Zeitoun's Struggles During Hurricane Katrina

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.

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

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.

Hurricane Katrina began as tropical Depression twelve, which formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005. On August 24, the storm strengthened and became known as Tropical Storm Katrina, the 11th named storm of the 2005 hurricane season. A few hours before making landfall in Florida on August 25, Tropical storm Katrina was upgraded to Hurricane Katrina (Category1, 74mph winds). An analysis by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) climate prediction center

During times of extreme poverty and inequality more attention is provided to those in hardship. A prime example of this is New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. Before the hurricane hit the only time I had hear of New Orleans was if someone was speaking about doing down to Mardi Gras. The people affected by the hurricane lost a lot. Many lost their homes, tangible possessions stored in their homes, animals, and some lost their lives. Hurricane Katrina was a huge devastation to the country, but many survivors say they did not get adequate supplies, shelter, food, or support (Lee, S, 2006).

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

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

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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

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.

During the crisis of Hurricane Katrina many survivors experience forces far beyond natural causes, some may call this animosity. In response to the increasingly desperate survivors search for food and water, the government has issued a defacto martial law, with soldiers and police enforcing a “shoot to kill” policy, forcing the entire New Orleans area to descend into chaos. Disturb by this atrocious outcome, Egger describes these actions as “a legacy of the war on terror, has the mentality that an overwhelming military response was the solution to a humanitarian crisis” (Egger 125) as he shines light on the inhumane behavior of the United States government. Research shows that many government officials and contractors had been sent into New Orleans to re-establish order, and help evacuate survivors, but for most survivors that was not the case. As stated by Eggers, long time Muslim New Orleans resident Zeitoun, was forced out his home by government officials with guns and was threatened to be shot even after he showed his I.D. confirming he is a United States Citizen and a New Orleans resident. Egger gives us a brief taste of government animosity, as Zeitoun arrived on dry land, and was immediately handcuffed and thrown in a white van. As seen in the evidence above, we begin to see the transition Egger is making to expose his point of view that this is no different from a typical Katrina