1. Although Zeitoun wasn’t the only person who stayed in New Orleans and certainly he wasn’t the only person to help others, what do you think drove Zeitoun to help the people stranded in New Orleans? More generally, what drives many people who risk their safety and even their lives to help others in need?
Zeitoun was a man of good moral values and wanted to help others who were in need of help after the hurricane Katrina. He stayed in New Orleans to look after his house. He sent his wife and kids to Phoenix because the conditions were getting from bad to worse in New Orleans. He owned a canoe which he used to rescue elderly and helpless people who were still trapped or needed help. He even took care of a few dogs in his neighborhood by feeding them. He was a religious man and believed in God and good deeds. He had an innate urge to help people in need. When he witnessed a mentally challenged prisoner being tortured by pepper spray for no apparent reason, it was hard for him to control himself and do nothing about it. His good nature and his fundamentals to believe in helping mankind were the main reasons why he helped people even when it was dangerous for him.
I believe people have to good human beings to be able to help others. They have to be brave and have a belief in greater good to be able to risk their safety to help others. Compassion is one of the virtues we possess as humans. It feels good to help someone and makes us believe that we have contributed in some way to mankind. Another reason why people help others even when they risk their own safety is that we believe in a higher power. We believe in God and that he wants us to do good deeds and he will reward us in some way. Our conscience urges us to do help others and not walk away from people in need. It is one of the main reasons we come up with principles such as we should let women and children evacuate first, from a sinking ship or a burning build. Compassion and an urge to do good deeds are the most powerful motivators.
2. On pp. 265-266, Eggers describes Zeitoun’s interaction with the man, a missionary, who called Kathy to tell her that Zeitoun was in prison, “This is against the rules, the missionary said, finding a pen in his cart. He had no paper. Now they were both nervous. The missionary had been too long at (Zeitoun’s ) cell. Zeitoun gave him the number. The missionary stuffed the page into his back pocket and moved quickly down the block” (266) This man did not know Zeitoun, but decided to help him deliberately breaking the rules and calling Kathy. In this case a person decided to go against authority to help another person. In your opinion, did he do the right thing? When is it OK (or even necessary) to go against authority?
I believe that the missionary did the right thing by helping Zeitoun. He apparently broke a number of rules by helping Zeitoun but he definitely did the right thing. The missionary was visiting the prisoners to talk to them about religion and possibly offer them some comfort in that situation. He must have come across a lot of prisoners who urged him to help them. He was a kind man and it must be hard for him to turn a deaf ear to their pleas. For some reason he found it impossible to ignore Zeitoun’s request and decided to help him. He even risked getting caught helping a prisoner against the law which might have resulted in some kind of punishment, but he did it anyway. The most important thing was that he actually kept his promise and called Kathy to let her know how her husband was doing. In this situation it seems like the missionary listened to his inner voice that told him to help this prisoner. It was an answer to Zeitoun’s prayers because he was an innocent man.
The rules are made for a reason and the authorities are established for a reason too. We as humans make rules and laws according to what we believe is the right thing to do. As a fundamental, the rules are meant to protect the good people and punish the bad ones. The laws are meant to bring order and peace to the society and we count on the authorities to do the right thing. We commonly believe that the authorities would always do the right thing and no harm can come to us if we do the right thing too. In this case Zeitoun had done nothing wrong but the circumstances and the obvious fate that he met was very unfair and almost barbaric.
Authorities in his circumstances acted like they were above the law and did not follow any rules that they should have followed under normal circumstances. They did not even allow him one phone call on repeated request. They ignored his health conditions. In incidences when the authorities fail to do the right thing, it leads to chaos and rebellion. Many a times people are presented with situation when they would either have to choose rules and the laws or they would choose something that is right according to their conscience. Something deeds are universally deemed to be good such as feeding the hungry or helping people with medical aid when they are sick. Even prisoners have a right to food and medical aid. As human beings we have an innate sense of right and wrong and we try to confirm to it. We might do something against the law if we think it is the right thing to do. We also might choose to so something that breaks rules, if we think that no one will get harmed by it and it will solve our purpose. I believe in that in circumstances such as the ones mentioned in the book, it is okay to break laws while helping someone in need and our conscience urges us to help them. There are often grey areas when it comes to right and wrong. It depends a lot on the circumstances whether something is right or wrong and it’s up to us to decide whether we are doing the right thing or not. I believe that rules and laws are meant to be followed but the rules of compassion and humanity are above all.
3. On pp-197-200, Kathy describes a walk she and Zeitoun took while visiting Zeitoun took while visiting Zeitoun’s brother in Malaga. While walking, Zeitoun saw a rock in the distance and persuaded Kathy to walk to the rock. The rock turned out to be much further than Zeitoun had anticipated and turned into a very long hike. Although, Kathy, wondering “what’s the point” (199), repeatedly asked Zeitoun to turn back, he refused and encouraged her to continue by saying, “No, nowe can’t turn around until we touch it” (199). Eventually they reached the point and did indeed “Touch the rock” (200). This phrase “touch the rock” became a joke for Kathy and Zeitoun. What did this episode tell you about Zeitoun’s personality? How does this aspect of his personality influence his actions and affect his life? What does this episode tell you about Kathy? How about their relationship?
According to the story, Zeitoun was a very strong man and had great will power. He was head strong and he would not give up on anything until he achieved it. He was a very determinant man and once he set his eyes on something, he would not stop at anything to get it. In this episode, the saw a rock while strolling on the beach with his wife and daughter. When he saw the rock, he had no idea how far was it going to be or how much time and effort it would take to reach that rock. He was determinant to touch that rock and he did not abandon the idea until he actually touched the rock. It was more than fifteen miles walk with his wife and daughter. He did not want to go alone. He wanted his wife to go with him on this adventure. What we can tell from the story is that he was not that well versed with the town but his adventurous spirit took over and he wanted to visit the rock. This episode proves that he was resilient, strong willed and head strong. He believed in his wife that she would accompany him on a quest and would do as he would tell her. As mentioned in the story, he always wanted his family on his quests with him. He was a great motivator too. He kept motivating his wife to keep walking until they touched that rock. He was a physically strong man who could walk for miles without sweating or any signs of fatigue and he believed that his wife was strong him to accompany him on such as adventure. He took turns to carry their daughter while walking to the rock and stopped on the way to let Kathy get some water but he kept going until he achieved what he had set his heart on. He was a motivated man with a strong heart and principles. He was also a caring person with an altruistic nature. He was one of the few people who would risk their life to help others.
Kathy proved to an obedient and caring wife. She loved her husband and family dearly and would go great lengths to be with them and look after them. When she went to the beach with her husband that day, she wanted nothing more than to stroll on the beach and relax. She was not prepared to go for a fifteen mile walk to go to touch a rock. When her husband suggested that they should walk to the rock, she was not convinced that it was a great idea but she did it anyway. She was a great companion to her husband and followed her to the rock because he really wanted to go with her. She was aware that their daughter would not be able to walk that much but she agreed to go anyway and took turns to carry her. She suggested a few times that they should go back but she kept going with her husband and finally touched the rock. She was also a very patient woman because the idea of walking endlessly just to touch a rock would not excite most people and they would refuse to go any further when they get too tired but she kept walking according to her husband’s will without much complaining.
This episode throws light on what kind of a relationship Kathy and Zeitoun shared. They had an understanding relationship and clearly cared for and loved each other. Zeitoun wanted Kathy to be his companion in his adventure to touch the rock and Kathy supported him even when she was not convinced by the idea of walking so far just to touch a rock. Zeitoun cared for his wife as well because he stopped on the way to let her drink water and took turns to carry their daughter so that Kathy would not get so tired. They were content when they finally sat on the rock and enjoyed the view. They even referred to this incident often and made jokes about it. They had a healthy relationship. Kathy referred to her husband as bull headed and incredibly stubborn but she knew that these qualities also made him a special person.
4. During times of extreme crisis (like Hurricane Katrina), our individual morale and values are tested. The strength of our institutions (Police, Military, FEMA and so on) is tested as well. Unfortunately, in many respects, the US government failed its citizens during and after Hurricane Katrina because many of the laws that protect us (the right not to be imprisoned, the right to make a telephone call if arrested, and the right to know the reason for arrest) were abandoned and thus many American values were compromised. We know Zeitoun was arrested and jailed for no apparent reason. Why during Katrina, did the government (and/or people working for the government ) lose sight of these values and laws?
During the Hurricane Katrina it was up to the authorities to restore order and peace. The police, military and FEMA apparently acted in the ways that were not acceptable. They ignored the basic rights of American citizens and residents. They followed the law of jungle and not the regular laws made to protect and serve the common man. They deprived Zeitoun off his basic right to a phone call when he was arrested. He among other prisoners was also deprived of his basic right to food, sanitation and medical care when needed. Barbaric acts such as spraying pepper spray on prisoners to control them or force them to sleep on the floor of mud and throwing them balls of sandwich over the fence where they were held prisoners, were totally unacceptable.
It brought out the big question that why did they act like that. It seemed like they preferred protecting property to protecting people. They seized and imprisoned a lot of people for small incidents such as stealing food for survival or just suspected them of looting and enforced bailing money of $50,000 instead of regular amount of $500. They made their own rules because they had the guns. It almost seemed like a territory under military seize. The authority assumed that people were looting the city and arrested them just because they suspected it and moved on. There were many people who were put in the prison for minor crimes such as not paying for food they took from a store because no one was there to take payment.
The police also suspected that the terrorists will use the opportunity of the hurricane to carry out their own dangerous plans and became extra vigilant. They arrested Zeitoun based on the whim that he might be a terrorist because he was a Muslim and from Syria. Giving additional power to the police, military and FEMA led to atrocities mentioned in the book. The crime rate increased dramatically during hurricane Katrina. There were reports of looting, raping and shootings among other incidents. New Orleans has been higher in the crime rate when compared to other states and it became worse during Katrina. The authorities tried to control the situation by following black and white rules and tortured victims assuming they were criminals, along the way. There was obvious chaos in managing the situation and many a times the higher ups were not available to give clear orders. The officers deployed at various places did whatever they wanted to control the situation and it resulted in inhuman behavior towards people.
The soldiers and policemen believed that the people they captured were hardcore criminals and it is not important to treat criminals like human beings. They had a shortage of resources and they were making arrests based on suspicion only, which resulted in many arrests that were not required. Because of the increasing number of prisoners they had to shove everyone in very small quarters and under very unsanitary conditions. Their lapse of judgment cost these victims heavily.
In conclusion, they lost sight of the values and laws under the immense pressure. They tried to restore the peace in the community but they forgot that they are becoming the predators instead of the protectors. They were harming people that they were supposed to protect. Mis management on the behalf of higher ups and the government was one of the biggest causes of the atrocities by the authorities during hurricane Katrina.
