the cellist of sarajevo Flashcards
“I am Arrow because I hate them. The woman you knew hated nobody.”
Here, Arrow explains that she has changed her name to “Arrow” because she does not want to ruin her previous, innocent identity with the perilous events that have been occurring. Arrow claims that the woman she was previously would never hate anybody in her life and because of the events that have been happening, she has to murder “them”, who are the guys at the top of the hill. In order to protect her identity, her beliefs of goodness towards humanity and the citizens of Sarajevo, Arrow completely changes her identity and sacrifices her old life.
“You don’t choose what to believe. Belief chooses you.”
Here, this quote is explaining how you can’t choose what you want to believe in, the beliefs are the ones that decide who they choose. For example, Arrow was strongly against violence and believed that she should never be hating anyone. Due to the war, however, Arrow was hired as a sniper and was instructed to kill the men on the hills. As time went by, Arrow got angrier and hated the men on the hills more for what they’ve done. This shows that the belief of hating and violence chose Arrow. Arrow was unable to choose her own beliefs.
“Arrow is getting ready to kill the sniper whose job it is to kill the cellist but she hesitates after seeing his reaction to the cellist’s music.”
Here, this quote explains that Arrow is ready to kill the sniper who is targeting getting the cellist, but she sees his reaction to his music and she is hesitant to kill him. Arrow is able to see that even the enemies do not want this war. Also, she can see from the reaction of the sniper that he feels sympathy for them, like how Arrow feels sympathy for the people who are getting killed. This shows the morality of both sides during the war, proving that they do not war and would rather have peace and hope.
“It makes her sad… It is, she thinks, the worst feeling there could be,”
Here, the quote explains how Arrow feels the music she is listening to from the cellist is extremely disheartening. Arrow is sad and believes it’s the worst feeling in the world because the song is being played in memory of the 22 citizens who died, waiting for bread. Since Arrow was able to see the world turning from a perfect paradise in Alisa’s perspective, to a world of torture and cruelty, in Arrow’s perspective, she was able to identify and see why this was the worst feeling there could ever be.
“A weapon does not decide whether or not to kill. A weapon is a manifestation of a decision that has already been made.”
These words communicate the reader that the Serbs’ decision is to take Sarajevo for themselves, using weapons and shells to instill fear in the city’s citizens and efficiently achieve their goal. Furthermore, it also reveals that Arrow is slowly losing control. She realizes that one can make all the right choices and still find their fate in the hands of another. A second event in which Arrow experiences a loss of control is when she realizes that the enemy sniper is watching her (143). Fear strikes Arrow in this situation, as she realizes that the enemy sniper is much more adept than she originally thought, gaining the upper hand swiftly without her realizing. Arrow knows that the enemy sniper is using fear to challenge her and let her know that he is in control, able to end her life with a single shot whenever he pleases. This is significant to Arrow’s character because she is used to having full power herself, however she is
Quote 6
The men on the hills have created many monsters,” he says, “and not all of them are on the hills. There are those here who believe they are in the right simply because they oppose something that is evil. They use this war and the city for their own ends, and I won’t be a part of it. If this is how the city will be once the war is over, then it’s not worth saving.”
