Dave Eggers Zeitoun Essay Papers

Kim Griffith

HIS 1400

Zeitoun

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers tells the story of a Muslim-American man named Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his family who were caught in the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina when it struck New Orleans in 2005. Katrina destroyed the entire city of New Orleans and took many lives along with it. However, the hurricane ultimately displayed the flaws in American policies. Dave Eggers book, Zeitoun, captures the failure of the government to handle the disaster effectively along with the ongoing "war on terror" in the United States.

It quickly became apparent that the U.S authorities did little or nothing to help the citizens who remained in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The city was in ruin and Zeitoun became the

hero, using his canoe to rescue stranded citizens. While attempting to rescue a large elderly woman from her house, Zeitoun saw a large military fan boat approaching. He thought help was coming but was instead shocked when the boat continued right by them. "Again it was a fan boat, also with four military personnel aboard, again the fan boat swung around them and continued without a word." (Eggers 2009, 101). It was obvious that Zeitoun was struggling to get this woman into his canoe, so why didn’t they help? Eggers states the media consensus was that New Orleans had descended into a "third-world" state where people stood on rooftops waving and begging for help that was not going to come from the government.
As if the lack of government intervention was bad enough, looting became another problem that was occurring all over the dismantled streets of New Orleans.

Zeitoun first became aware of this issue when he saw eight men stealing from the Shell station. "This was an organized group of opportunists who were not simply taking what they needed to survive. They were stealing money and goods from the gas station, and they were operating in numbers that seemed designed to intimidate anyone." (Eggers 2009, 129). The looting continued because people were scared to intervene and the authorities showed no urgency to put an end to this issue. In addition, looting became the root of an even bigger problem for Zeitoun and his family. This term was falsely placed on Zeitoun and was the reason why six armed officers from the National Guard removed him from his

house.
Zeitoun was taken to Camp Greyhound, a bus station converted to a makeshift prison.

He wasn't told why he was taken into custody but was more concerned about getting a phone call to Kathy because he knew she would be very worried. Zeitoun along with many others were placed in small cages and referred to them as giant kennels where dogs are kept. (Eggers 2009, 219). They were stripped searched, refused medical care, and ultimately denied their basic human rights. Moreover, Zeitoun learns that it was his race that lead to his arrest when a soldier says, "You guys are terrorists. You're Taliban." (Eggers 2009, 222). His worst fear finally became the reality. All Zeitoun wanted to do was to contact Kathy to let her know he was still alive, but instead he was trapped in a case of discrimination related to the ongoing "war on terror" because he was

Muslim.
The article "Hurricane Katrina and the 'war on terrorism'" states that following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration announced a “war on terrorism.” As part of this war, it was claimed, the government has dedicated itself to the protection of the American people, to the preparation for another massive attack, and to planning for the subsequent disaster management. (Kay 2006). However, Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that the government was incapable of dealing with such disaster. People were left to fend for themselves and received very little help from the people they thought they could count on. In Zeuitoun's case, he was trying to be a Good Samaritan by helping his neighbors but instead was punished. It’s a shame that he was let go so easily after he was interviewed by the Department of Homeland Security. "They did not ask about terrorism. They did not accuse him of plotting against the United States." (Eggers 2009, 268). Therefore, it shows that the National Guard was not trained for a disaster like Hurricane Katrina because they were more worried about terrorism rather than solving the immediate problem, which was rescuing the citizens that remained in New Orleans.
I believe much of the disorder that followed Hurricane Katrina could have been prevented if the government was ready for such disaster. Zeitoun should not have been targeted because he was Muslim and assumed a terrorist. Lastly, Eggers book made it very clear that the government has room for improvement and that people like Zeitoun and his family are still recovering from this horrible disaster.

WORD COUNT: 829

Works Cited
Kay, Joe. "Hurricane Katrina and the 'war on Terrorism'" World Socialist Web Site.
February 18, 2006. Accessed December 2, 2014. http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2006/02/katr-f18.html.