Analysis of Dave Egger's Zeitoun

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Dave Eggers’ novel Zeitoun is labeled as a work of non-fiction. It tells the story of a Syrian-American man named Abdulrahman Zeitoun, also known as Zeitoun, who chose to stay in New Orleans to ride out one of the worst natural disasters in American history, Hurricane Katrina. Zeitoun, a family man and devoted to his business stayed in the city as the hurricane approached to protect not only his home and business, but also his neighbors’ and friends’ properties. After the storm he traveled the flooded city in a secondhand canoe rescuing neighbors, caring for abandoned pets and distributing fresh water. Soon after the storm, Zeitoun and three others were arrested without reason or explanation at one of his rental houses by a mixed group of U.S. Army National Guard soldiers and local police officers. In the novel Eggers created an accurate portrayal of the events of racial profiling and looting this becomes apparent if one views the documentary by Spike Lee, When the Levees Broke. In the novel, Zeitoun was arrested, racially profiled, and labeled a terrorist and a looter. Dave Eggers tells us that Zeitoun, Todd, Nasser, and Ronnie were arrested at gunpoint and later accused of looting a local Walgreen store and of terrorist activities. They are suspects because Zeitoun and Nasser are Muslims from Syria and Nasser and Todd had large amounts of money in their possession. This confirms the higher authorities’ suspicions of the so-called terrorists looting of local shops when in fact they were helping local citizens and animals reach safety. Because they were labeled as terrorists they were denied phone calls, medical attention, and proper care. As we read in Zeitoun and saw in the film When the Levees Broke by Spike Lee, African Ameri... ... middle of paper ... ...e Eggers events of looting are an accurate portrayal with Spike Lee’s documentary When the Levees Broke. Works Cited Eggers, Dave. Zeitoun. San Francisco: McSweeney's, 2009. Print. Niman, Michael I. "KATRINA's AMERICA: Failure, Racism, And Profiteering." Humanist 65.6 (2005): 11. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Patterson, Victoria. "Did Dave Eggers Get “Zeitoun” Wrong?"Http://www.salon.com/. LA REVIEW OF BOOKS, 9 Dec. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. . When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Dir. Spike Lee. HBO, 2006. Documentary.

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