Zeitoun

Topics for Discussion (please focus your Friday readings on current topics dealing with the issues listed below):



1. First Amendment rights (religion, speech, press, assembly, petition)
2. Rights of Prisoners
3. Federal response to emergency situations (like Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and other catastrophes, both “Acts of God” and man-made)
4. Human Rights issues (healthcare, poverty, education)


The following questions provide a guideline for discussion on the book.


Part I:
1. Analyze the meaning of the Cormac McCarthy and Mark Twain quotes on page 10. Specifically, why do you think the author includes these quotes as a preface to the book?

2. Why is it important for Eggers to make the distinction that “this book does not attempt to be an all-encompassing book about New Orleans or Hurricane Katrina. It is only an account of one family’s experiences before and after the storm”?

3. By choosing to portray the response to the hurricane through its effects on one family, what sort of history does Eggers aim to achieve?

4. Identify, quote and analyze FIVE rhetorical strategies.

5. The book opens with “Friday, August 26,” an expository chapter that introduces us to Zeitoun’s family life and his business life, the two very interconnected. What are some of the ways in which the descriptions here draw you in as a reader, and make these people and their situation real? Why is the timeline a good structural choice for this story?

6. Explain the effectiveness of Eggers’ characterization of Hurricane Katrina.

7. Explain the purpose behind Eggers inclusion of the flashbacks of Abdulrahman Zeitoun’s childhood. How do these flashbacks compare with the flashbacks Art Spiegelman used in MAUS?

8. Analyze Eggers’ portrayal of the Zeitouns religious beliefs. How does this portrayal dispel many of the common stereotypes Americans have about Muslims?

9. On page 57, Kathy Zeitoun’s mother tells her “now you can take that thing off.” On page 68, Kathy recounts her problems at the DMV. What insight is provided into Kathy’s dynamic with her non-Muslim family?

10. In his attempt to portray the Muslim religion in a positive light, does Eggers pay a disservice to Christianity in terms of Kathy Zeitoun’s experience? Kathy was raised as a Southern Baptist. Do you think Kathy would have remained a Christian had the evangelical preacher not called her up in front of the congregation and mocked her doubts about her faith? What insight in regards to Kathy’s character, is gained from her reaction to the preacher? Analyze the effectiveness of the juxtaposition of the flashback in the concluding pages of Part I.