Summary: The Cellist Of Sarajevo

Steven Galloway’s novel The Cellist of Sarajevo follows Sarajevo citizens who are struggling to survive in their home during the genocide which occurred there in the 1990’s. These people become psychologically affected through living on a battleground, and in a life altering way. The very image of war is enough for most to feel disappointed in mankind, but watching your home crumble around you while being able to see the faces of those causing the destruction would likely make one lose any remaining faith in humanity. This is demonstrated in The Cellist by the agency of the bystanders

"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 first significant method which Galloway uses to prove his idea is by elaborating on the idea of finding new hope for Sarajevo. By utilizing contrasting symbols in the beginning and end of the novel, he is able to demonstrate the change from having lack of faith for the future, to obtaining an improved ideology for the fate of the city. At the start of the novel, Dragan, a protagonist of the story, describes the city as “a peculiar shade of grey. He’s not sure where it came from, if it was always there and the war has

In everyday society cruelty is faced, weather yet another person is arrested for the killing of and innocent animal, or even the seemingly never ending brutality of the police forces going viral on YouTube yet again. Of course we have the do not touch subjects, such as war. The constant debate over is killing innocent people okay, just because it’s war. Jack London really brings this point alive in his short story “War”. In this thought-provoking piece of literature the odd uses of characterization, symbolism, morals, and irony lead a reader to an overall statement of theme that simply war is cruel.

Karim feels inferior to others because he never knew the free and safe life. This is demonstrated when he states to Milad,”the problem is that we who are young never knew before. We’ve only known after, which is not a pretty sight.”(74) Karim wants to have normal teenage years, although he knows he cannot because he lives in a war zone. He blames the older generation for stealing his life after causing a war to such a beautiful country as Lebanon. Moreover, Karim feels jealous of the people who knew peace and the ‘’before’’ because they had the chance to live a good life. Living in a country where a war is going on can cause a big trauma to children because they witness a great violence and they do not get to live a safe

In view of a memoir, The Bosnia List, there are various emotions that children will experience during wars and events of persecution in their homeland. Kenan demonstrates that he was anxious when he is wandering through the streets when he is required to leave his apartment to get necessary items for his family. While the war is going on, he encounters a couple new individuals that come to his family’s apartment. Kenan mentions that he feels safe, but also worried because these individuals could do anything and get away with it. He begins to lose faith in his people because all of the people he trusted before the war turned against him and his family. His family was no longer secured in their homeland they are afraid and hope for the best.

Have you ever thought of being on the run from an intense army ? Well , in this speech from Chief Joseph , he explains how is army has been killed and majority of his people have ran away to the hills because of the cold weather upon them. He is also worried because the young men now have to step up and lead the chiefs in an innovative direction. This has put him in a heartfelt situation where he now wants to put a cease to fighting , and find his children for the good of his sake. In contrast , he uses three rhetorical devices to release his thoughts and feelings from the outcome from fighting.

Chapter 2 sums up the war in a different fashion, showing the contrast between the uselessness of past knowledge and the “raw and emotional skills necessary” in the trenches (20). The duties imposed on the camp by Corporal Himmelstoss symbolize the hours of work and duties done before enlistment that mean nothing during the war. Being “put through every conceivable refinement of parade ground soldiering” shows how schoolbook tasks were diligently performed only for fear of how society would perceive the boys if they were to do otherwise (26). Himmelstoss himself is the embodiment of previous responsibilities that only make the men “howl with rage” at present (26). The death of Kemmerich goes hand in hand with the death of innocence, Kemmerich’s shiny boots being the small glimpse of hope that keeps the men going. Baumer receives saveloy, hot tea, and rum from Muller for salvaging the boots. In return for giving Muller a sense of hope, Baumer receives a more needed sense of comfort and satisfaction. His hunger, one “greater than comes from the belly alone” (33), is thus satisfied. Chapter 7 directly reinforces this transition from an old life into a new one. Baumer “feels an attraction” to the

In the novel “Tomorrow When the War Began” written by John Marsden, one important idea that was developed throughout the written text was how life events change people. People develop the most during their teenage years which is when they are affected the most during their life.Major life events change people and teenagers need to understand this. In this novel, seven teenagers go camping and when they emerge from the bush there are fires everywhere, the power is out and the animals are dead. The small town of Wirrawee has been invaded by the army. The idea of how life events can change people is shown through the technique of characters. With the events of war, Ellie showed how she grew up and lost her innocence because of the choices she

Not only does Robert’s killing of the German soldier expose humanity’s inherent savagery, but his fellow soldiers’ brutal rape of Robert also shows the brutal nature of humankind. After his shower, Robert senses a human presence in his cell and he

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.

The text, ‘The Things They Carried', is an excellent example which reveals how individuals are changed for the worse through their first hand experience of war. Following the lives of the men both during and after the war in a series of short stories, the impact of the war is accurately portrayed, and provides a rare insight into the guilt stricken minds of soldiers. ‘The Things They Carried' shows the impact of the war in its many forms: the suicide of an ex-soldier upon his return home; the lessening sanity of a medic as the constant death surrounds him; the trauma and guilt of all the soldiers after seeing their friends die, and feeling as if they could have saved them; and the deaths of the soldiers, the most negative impact a war

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 new soldiers’ resistance was usually followed by an attempt to flee which brought shame and embarrassment to both the new soldiers and their families. Subsequent to the attempt to flee came a final adoption to the war in which O’Brien and many others tried so hard to get out of. O’Brien uses elements such as conflict, imagery, and tone to help convey his

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