaired.

Imagine a missile coming through the peace of which once used to be a beautiful clear blue sky. The sound of the shell is low but builds as it comes down to break for impact on the streets. Giving a group of innocent civilians not enough time to flee, or at the very least take cover. Before time to react, the shell hits and explodes leaving twenty-two people dead. The civilians were simply hoping to be able to buy some bread for their families, but ended up facing death. The Cellist of Sarajevo, a novel by Steven Galloway, brings an interesting story by using internal conflict of three characters living through war, to demonstrate a theme, of the great possibilities of regaining humanity with the belief of a better life and a brighter future,

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

At the beginning of the novel, Dragan, gripped by fear, makes decisions that seclude himself and make him feel trapped by the men on the hills. Dragan chooses to stay in Sarajevo yet he does not want to talk to former friends and acquaintances out of fear of losing them,“ He’s stopped talking to his friends, visits no one, avoids those who come to visit him” (Galloway 43). His fear of death controls his choices so much so that he decides to become a recluse. Another example of his fear controlling his fate in the war is when he refuses to cross an intersection because of the possibility of a sniper working there that day. He also does not move as his friend Emina is shot as she attempts to walk across the street, “Still he didn’t move when the shots were fired. Not because he thought anything through, but because he was afraid” (Galloway 181). Dragan

The third level of abandonment, which is central and speaks to the Bosnian conflict itself, is the abandonment of community. Throughout the first portion of the work, Sacco takes care to repeat and emphasize “neighbors” as a motif. This motif hits its first shocking climax in “The First Attack”. Sacco depicts the first armed attack on the civilian population of Gorazde as

Amir is an intelligent boy and gifted storyteller. His desire is to please his father and make him proud. Amir is also a coward because he let his best friend be raped by Assef. Hassan is Amir’s best friend and servant of his father. He is loyal, always defends Amir, and listens to his stories. Hassan is a poor and uneducated boy. Baba is the father of Amir, a wealthy businessman, and biological father of Hassan. Assef is the character that makes Amir feels guilty and lack courage. After Amir wins the kiting completion, Hassan runs to bring the kite back. However, he is raped by Assef in an alleyway and the only witness is Amir Whese cowardice does not let him help his loyal friend. Amir and Baba escape to Pakistan after the Russian invade Afghanistan, and then to California when Amir graduates and meets his wife Soraya. Baba passes away and Hassan is murdered by the Taliban leaving his orphaned son waiting for Amir to get back to Afghanistan. In this novel, the author discusses how characters are products of their environment, and how this affects their lives, regardless at what their backgrounds are. Influences of environment emanate from