Analysing images of hope and destruction in Galloway's 'The Cellist of Sarajevo'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand and analyse the opening of 'The Cellist of Sarajevo'.
Key learning points
- The theme of hope permeates the opening of 'The Cellist of Sarajevo'.
- Galloway uses powerful verbs to describe the weapon's destruction.
- Galloway structures the opening paragraph of his novel to mirror the way in which the weapon falls.
- Galloway may have purposely omitted details in his opening to universalise his message.
- When we analyse a text, we must consider why a writer chose to make a particular decision.
Keywords
Besiege - surround a place with armed forces in order to capture it or force its surrender
Permeate - spread through and be present in every part
Core - the basic and most important part of something
Common misconception
Students may be confused about when the extract is taking place or what war the extract is about as it references multiple moments of time.
The novel opening takes place during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. However, the reference to the aftermath of WW2 is significant in universalising the themes and messages of the novel.
Teacher tip
Asking students to openly discuss what stands out to them in an extract can help encourage a more well-rounded and holistic view of the extract.
Equipment
You will need access to Chapter 1 of 'The Cellist of Sarajevo' by Steven Galloway for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which war ended in 1945?
Q2.Which of the below is not a verb?
Q3.What is a cellist?
Q4.What does it mean to analyse?
Q5.If something has great velocity, what does it have?
Q6.Why might something become charred?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'The Cellist of Sarajevo', where does the cellist live?
Q2.When is 'The Cellist of Sarajevo' set?
Q3.What is interesting about the way Galloway structures the opening paragraph of 'The Cellist of Sarajevo'?
Q4.What story seems to permeate the opening three paragraphs of 'The Cellist of Sarajevo'?
Q5.What is it important to do when analysing a text?
Q6.Why might Galloway have used the verbs "screamed", "splitting" and "exploded" to describe the way the weapon falls in 'The Cellist of Sarajevo'?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing images of hope and destruction in Galloway's 'The Cellist of Sarajevo', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing images of hope and destruction in Galloway's 'The Cellist of Sarajevo', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Fiction: read around the world unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.