Zeitoun Analysis free essay sample

Zeitouns heroism and bravery have made very clear to me that being a hero is †¦ well, really damned stupid. If not that, then at the very least, being a hero is inadvisable and unwise. Zeitoun went far out of his way to help others in a whirlwind of charity and self-assurance. In doing so, he caused great damage to himself and those closest to him. Zeitoun went above and beyond what was asked of him to assist members of his community, ignoring the one thing asked of him by his worried wife, who demanded he evacuate with her and the family. Just as he had gotten into the momentum of routinely feeding some dogs abandoned by their owners daily, Zeitoun was arrested under false charges, rendering him unable to contact Kathy. His absence left his family distressed and disoriented. Kathy panicked hour by hour, praying to hear from her husband, with no such luck until much later. We will write a custom essay sample on Zeitoun Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While Abdulrahman was missing, his family overseas was just as worried about him. His brother would call Kathy, personally urged to bend the truth about her husbands whereabouts. While Zeitoun was imprisoned, his family scrambled to get but a word from, him, not to mention the dogs died. I would stop and think at times in the story, does Zeitoun take the time to assess whether the possible consequences are worth the good he is trying to do? His time in prison shows him reflecting on the good hed done, as well as praying for a better situation, but I do not recall one time at which he says to himself that he definitely should have left New Orleans. Did he not expect at all that in all the paranoia of a critical hurricane in a post-9/11 society that a Middle Eastern Muslim man would be a target for bigotry and used as a scapegoat? Although, his imprisonment was completely unwarranted, along with the charges brought against him and accusations made against him, nothing should have been a surprise to Zeitoun. Zeitoun was either unequipped with the knowledge that this countrys ideals of justice are far from perfect and that the executive branch of our government is very prone to quick, harsh decisions and quick, definitive judgments†¦ or just not very thoughtful. The results of Zeitouns poor decision to stay in New Orleans stuck to Kathy for the rest of what we read of her life in Zeitoun. Kathys mental healthy was sacrificed all because Zeitoun foolishly remained in the city, with knowledge that a particularly dangerous storm was approaching. By the end of the story, I couldnt help but notice how much Abdulrahmans â€Å"courage† and â€Å"faith† resemble naivete. He stayed in New Orleans to ride out Katrina because he was obstinate and over-confident. Its fair to say that having been a sailor, he was rugged enough to handle a hurricane, but with a family and the understanding that many other people get mixed up in the spiraling torrent of a natural disaster, it is also fair to say that he could not have been prepared enough. Zeitoun tells that he felt called by God to help people in the storm, but this, I deduce, was no more than a rush he felt from completing a successful rescue. Everyone wants to be a hero. The sensation of doing good for others does more good for the good-doer than should be done. One of my favorite lyrics says, â€Å"When you help others, you cant help helping yourself. † For a man to be so complacent with an unpredictable force of nature that he would be willing to let it come and see what happens is indubitably foolish. Abdulrahman refusing to evacuate with his wife very closely resembles a child on a playground, shouting to his mother, â€Å"No, Mommy! I dont wanna go! † Zeitoun, an informative novel by author Dave Eggers is a tale about how faith and â€Å"courage† can really screw things up. The foolhardy protagonist of the chronicle, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, shows us how being over-confident and letting ourselves become too comfortable can lastingly repercuss on the lives of our wife and family. Zeitouns over-confidence and naivete have made it absolutely clear that trying to be a hero is really damned stupid.