Queuing with empty canisters of gas. The poem is divided into rhyming couplets: It appears as though this horror has become a regular way of life. There is hope, normalcy, and perhaps even love that’s able to penetrate through the tragedies of war. ‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ by Tony Harrison remains an inspirational text that resonates strongly for the adolescent audience. They can be seen through the references to “snipers,” “shells,” “mortars,” and death. There is something different about “tonight”. The rhythm of this phrase helps to drive home the importance of the encounter. (…) Tony Harrison was born in the UK and he continues to write for theatre. There is peaceful simplicity to the walk at night. One example is found in the transition between lines four and five where a reader has to jump to the next line in order to find out what “precious meagre grams” refers to. Add to New Playlist. The poem is anlyzed through four perspectives: tone, imagery, j… created through imagery and alliteration "death-deep death-dark" Bright lights of Sarajevo The title could connote the fire the bomb and chaos of the war. It is almost relentless. There is no definition to their forms, and boys and girls can “collide” and come to know one another. when a girl’s dark shape is fancied by a boy’s. Harrison edges towards the conclusion of this run-on sentence in the eighth line. Through use of setting and contrast, both poets contribute to presenting the theme of the realities of war. In the case of ‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ Harrison sought to reveal something of Sarajevan life in the midst of the Bosnian War in the mid-1990s. After the romantic tone, we are reminded of the surroundings and the horror ensuing: ‘massacred the breadshop queue,’ yet, even despite this, they manage to pursue each other. Compare the sense of darkness in ‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ to another text of your choice. Hatred and the Other. Compare the sense of hope in ‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ to another text of your choice. Everyone has to wait to see what the ratio is going to be “each day” and if they’re going to get enough to eat. The Bosnian war occurred between 1992 and 1995, after the declaration of independence from Yugoslavia (1992). The first, anaphora, is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines, usually in succession. There is no getting around what they represent. He uses bread, and the variety of words for it (“hjleb,” “hleb,” or “kruh”), to draw an insignificant difference between the walking “black shapes”. In the first eleven lines, Harrison utilizes “of” at the beginning of four lines and “or” at the beginning of two. There appears to be a desperate lack of food in the area and malnutrition is a severe threat. ‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ by Tony Harrison is a single stanza poem that contains forty-six lines. Awesome! Harrison returns the reader to the story of the “boy-shape” and “dark-girl” as they move away to “share one coffee in a candlelit café.” Here now are other lights to contrast with those reflected in the water, and to strengthen that of the match or lighter. Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox, To create the home of poetry, we fund this through advertising, Please help us help you by disabling your ad blocker. It’s concerned with her impression of the young man she’s encountered. to get the refills they wheel home in prams, or queuing for the precious meagre grams. Queuing with empty canisters of gas. 'The Bright Lights of Sarajevo' analysis for IGCSE: contextual notes for the poem, with questions that ask students to find evidence that the poet has reflected historical events in the poem. of Sarajevo would be totally devoid Key language choice. Disabled takes place within World War I as Owen vividly describes the subject’s amputation. Bright Lights of Sarajevo: discussion and resources | jwpblog. This phrase is an interesting one. Today 's Points. It was there, “in 1992 / Serb mortars massacred the breadshop queue”. The poet uses one night in the city to present an unvarnished, graphic recount of the horrors of war that lay claim to the lives of … They are at constant risk from falling bombs and sniper fire. The Bright Lights of Sarajevo by Tony Harrison, https://poemanalysis.com/tony-harrison/the-bright-lights-of-sarajevo/. After the hours that Sarajevans pass Juxtaposition is one of the most important techniques at work in this poem. After the hours that Sarajevans pass. "Under the weather" is used to describe someone whose feeling unwell. There is a process to these relationships that the speaker has tapped into and depicts for the reader. Fragments of the splintered Pleiades, (…) In the last four lines, juxtaposed with the previous dark and depressing imagery and the mood those images created, the entire atmosphere of the text lightens. They take their belongings home, sometimes having to walk up eleven flights of stairs. This is a reference to a star cluster in the constellation of Taurus. The speaker thinks the young man might be “about…to take her hand” and lead her somewhere else. There is a lot of enjambment in the first stanza and I think it has a chaotic effect as you think you are going to come to a pause and then you don’t. Jonathan Peel JLS 2016 After the hours that Sarajevans pass beyond the tone of voice and match-lit flare test Queuing with empty canisters of gas and hes about, I think, to take her hand to get the refills they wheel home in prams, and lead her away from where they stand or queuing for the precious meagre … of bread they’re rationed to each day, and often dodging snipers on the way, or struggling up sometimes eleven flights. At night, there are no lights to tell an onlooker whether the people in the street are “Muslim,” Serbian, or Croatian. Harrison switches over again in the next lines of ‘The Bright Lights of Sarajevo’ and addresses the lovely “star-filled evening sky”. However, there was conflict over the way the country should be run and Bosnian Serbs began to fight with Serbs. The boy and the girl hold hands and enjoy one another’s company amongst symbols of war and struggle. The word “radar” is used in the twenty-first line in order to depict the “tone of voice” that comes out of the dark. (…) Compare it to a text of your choice. Now part of the IGCSE materials for study, they worked so well – the video is testament to their attitude. Finally, juxtaposition is when two contrasting things are placed near one another in order to emphasize that contrast. The poet uses one night in the city to present an unvarnished, graphic recount of the horrors of war that lay claim to the lives of the city’s innocent civilians. Tony Harrison – Bright Lights of Sarajevo, Letras: After the hours that Sarajevans pass. War, Civilians, and Humanity . Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Cellist of Sarajevo, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. "The Bright Lights of Sarajevo by Tony Harrison". but tonight in Sarajevo that’s just not the case–. of bread they’re rationed to each day, and often dodging snipers on the way, or struggling up sometimes eleven flights. Last updated by Yusra A #989639 10 months ago 3/18/2020 6:48 AM. of people walking streets Serb shells destroyed, behind AID flour-sacks refilled with sand. Accessed 18 April 2021. He “thinks” this is the case. I have used this detailed PowerPoint lesson (28 slides, approximately 2 hours teaching time) to lead my learning in class, as a distance learning material/homework and even as a tool of revision – all have worked well for the students. Other times it represents danger, as seen through the clear skies. THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF SARAJEVO. Suitable for Edexcel IGCSE students. The poem is about the chilling siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war in the mid 1990’s. Advertisement . When there are no lights in the city, Muslims, Serbians, and Croatians can walk among one another unbothered. Establishes location- the name of the town has historical resonance. This speaks to an immediate intimacy that’s necessary in wartime, as well as to the overall darkness of the scene. Check out Adapt — the A-level & GCSE revision timetable app. BRIGHT LIGHTS OF. often dodging snipers on the way,/ or struggling up sometimes eleven flights of stairs with water. Oct 14, 2018 - This article contains an analysis of the peom "The bright lights of Sarajevo" by Tony Harrsion. Some have moved beyond the “tone of voice and match-lit flare test”. However the journey to find this pair begins at the start of the poem with Harrison referencing the hardship of the whole town – prams are re-used as shopping trolleys in a world with no power and little food. Sarajevo was the capital of the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was one of the six states that made up the country of Yugoslavia. Harrison makes use of several other poetic techniques, these include anaphora, alliteration, enjambment and juxtaposition. Most prominently, this technique is seen through the contrast between everyday activities such as getting coffee or walking down the street and the siege hours of fear and desperation. They once contained humanitarian aid, in the form of flour but now they work as barricades to strengthen buildings should more bombs fall. As if observing the street at the very moment the poem was written, the speaker says that he can “see” who has “progressed”. Baldwin, Emma. It was a large, modern city, comparable in size to Manchester, Edinburgh or Liverpool. Add to favorites 0 favs. Tony Harrison is known for his moving and in-depth depictions of people at war, struggling through their everyday lives. No one worries about who they’re passing and any of the normal divisions that are considered during the day. Or it could mean Pleiades which are star clusters, this again shows the contrast and how the write manipulates the readers emotions throughout the poem. to share one coffee in a candlelit café As a modern city, it had all of the conveniences expected, including schools, shops, universities and hotels. Introduction “The Bright Lights Of Sarajevo” is written by the author and poet Tony Harrison and is a new addition is the IGCSE English Language syllabus. Throughout the poem, vocabulary is used to create a clear picture in the reader’s heads of the view that Harrison can see. It was the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Written from the front line as sniper bullets and bombs killed and maimed. Without a doubt, Harrison chose words like “blood-dunked,” “broken,” and “massacred” in order to create a striking contrast, or juxtaposition, between the simple nighttime pursuits of the young and the war around them. 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