The Cellist of Sarajevo

Describe the character growth of Arrow, Dragan, and Kenan in the novel. How do the characters cope with changes to their environment and the violence around them? In what ways do the coping mechanisms of the characters begin to change? What is the catalyst for change in each of the characters’ lives? What role does the cellist play in the novel?

Teaching Suggestion: Because the discussion questions cover various topics throughout the novel, students may benefit from creating notes on each character before responding. Students may find it helpful to have access to the novel and their chapter questions as a reference.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who might benefit from added organization with whole-text tasks, completing a graphic organizer to analyze each character might be helpful. Consider creating a column for each character and allowing students to analyze the characters with each question individually.