How does the writer successfully convey the horrors of war and the ability of

human beings to rise above it?

The Bright Lights of Sarajevo is a poem written by Tom Harrison about the civil
war in Bosnia of1942. This poem conveys the horrors of war and captures what
it was like for the average person. This essay will discuss the horrors of war and
peoples ability to overcome it.

Firstly, the city inhabitants are portrayed as used to the war and the dangers of
the city. “Often dodging snipers,” the word often suggest that the city is unsafe
however the inhabitants are used to it. The author’s use of colloquial language
and iambic pentameter conveys how ‘dodging snipers’ is a daily occurrence and
is normal. The word ‘dodging’ infers that the people of Sarajevo are so used to
the constant gunshots that the movement is almost inert. Furthermore the
‘AABB’ rhyme scheme of the poem portrays the constant and unrelenting
bombing in Sarajevo.

Moreover, Harrison sets the poem at night signifying that Sarajevo is in a dark
time in its history. However Harrison describes a ‘star filled evening sky’. The
‘star’ reflects the hope and optimism of the people in the poem; the ‘star’ is
significant as Harrison’s poems normally include small glimmers of hope. This
helps to portray the mood and emotions of the people in Sarajevo.

Later on in the poem Harrison talks about the ricochet of the bullets and calls
them ‘Fragments of the splintered Pleiades.’ The words ‘fragments’ and
‘splintered’ conveys how the war is not only effecting the soldiers but the whole
of Sarajevo as the innocent people are being caught up in the power struggle.
Harrison’s mention of ‘Pleiades’ conveys how some of the people may be loosing
hope as the war drags on as in Mythology Atlas’s seven daughters were
condemned to be stars, just like the Bosnian’s were condemned to a life of war.

In conclusion the writer successfully conveys the horrors of war and human
capability to overcome it by using light imagery and figurative language to
convey a sense of hope or a lack of hope.