Zeitoun by David Eggers Guiding Questions for Independent Reading

Pages 12 - 34 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1. How do Zeitoun and Kathy differ as far as values and personalities?

2. How does Eggers portray Zeitoun’s appreciation for his job as a painting contractor, as well as his appreciation for New Orleans?

3. Much of Zeitoun’s stubbornness from natural disasters stems from what?

4. How does Zeitoun resemble his father?

5. When he first started working in New Orleans, how did Zeitoun demonstrate his dedication to his job?

6. What is it that Zeitoun does five times a day? How do you think this compares to mainstream religious devotion in the U.S.?

7. The approaching hurricane did not shake Kathy until what news “wrecked her”?

8. What event does Zeitoun recount when he reminisces about seeing Kathy for the first time?

9. What propelled Kathy to consider Zeitoun as a husband, even though at first, she thought, “he was a nice enough man…but didn’t think it was a good match”?

Pages 35 - 49 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1. The following passage connects best with which of the in-class readings: “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”? Explain.

2. What incident took place that reaffirmed Zeitoun’s point of view in the previous question?

3. How was Kathy able to get Zeitoun to go on a week long vacation to Miami?

4. How would you describe Kathy’s attitude after 9/11?

5. Towards the end of page 49, how would you describe Zeitoun’s attitude towards his family life at home?

Pages 50 - 68 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1. Where does Kathy decide to evacuate with her kids? What can be some positive outcomes from this option? 2. According to Zeitoun, what are some of the reasons for staying in New Orleans? 3. As Kathy watches the news, what image does David Eggers use to describe hurricane Katrina on the map? Examining his writing style, is this image effective or ineffective? Explain. 4. Describe Kathy’s mother’s attitude towards her conversion to Islam. Identify examples from the book that support your claim. 5. What revelations does Kathy experience after reading some books about Islam? 6. What are some of the things that bother Kathy about her evangelical church? What disturbing incident at her church causes her to gravitate towards Islam? 7. Describe Kathy’s transformation into a Muslim by describing her initial experiences with the Islamic faith. 8. David Egger’s uses the metaphor, “the sky was a child’s finger-painting, blue and black hastily mixed.” Do you find this metaphor effective? Explain. Pages 68 - 99 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1. David Egger’s uses the metaphor, “the sky was a child’s finger-painting, blue and black hastily mixed.” Do you find this metaphor effective? Explain. 2. The canoe is like a supporting character in the book, assisting Zeitoun throughout his journey. What do you think the canoe represents? 3. During the scene when Zeitoun falls into a shallow sleep, Eggers recalls Zeitoun’s ancestral home on Arwad Island. What tone is being set in this flashback, and why is this flashback important to understanding Zeitoun’s character? 4. Mother nature is one of the major antagonists in this story. Explain how it introduces itself beginning on page 85, and how Zeitoun tries to battle with it. 5. Zeitoun comes across a picture of his brother Mohammed and recalls his memory of him. Why do you think Eggers mentions this flashback at this point in the story? What is its significance?

Pages 100 - 122 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1. What can you infer about Zeitoun’s character after reading the line “It was not right to watch a woman of her age suffer like this. The situation had stolen her dignity”? 2. What can you infer about Kathy’s mother’s character after hearing her say, “Why don’t you take off that thing [hijab] and relax…He’s not here. Be yourself”, you can infer that Kathy’s mother: 3. Describe Zeitoun’s attitude towards his first day in the flooded city. 4. How does the media portray New Orleans as being at this point in the story? 5. According to Zeitoun and Frank, why is using the canoe is incredibly valuable? 6. How are Kathy and Mohammed are very similar? 7. Why is Zeitoun’s recollection of his brother Mohammed so significant? 8. Kathy’s concern over Zeitoun increases after hearing what over the radio? 9. How does Yuko responds when Kathy leaves Baton Rouge to turn to her for help? 10. Zeitoun’s next act of valor was to save the barking dogs from his neighborhood. How was he able to do that?

Pages 123 - 162 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1. Like many protagonists in stories, Zeitoun I begins to understand his role in his world. What is that role? 2. Describe Zeitoun’s encounter with looters and individuals who may be potentially dangerous. 3. How does David Eggers depict military officials at this point of story, particularly when it comes to evacuations and general assistance? What does this reveal about the government’s response to the disaster? 4. Describes Todd’s transformation at this point in the story. 5. How has being a sailor shaped Zeitoun’s identity? 6. What is the significance of Zeitoun and Todd watching the fire from the boat? 7. Explain the significance of the conversation between Zeitoun and the Greek captain of a tanker in the Philippines. 8. This “new world” in which Zeitoun slowly becomes increasingly dark. What are some incidents that occur to demonstrate this shift in the story?

Pages 163 - 202 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1). What are some of the reasons why Zeitoun wants to stay in New Orleans? What are some of the reasons why Zeitoun considers leaving?

2). What can you conclude from the following excerpt: “As he paddled back to Claiborne, a hope flickered within Zeitoun that his siblings might see him on TV. Perhaps they would see what he was doing, that he had done something good by staying in his adopted city. The Zeitouns were proud, and there was plenty of sibling rivalry that had pushed them all to an array of achievements - all of them measured against the deeds of Mohammed. None of them had every done something like that, none had achieved on his level. But Zeitoun felt again that perhaps this was his calling, that God had waited to put him here and now to test him in this way. And so he hoped, as silly as it seemed, that his siblings might see him like this, on the water, a sailor again, being useful, serving God” (Eggers 167).

3). How does Ahmad respond when Zeitoun tells him that he might be on T.V.? What does his reaction reveal?

4). Eggers job is to take accurate accounts and sequence them in a way that is suspenseful so as to move the plot. Explain how Eggers does this starting from page 173.

5). What diction does Mayor Nagin use to call the city of New Orleans, and what is your reaction to Mayor Nagin’s account of the Superdome?

6). To Kathy, what was the most plausible explanation of Zeitoun’s disappearance based on what she finds on the Internet?

7). Flashbacks are an important motif in this story? What do they provide for the characters, and what memory does Kathy recollect? What does Kathy learn from this flashback?

Pages 203 - 256 Support your answers with properly textual support where applicable.

1. As he was led into Camp Greyhound, what did Zeitoun see that was the first indication that he and his friends were not going to be evacuated?

2. While being interrogated in the station, Zeitoun’s attention is drawn to a 120 ft. mural hanging on the upper half of the station’s main wall. Why is this mural is significant?

3. Why did the officers become even more suspicious of Todd and Nasser’s identity?

4. What were some of the hardships faced by Zeitoun while he was in the cage?

5. How does Zeitoun demonstrate his devotion to his religion?

6. What were some of the peculiarities of the man who entered the Zeitoun’s cage after the bus of detainees had arrived at Camp Greyhound?

7. What is the best way to describe Zeitoun’s attitude after witnessing the brutality of the soldiers?

8. The guards at The Elayn Hunt Correctional Center claim that Zeitoun is not their prisoner. Who is claiming Zeitoun as their prisoner?

9. Who were some of the African American prisoners who joined Zeitoun in his cell?

10. Other prisoners underwent horrific events at Hunt, specifically, those who experienced what?

11. What does Zeitoun eventually think might be the cause of his physical ailment?

12. How would you describe the nurse’s assistance to Zeitoun?