The Cellist of Sarajevo. by Steven Galloway

Transcription

1 The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

2 The Cellist of Sarajevo Steven Galloway 1. Vocabulary.not for marks, but it will make you stronger. (Unit exam will include a random sampling of these!) 2. Socratic Seminar Questions Don t leave these to the last minute! Typed or handwritten whatever you prefer! Leave space to add ideas from you peers Tuesday, Dec. 16 th, and Wednesday, Dec. 17th TWO DAYS!! 3. Class Lit Circle Prep (during the discussion, I expect you to use a different pen colour to include new thoughts/ideas etc) a. Part I (1-44) Wed., Dec 3 rd. b. Part II (47-171) Wed., Dec 10 th. c. Part III & IV ( ) Mon., Dec. 15th FINAL LOTOSKI UNIT TEST Thursday, Dec. 18 th!! Overall Notes: [make sure to FLAG these in your reading!] CHARACTERS/SETTTING/SYMBOLS & IRONY/THEMES TRUTH (sometimes subjective!) vs. Idealism Moments of EPIPHANY VERY IMPORTANT! DEFINING MOMENTS for the characters ( point of no return!) For discussion purposes Switches to 2 nd PERSON ( YOU! ) purpose? Function of the CELLIST in the narrative and his MOTIVATION PROFOUND/MEANINGFUL passages that strike you as significant SYMBOLS (ex. the National Library, water )

3 Socratic Seminar Discussion Questions: [Dec. 15 th and 16 th ) *On a separate piece of paper, record your answers. The MAIN questions are the ones that are bolded; the other questions are guiding questions to help you and to focus you. 1. What effect does the constant confrontation of war and occupation have on each narrator? Does suffering, violence and loss ever become normalized for them? What is it like to live in this kind of anarchy especially when symbols of peace and power have been extinguished (the eternal flame from WWII, the Kosovo Olympic Stadium now used for a burial ground, the National Library)? And what does it mean to have the color, beauty, and vibrancy of music and flowers (left behind for the cellist) introduced? 2. How has life changed in the city since the arrival of the men on the hills? What resources, both physical and mental, are the four characters in the book using to help them survive? What is involved in day-to-day living? How would you fare under these same conditions and what would be your greatest challenge? 3. Each chapter in the novel is told through the lens of one of the four main characters (including the cellist) in the story. How does this strategy colour our reading? How might our experience be different if told in first person? If it were told in a more journalistic way? 4. How do each of the characters (Arrow, Dragan, Kenan) view their fellow citizens? How do they each look upon their struggles, choices, and their attitudes? What makes them not give up on each other? Does Kenan s classification of the three types of people (144) ring true to you? 5. Do you think the author intends for the reader to be sympathetic to Arrow s life and career trajectory? What prevents (or encourages) us from fully engaging, trusting, relating to her? Do you think war forces everyone to compromise something in themselves their attitude, their moral compass? 6. What are the goals of the men on the hills? What exactly is it they are trying to destroy? What do they come to represent for the main characters and what separates them from Arrow? 7. In the beginning of the novel, Dragan avoids his friends and coworkers because the destruction of the living is too much for him. Arrow assumes a new name to distance herself from her role as a sniper, and Kenan takes refuge in his new ritual of obtaining water for his family. How have the three used rituals as ways to cope with their fear of what is happening in the city? At the end of the book, do you feel that their experiences of the cellist s performances have changed how they deal with the danger around them? In what way?

4 8. What force does music have upon the war-torn state and what power does it have over the lives of the characters? (For Kenan, Arrow, Dragan and the Cellist?) Do you feel yourself relating to the power of the cellist s performances? Are there parallel moments in your life where you also experienced such sudden awakening, or realization? 9. In one of his early chapters, Kenan is particularly disturbed by the interruption and shelled state of the tram s service ( The war will not be over until the trams run again ) and the destruction of the National Library ( the most visible manifestation of a society he was proud of )-representing for him basic civilization. What signs, services, and signals do you consider pillars of civilization? Why? 10. Why do you think the sniper avoids taking his shot at the cellist especially when he has such ample opportunity? 11. Why does Dragan take such drastic measures to prevent the dead man s body from being filmed by the journalist? What does the author suggest through this as a lesson for the living? What are we to do to prevent the horror of war from becoming commonplace, something to tune our televisions out from? 12. Were you surprised by Arrow s final act of protest? Do you think she was ultimately able to reclaim herself, her identity? Do you think she succeeded?

5 Lit Circle Part I: Wednesday, December 3rd 1. Define JUXTAPOSITION. Flag moments of it the novel. 2. Define REALISM. Flag moments of it in the novel.

6 Other Notes (based upon flags ) think about first impressions

7 Lit Circle Part II: Wed., December 10th In Part II (& I as well), how do the three protagonists reveal moments that define their humanity? I expect to see some SPECIFIC passages NOTED & INTERPRETED. Arrow: Kenan:

8 Dragan:

9 It s just something you do because life is a series of tiny, unavoidable decisions there are no grand moments where a person does or does not perform the act that defines their humanity. (95 & 96) For days afterwards, the ash of a million books floated down onto the city like snow. (112) The Cellist why do you suppose he s there? Is he playing for the people who died? Or is he playing for the people who haven t? What does he hope to accomplish? (126) Arrow s epiphany! (151) What shift in attitude does Kenan reveal at the end of Part II? Why?

10 Other Notes (based upon flags ) think about character development/motivation

11 Lit Circle Part III: Monday, December 15th Each character has moments of reflection upon the past AND/OR what they hope for the future. Compare/contrast. Arrow: Kenan:

12 Dragan:

13 Discuss Kenan s comment that city heals itself (209) Discuss Arrow s epiphany (226) Discuss Dragan s response to the dead body (consider his response to Emina) Discuss: If this city is to die, it won t be because of the men on the hills, it will be because of the people in the valley (238)

14 Other Notes (based upon flags ) think about character development/motivation

15 Lit Circle Part IV: Also, Monday, December 15th Think about the ending are you happy with the ending for each? And Kenan s rebuilding epiphany (244) Dragan s struggle with lies and truth

16 Arrow s choices