The Cellist of Sarajevo - Identification With Arrow

The Cellist of Sarajevo

Identification With Arrow: The character with whom I most identify is Arrow because she is female and because I have also trained at target shooting, on handgun, shotgun, and AR-15 rifle. She has a skill and she is conscripted to assist "the defenders" of the city. As all trained marksmen know, being prepared to shoot at a human being is a big step. The protocol is drilled into you. The appropriate use of force. You may kill in order to prevent a death. Shoot a hostage-taker with a knife or a gun to the head of an innocent person. That's the easy one. You may kill a fleeing felon, "armed and dangerous," on the belief that fleeing authority makes him desperate and therefore more at risk of harming others to aid in his escape. You never shoot simply to wound or disarm, although this training is beginning to be questioned. In some cases, knowledge of the perpetrator may influence your assessment of the risk and thus your decision about whether or not to use lethal force. Snipers are not the negotiators. In some cases, someone of high rank will give the order to fire. Even then, the sniper is still responsible for the decision. Just like in a war, being ordered to commit an illegal act does not relieve the shooter of responsibility. So Arrow is comfortable with the first assignment, to counter-snipe the gunmen in the hills. However, she draws her own line. She refuses to shoot a civilian. She refuses to follow an order which she considers to be illegal or immoral. She knows the consequences. Symbolically, she puts her weapon down, as if to say Here I Stand, and she waits.

Have I ever experienced a similar sudden awakening or realization? Nothing quite so dramatic. I cannot say I have ever been given an illegal order. I have left jobs when I could no longer respect those who were giving the orders. Or when I could not accept existing policy such as Smoking Permitted in my Classroom or forced Christian prayer.