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Connor Beatty

ELA 30-1
Period 3

Quotation Analysis

That something could be almost erased from existence in the landscape of a ruined
city, and then rebuilt until it is new and worthwhile, gives him hope. Page 2

The motif of rebuilding is revisited constantly through the story. This is the first
instance of this idea, when it is first put into the thoughts of the reader. This quote is
significant because it associates rebuilding with the idea of hope, giving the motif a
deeper meaning when it reappears. The quote also explores the motivation of the cellist
for playing the Agadio. Knowing that his music will not fix anything, but still playing it
with the intent of giving hope is a brave and powerful thing to do.

When the mortars destroyed the Sarajevo Opera Hall, the cellist felt as if he were
inside the building, as if the bricks and glass that once bound the structure together
became projectiles that sliced and pounded into him, shredding him beyond
recognition. Page 4

Here, the cellist reveals his emotional and spiritual connection to music and to
the Opera Hall he used to play in. Knowing the mental that the cellist struggles with
allows the reader to sympathize for him and appreciate his actions more. This shows
that the cellist believes in the powers of art and music. He wants to provide some of
what was lost when the Opera Hall was destroyed.

Ten years ago, when she was eighteen and was not called Arrow, she borrowed her
fathers car and drove to the countryside to visit friends. Page 11

Because Arrow uses an alternate persona for a majority of the book, this small
quote gives insight into her past life. She is shown to be a regular, unspecial person that
was ultimately changed because the war broke out. This personification reminds the
reader of Arrows past self whenever she is called by name, because it is known that
Arrow is not her original name.

Arrow wonders what it means that the insignificance of her injury does not bring her
any particular sense of relief. Page 19
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

This quote is taken from a point right after Arrow narrowly escapes an enemy
attack. Because Arrow is used to being under attack and firing at others, gore and
bodily harm affect her less and less as time passes. This quote reinforces the idea that
she is well into this war, and that she realizes her desensitization to the changes in her
city.

They must not know how afraid he is, how useless he is, how powerless he has
become. Page 26.

Kenan is shown to be very weak in the stressful time of war. Along with his
weakness, he carries a fear of death, a fear of judgement, and a fear of the unknown.
He does not want his family to know this because he is the household provider. While
this quote is almost depressing, it does show Kenans motivation. He loves his family,
and he knows he needs to be strong to support them, no matter how difficult it may be.

As much as he might regret it, she was right, he made her a promise. Page 31

This quote dives into the subject of humanity in the time of crisis. Kenan is stuck
filled his elderly neighbours water bottles for her because he promised to help her in
times of need. It is a tedious process to collect water, and taking her bottles along with
his own adds stress to his load. However, he is lead by empathy and his reputation as a
respectable person to fulfill his promise. The theme of humanity occurs frequently in the
novel. This is a small scale example that the reader can relate to more, easing them into
the dark theme.

More and more it seems like there has never been anything here but the men on the
hills with guns and bombs. Page 33

Dragan experiences confusion and memory loss through the novel. He is never
sure whether the peaceful Sarajevo he once knew was real or not. The severity of the
war and destruction surrounding him forces him to consider that this may have been the
way that things have always been. This quote is one of the first introductions of this
idea. The fact that it shows the progressions of Dragans thoughts give the reader an
idea of the timeframe of his belief of the state of the city.
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

If people are going to be taken away from him, either through death or a transformation
of their personality that makes them into strangers, then hes better off without them.
Page 43

Dragan is afraid of making connections with people because of the fear that he
may lose them. He would be forced to mourn for them and get over losing them, which
he does not have the mental energy to do. Because of this, he avoids personal
connections with individuals. Establishing Dragans idea of connections early is
important to the story arc of the novel. The reader experiences a change in Dragans
views and actions, so being aware of his original mental state reminds the reader how
far Dragan comes.

And as afraid as he is of dying, hes more afraid of killing. Page 51

Kenan is revealed to be an average, non-military citizen in this quote. Many


individuals have fear of death, and would feel uncomfortable ending someone's life. This
quote allows readers to relate to Kenan because of how similar he is to the average
person. The reader is also given insight to Kenans day-to-day struggle. He is stuck in a
warzone, but he does not have the capacity to kill anyone.

Kenan knows this isnt true, but the words do make him feel better. Page 62

This quote is significant because it displays the power of hope in desperate


situations. Kenan is told that he is safe, and while knowing that that is false, he is
comforted by these words. Kenan is aware that words of comfort do not change the
state of the city he is in, but he also knows that the attitude of Sarajevans does affect
the state of the city. He wants to try to live his life as normally as possible, so he
accepts words of comfort, even if they may be false.

Shes aware, now, that the woman who sat in this office on that day and said she didnt
want to kill anyone was gone. Page 71

This quote is significant because it shows how the war has affected arrow. Since
beginning to fight, she has allowed herself to sink lower than her moral standards by
enjoying killing people. Arrow wishes to preserve her old self by not letting a war-like
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

mentality take over her. This quote shows the realization that Arrow has failed to
completely preserve her innocent past self.

She doesnt know what a man playing a cello in the street at four in the afternoon has
done to her. Page 75

This statement emphasizes the unimportance that a cellist would normally have
playing on the street. However, Arrow is emotionally affected by the cellists
performance. This demonstrates the severity of the situation Sarajevo is in, making
unimportant street performers move entire communities to tears, sending powerful
messages with only music.

Its obvious to Dragan that Emina has seen him, is coming to speak to him, and he
looks for somewhere to hide even though its pointless. Page 78

This quote re-establishes Dragans fear of social connections during the time of
war. However, this is a situation he cannot escape because he is being approached.
Again, the reader is shown Dragans fear of connections through his reaction to
someone he knows.

He becomes automatic, an animal, and he flees. Page 91

After being shot at, Dragan has to react and run back to safety. He is described
as an animal because his instincts guide him to safety, nothing else. All animals share
instincts for safety, so he is described this way. This gives the reader an idea of the
pure danger that is present in Sarajevo. Having to run for your life is not a common
activity, so having this happen in a previously safe city is intended to be shocking and
concerning.

Its just something you do because life is a series of tiny, unavoidable decisions.
Page 95

This motif occurs through Arrows chapters multiple times. She firmly believes
that consequences are dictated by decisions, and that there is little control over what
consequences will come about, because the decisions are unavoidable. This gives the
reader insight into Arrows thought process, and may offer reasons for her dissociation
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

with her past self. This thought process could allow her to forgive herself for killing the
men on the hills because she had to make a decision whether she wanted to or not.

Though it happens every day, many times each day, it has never been Arrows fault,
and she intends that it never will be. Page 103

This quote displays a motivating factor for Arrow. She wants to keep the people
of Sarajevo safe. She is justified in killing the men on the hills because they are trying to
destroy Sarajevo. She does not want to turn into a killing machine because there are
many innocent people just trying to survive in her city. Arrow fears being responsible for
wrongdoing, but she also struggles morally deciding what is right and wrong in the time
of war.

What he wants now is for the men on the hills to come down and put every building
back the way it was, brick by brick. Page 117

Kenan expresses the injustice of war through this quote. He realizes that his own
city will have to pay for and rebuild itself when the war is over, and this makes him mad.
He knows that he is being victimized by the war, but there is nothing he can do about it.
This quote demonstrates the unfairness of war against innocent civilians.

He feels both happy and apprehensive, because although he has at last arrived at his
destination, he knows he has a long way to go before he is home again. Page 121

This quote is applicable to many aspects of life outside of war. Leaving home for
somewhere else is always exciting, but scary at the same time because that means
leaving safety and security. Kenan expresses this feeling when he arrives at a brewery
to fetch water. He has reached where he intended to go, but he is not safe and secure.
This combined feeling of apprehension and excitement is something all people share,
so this quote resonates with the reader.

What the cellist wants isnt a change, or to set things right again, but to stop things from
getting worse. Page 126

Dragan is a realist. He says things the way they are without any extraneous
details. His speculation of the cellists motives are also very realistic. The cellist is only
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

one person, and playing music will not change the state of the war. However, music can
affect individuals, so the cellist might be playing to bring a small bit of hope to
individuals passing by, keeping peoples moods from getting worse. This quote gives
insight into Dragans character, and his views on the effect of music in a time of war.

Unlike the men on the hills, who still make a distinction between humans and dogs,
Dragan now sees little difference. Page 131

Dragan ponders the idea of the difference between dogs and humans in the time
of war. He sees them as exactly the same because both species are only trying to
survive. He is trying to survive, so this shapes his perspective. He realizes that the men
on the hills see dogs as different because their perspective is different. The men on the
hills are trying to destroy Sarajevo, so they dont see a point in killing dogs. However,
the citizens of Sarajevo give the city life, so they become targets of the men on the hills.

The choices shes made have left her without choice. Page 145

Arrows perception of choices and consequences reappears in this quote. She is


experiencing the consequence of her previous choices. She doesn't feel like she can do
anything about her situation because she had already made the decisions that led her
to her situation. The lack of choice is the consequence of her previous choices. This
quote is a clever use of word play, using the word choice to represent the decisions
leading up to Arrows consequences, and the consequences themselves.

She knows the survival of the city depends as much on the attitude of the defenders as
it does on repelling the attackers. Page 148

Arrow displays her idea of how a city can survive through a war. She believes
that the people of the city must retain good attitudes and remain caring to one another.
The survival of a city is not just the preservation of buildings and lives, but also the
relations between people, the environment of different communities, and the livelihood
of the city. In this way, the defenders of the city have the most say, whether they know it
or not, in whether a city survives a war, or perishes in it.
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

Then theres the third type, the group Kenan falls into. They stand, mouths gaping, and
watch as others run or help. Page 163

Kenan previously expressed his desire to be heroic in the face of despair. He


needs to be a heroic figure for his family and he wants to continue to provide for them.
However, in the midst of chaos, he realizes that he is not heroic. He simply stands and
watches as people get injured and killed. He does not run away, which he is happy
about, but he does not do anything to help. This quote gives insight into Kenans
personality, and his goals for how he wants to change during the war.

Hes tired of carrying water for a woman who has never had a kind word to say to him,
who acts as if shes doing him a favor, whose bottles dont have handles and who
refuses to switch. Page 171

This quote shows Kenans moral struggle. He is visibly exhausted and


emotionally spent, and he is frustrated with his neighbour for forcing him into doing her
work for her. He struggles between ditching her and continuing to help her. This quote is
Kenan leaning towards ditching her for his own sake. This reveals how frustration can
lead to divisions, which is exactly what the men on the hill want. This is the lowest point
for Kenan, where he stoops to a selfish level.

He knows that if he wants to be one of the people who rebuild the city, one of the
people who have the right even to speak about how Sarajevo should repair itself, then
he has to go outside and face the men on the hills. Page 244

Kenan believes that he must continue to act with good morality and integrity
during the war. Because the war will eventually end, he wants to preserve his goodness
so that when it comes time to rebuild the city, he is worthy of doing so. This quote
shows the value of good character in times of war because good character is often
believed to be deserving of honour.

He knocks again, louder this time, and waits for Mrs.Ristovski to answer the door, to
bring him her bottles so he can begin his long walk down the hill, through town, up the
hill to the brewery and back again. Page 245

This is the completion of Kenans story arc. He doubts the worth of integrity, but
this quote shows that he regains control of himself and finds the motivation to persist.
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

This quote shows that perseverance in dangerous times allows individuals to keep their
sense of self worth and their moral values.

He begins to understand why he isnt running. If he doesnt run, then hes alive again.
Page 249

This quote shows Dragans struggle between his two memories of Sarajevo. In
the war-torn Sarajevo he knows, he would run across intersections. In the Sarajevo that
he remembers, he could walk leisurely through the city. Dragan not wanting to socialize
is a fear of the past memories of Sarajevo falling apart. He does not want to know that
things have changed for the worse. By walking across the street, he shows himself that
he can create old memories by believing them.

In defending himself from death he lost his grip on life. Page 250

This quote shows Dragans realization of the negative effects his skewed visions
of Sarajevo have caused. He was too afraid to try to return to his old life, so he pushed
it away, accepting the war as his new reality. This led him to a mundane, depressing
state of living. This quote demonstrates that in the face of tragedy, one must push to try
and overcome, never succumb to, the tragedy. Otherwise, one can be trapped believing
that there is no way out.

Whether they are on the hills or in the city, no one will tell her who to hate. Page 257

Arrow has just escaped from the armed forces recruiting her to kills Sarajevans.
She has struggled with not allowing the men on the hills to get in her head, and has just
recently escaped the influence of the army. This is her way of returning to her old self.
She realizes that she can no longer be Arrow while maintaining the values of her old
self due to the circumstances of the war. For this reason, she chooses to return to her
old values completely and give up killing, giving up her persona of Arrow.

Her lips move, and moment before the door splinters off its hinges she says, her voice
strong and quiet, My name is Alisa. Page 258
Connor Beatty
ELA 30-1
Period 3

Alisa has abandoned her old persona of Arrow, and needs to assert herself
before the inevitable death coming to her. She cannot live with herself knowing she has
become a murderer, and there is no way out her situation in the war without killing
someone. For this reason, she has given up. In her final moments, she wants to
rediscover her old self her just a moment. She worked under a false name to preserve
her morality and integrity, so if she is going to perish, she wants to enjoy being her
innocent self once again. This quote shows that when morals must be broken to
continue down a certain path, individuals will not take that path.

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