Literary Analysis Essay of Zeitoun
Zeitoun
recounts the story of a Syrian-American, Abdularahman Zeitoun and his family at
a time when their house in New Orleans was hit by the hurricane Katrina. Some
of the main themes of the book are prejudice and racism. These two main themes
allowed the author to show the fragility of constitutional rights particularly
among immigrants. What was most interesting about this was that the prejudice
experienced by the protagonist seemed to be more devastating that the hurricane
that ravaged the country.
As the category 5 hurricane
approached their city, Zeitoun decided to stay and watch the house while his
wife and children left for Baton Rouge. At landfall, the hurricane caused
serious flooding which went up to the second floor of many houses. Zeitoun,
decided to ride his canoe to distribute his supplies as well as check on his
neighbours. Just a little over the aftermath of Katrina , Zeitoun along with
three others ,were arrested and taken away at gunpoint by the U.S. Army
National Guardsmen and some local police. This was probably the most gripping
part of the book, as he has gone missing for six full days. Throughout his
ordeal, Zeitoun was not allowed to communicate his family and was instead,
locked in a cage. Needless to say, he was mistaken for a terrorist. More than
this, the protagonist became a subject of humiliation by the officers inside a
makeshift prison for more than 20 days and was refused of any medical care and
attention.
The unfortunate experience
of the protagonist in the story only suggests that up until now, prejudice and
racial profiling is still rampant in a country that promotes “equality”.
Despite of absence of any warrant of arrest, Zeitoun was arrested, verbally and
physically abused, and was denied of any due process – all without any formal
charges. This situation is a powerful indication of the country’s dystopia
during the Bush administration’s fight against terrorism. Unfortunately, the
authorities were seeing everything with a dark lens which has ultimately caused
an innocent man to be incarcerated for no apparent reason other than being
suspected as a terrorist.
The destruction experienced
by New Orleans as an act nature. However, everything that fallowed it can be
considered as a mere act of prejudice and neglect. In fact, it is an outright
neglect of human rights that the authorities did not bother to check primarily
because the person being in question is of a different nationality. The
experience of the protagonist is by no means an isolated case. The
institutional dysfunction is evident in the news and the media as a number of
people with Middle Eastern descent are being stereotypes as “terrorist”. More
than this, such racism has become a part of their daily lives for some people.
In the book for instance, the writer states:
“Zeitoun’s frustration with some Americans was like that of a
disappointed parent. He was so content in this country, so impressed with and
loving of its opportunities, but then why sometimes, did Americans fall short
of their best selves? If you got him started in the subject, it was the end of
any pleasant meal” (Eggers 37).
It is in this line that the protagonist expresses his
frustration about the racism of some Americans. More significantly, it suggests
how America as a nation not evolved despite our beliefs that we are one of the
most advanced and developed countries in the world. And this is evident with
how our government as well as its people disregard the rights of other
nationalities and instead, see them as “terrorists”.
Works Cited
Eggers, Dave. Zeitoun. NY: Penguin Books
Limited, 2011
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