The 21st century for America so far includes two major disasters, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. David Eggers documents the Zeitoun’s struggles during Hurricane Katrina in his book Zeitoun. Choosing specific details, Egger’s purpose is to juxtapose Zeitoun’s humanity before and during Katrina to the cruelty Zeitoun was given after, and how Americans should reflect on those disparities. Through his biased choice of details the Zeitoun’s gave, David Eggers wanted to portray Zeitoun not just as a character in a story, but as a real person who has a childhood, emotions, and a family. One way Eggers did this was by using flashbacks. Many of Zeitoun’s flashbacks include his childhood in Syria, like when he and his brother Ahmad swam along the shores …show more content…
The most obvious is Zeitoun and his friends’ unfair arrest and cruel treatment. In Camp Greyhound, Zeitoun and Nasser were strip searched and especially segregated among the prisoners by the National Guard because of their race; they were also labelled as terrorists without any proof. Eggers keenly picked details of Zeitoun comparing Camp Greyhound to Guantanamo Bay, which would undoubtedly provoke uneasy feelings after just reading about Zeitoun’s innocent and selfless actions. Eggers even noted Zeitoun comparing the guards and prisoners at Camp Greyhound to a dog kennel, which contrasts with Zeitoun’s relationship with the abandoned dog, Eggers points out the worst of human nature like the desperateness of the arresting officers and the callous reactions of National Guardsmen when Zeitoun asked them for help. The harsh conditions Zeitoun had to endure juxtapose how Zeitoun should have been treated after doing honorable deeds. Eggers, by distinctly contradicting Zeitoun’s good actions and unfair consequences, shows how he intended to have the audience feel anger and frustration to Zeitoun’s unfair treatment and eventually even shame after realizing it happened at
A prison is a facility in which bad people are forcibly confined and denied of many of right their rights as a form of punishment for doing a crime. In the past many Asian American were unjustly placed into prison like facilities even though no crimes were committed. In both Okubo’s Citizen 13660 and Yang’s The Latehomecomer, both narrators are taken from their homes and forced in to confinement, were their freedom was unfairly taken from them, because of a war and their race. In the internment camps both Okubo and Yang are dehumanized by having constrictions, living in disgusting conditions, and a loss of identity. Thus, both narrators are forced to make dramatist changes to their lifestyle during their time in confinement.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor transformed the lives of virtually every single person of Japanese descent living in America. No matter how much they tried, they could only wait for their final destination: a crowded and subpar American concentration camp that gave very minimal wages and barely had enough resources to live. They met this with the common phrase shikata ga nai, or “it cannot be helped”. Between the life of Jeanne Wakatsuki depicted in the book Farewell to Manzanar, who was in one of these concentration camps, and a boy in an average household in times without world wars raging on, there are, expectedly, many more differences, both emotional and physical, than the similarities, between our lives.
Throughout Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s autobiography, Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne experiences the struggles of Japanese-Americans during the World War II. After the Pearl Harbor bombing, Japanese-Americans were forced to be sent to an incarceration camp often through isolated deserts and swamps. They were sent to the camp because they looked like the enemy. Their bravery and fighting for what they believed in were their version of social justice because Japanese-Americans wanted an equal opportunity just like the Caucasians. The book on what Japanese-Americans went through at that time resembles with this modern day Trump’s immigration law on Muslims. The Japanese-Americans and Muslims both face discrimination, separation from their family, and institutionalized injustice.
First we need to know the meaning of the phrase authentic human response, which means to show a real humane reaction of someone showing their actions are out of generosity. In Zeitoun’s case he was passing by some houses in his canoe and seen people stranded in their own house because of the flood, and out of the kindness of his heart he asked if they wanted to leave to go someplace safe. “when they got closer, they saw a couple, a husband and wife in their 70s, leaning out the window. ‘You surrender?’ Frank asked the man smiled ‘You want to get out?’ Zeitoun asked. ‘Yes, we do’ the man said.” pg 98 Anybody in Zeitoun position could've seen the couple and just kept on paddling, but in Zeitoun’s heart he was generous enough to ask if they needed a lift. Zeitoun was always helping people whether that was giving them a ride in his canoe or giving them food and water when they needed it. “ ‘You stayed too,’ Zeitoun said.’ I guess I did.’ ‘ Do you need anything? Water?’ Charlie didn't but said he might soon. Zeitoun promise to check in with them again and paddled off, curious about how many people had remained in the city. If Frank stayed, and Todd and Charlie had weathered the storm, surely there were tens of thousand more. He was not alone in his defiance.”pg 125 Zeitoun had been in the city for over a week and his kitchen got flooded he hardly has any food and water left , and yet to ask if others need food and water that he's willing to give up shows you how Zeitoun had an authentic human response to Hurricane Katrina victims. Zeitoun really showed that he cared, being a victim himself, for victims of a hurricane who needed
In the novel, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, the main character, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, is an immigrant of Syria who stays in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and is arrested due to the suspicion of looting, but really is arrested because of his race and how he looks. Zeitoun’s faith and loyalty to his community and home is tested through the many obstacles of Hurricane Katrina and including his religion, racism, and his very own dignity. The author, Dave Eggers who is also the speaker in novel, proves all examples of Zeitoun’s challenges credibly in the text.
Many people are convinced that being a good person will lead to good things happening to them, basic karma, but this is not always true. The 21st century for America so far includes two major disasters, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. David Eggers documents the Zeitoun family’s struggles of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in his book Zeitoun. Choosing specific details, Egger’s purpose is to juxtapose Zeitoun’s humanity before Katrina to the cruelty Zeitoun was given after, and how Americans should reflect on those disparities.
Zeitoun is a book, written by Dave Eggers, that focuses on the 2005 disaster, Hurricane Katrina, through an Islamic family. Zeitoun and has wife Kathy live in Baton Rouge with their four children. Once Kathy discovers the severity of the storm she leaves with her children, and Zeitoun stayed behind. After staying behind, he was thrown into a makeshift prison, then later transported to a high security prison. Throughout his imprisonment he was denied his basic rights any American citizen deserved. Zeitoun was held in prison for a month, leaving his family panicking and clueless of his whereabouts. The only explanation for being denied his rights, and traumatizing the Zeitoun family, was due to the Federal Emergency Response Agency, more commonly
In Zeitoun by Dave Eggars, Abdulrahman Zeitoun is portrayed and known as a Muslim American Hero of Hurricane Katrina. It is understandable to think this way at first because we read that he helps no less than ten of his neighbors during the flood and also feeds the four dogs he comes across. However, while I read on, I found myself thinking that Zeitoun was quite the opposite of a hero. A hero is defined as being “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities” (Dictionary). Zeitoun though, chooses to abandon his family during the storm so he could look after his customers’ properties to hopefully have his business blossom.
This allows Eggers to establish Zeitoun as his voice in his argument against mistreatment of Muslim-American citizens. Eggers first identifies Zeitoun as a principled man in his depiction on pg,108(He wanted to see everything that had happened and would happen with his own eyes. He cared about this city and believed in his heart he could be of use.). Zeitoun’s decision to stay put in spite of his family leaving without him, demonstrates how he chooses to uphold his responsibilities despite the personal sacrifices required for the well being of others. In the eyes of the readers, Zeitoun is clearly a charitable man, thus making his eventual incarceration all the more unjust. On page 212, one sees the ignorance Eggers aims to expose, “Are we going to get a phone call?” Todd asked. “No” the officer said. “ You have to give us a phone call.” There was no answer… “Why are we here?” he asked a passing soldier. “You guys are Al Qaeda” he said defensively. By highlighting the purity of Zeitoun previously, Eggers’ point is even more compelling due to the fact that the audience sympathizes for Zeitoun as the degree of sanction inflicted upon him does not equate to the honest character presented to the audience. This allows for the audience to feel the soldiers are wronged and allows for the
Throughout the novel, we see acts of violence used against the concentration camp prisoners. In the beginning of the story, Jews are segregated and moved into ghettos surrounded by barbed wire. They are soon cattled like animals into train cars to be moved to the camps. While they are
When the point of view bounces back from person to person, it shows the person true feelings & how they are thinking. The author uses flashbacks from different people’s point of view. The flashbacks describes the dramatic change of how the characters (mostly Lutie), lives and sees her position in society.
In a state of national emergency, the United States government is expected to be efficient and organized. When Hurricane Katrina struck on August 25th, 2005, the United States government was not readily prepared for such an immense disaster. The mismanagement of relief efforts by the U.S. government led to a lack of adequate assistance to U.S. victims along with a prolonged restoration period for those in need. Had the government accepted more foreign aid and further prepared for the storm, hurricane Katrina may not have proved such a disaster in our nation’s history. This essay will explain how foreign aid was integrated into the relief effort. Additionally, this essay will explore the government’s refusal of aid from various countries
The American author, Dave Eggers, addresses the endeavors of Zeitoun during and after Hurricane Katrina in his book “Zeitoun.” His goal is to educate the audience about the prejudices and troubles experienced during the disaster. A formal, yet sympathetic tone is used in the book to not only inform the audience about the hardships experienced by Zeitoun, but to also encourage sympathy among the audience. One struggle he focuses on is Islamophobia and how it negatively affects Zeitoun and his family. He shows this through the family’s battles with social and family relations, issues with the New Orleans Police Department, and the negative connotations that come with its stereotypes.
One of the worse natural disasters to ever impact the Earth was undoubtedly Hurricane Katrina. It impacted New Orleans causing many casualties. This lead to psychological pain as the city tried to regain its prior image. Also, leading to environmental racism, which is a form of discrimination against minority groups and individuals from less unfortunate countries who are exposed to environmental hazards (Ravelli & Webber, 2013). Individuals in New Orleans had been endangered to discrimination due to being left in areas exposed to disasters. Furthermore, how New Orleans coped with the situation, comes from Bullard’s ideas of ecological righteousness, changing the burden of proof to polluters also equalizing current inequalities. The city faced
In times of emergency, life and death, and tragic despair, people often are reminded of the umbrella of stress that hangs over us. With such a world people live in today, at times its common to be caught up in the minor details of life; rather than enjoying the beauty of it all. Almost everyday, we live in a sheltered life, hidden away in our communities, just trying to skate by. But there are sometimes moments that occur in a lifetime, where that sheltered routine, that is so ingrained in our minds, is taken upon differently. August 29, 2005, day one of hurricane Katrina; this date, is one that is permanently ingrained in thousands of citizens of New Orleans. On this day, people have seen family members drown, houses destroyed, as well as