The Cellist of Sarajevo

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The use of light and dark is more closely associated with painting than with literature.

• How does Galloway use the technique of light and dark throughout the novel? (topic sentence)
• Describe the instances in which Galloway uses light and the cases in which he uses darkness. Then, describe why Galloway uses light and dark in these situations.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Galloway’s use of light and dark contributes to the narrative.

2. Galloway has stated in interviews that each character in his novel represents Sarajevo’s past, present, and future.

• How do the characters represent the past, present, and future of Sarajevo? (topic sentence)
• Explain how Arrow represents the future of Sarajevo, Dragan represents the past, and Kenan represents the present.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why Galloway chose to represent the past, present, and future to describe Sarajevo in the novel.

3. The use of color is important in the novel.

• How does Galloway use color in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Explain when Galloway uses bright colors and gray colors in the novel. Then explain what Galloway’s purpose is in using these colors.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why color is important to the novel’s narrative.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Discuss the relevance of trauma in the narrative. How are the characters traumatized? How do the characters exhibit the characteristics of trauma in their mental and physical mannerisms? In what ways does trauma contribute to each of the character’s journeys?

2. Redemption is an important aspect of these characters’ stories. Who achieves redemption in the novel? Who doesn’t achieve redemption? Did their experience foreshadow it in any way? What is the turning point for each character to confront their trauma to earn redemption? Why is redemption necessary for the characters?

3. Each character retreats from the world to cope with the horrifying reality of the present. How do the characters in the novel cope with the war around them? What do the characters find most horrifying? In what ways do their thought processes react to the destruction of Sarajevo?