Zeitoun Rhetorical Analysis

As an AP Composition and Language student, our class was required to read the book Zeitoun by Dave Eggers for summer reading homework, from which we learned about the author’s use of rhetorical strategies. You might recognize Zeitoun being an award-winning novel, which is based on a true story of a Muslim-American and his family, and their experiences during Hurricane Katrina. The author portrays the nonfiction character Abdulrahman Zeitoun as a hard working, diligent, and loving family man who goes great lengths to satisfy his clients and family, despite the recurring social injustices against them succeeding 9/11. However, after discovering some disturbing issues that have occurred, I suggest that Zeitoun should not continue to be a part …show more content…
Eggers’s purpose for writing this novel is to change people’s perspective on Muslim-Americans post 9/11 by demonstrating that not all of them are extremists, and that there are people like Zeitoun who can be noble and heroic individuals. More people are familiar with this characterization of Zeitoun, displaying only his good side, yet many are unaware of his domestic violence accusations against his ex-wife, Kathy Zeitoun, in 2012, after the publication of Eggers’s novel. It has been reported that Zeitoun attacked Kathy on two accounts, the first being when he threatened to kill Kathy, while their four children witnessed. The second incident was when he beat her with a tire iron, for which he was charged with attempted first-degree murder. Subsequently, Kathy had restraining orders against Zeitoun, but he disobeyed them and offered $20,000 to an inmate, Donald Pugh, to murder his ex-wife following a set of specific instructions. These allegations prove that a few of Zeitoun’s immoral action outweigh all of his good deeds. By continuing to read this book for school, a tainted image of Zeitoun will be implemented in the reader’s mind once they realize the horrible crimes he committed against his