46 pages • 1-hour read
Zeitoun
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Essay Topics
Discuss the role played by Zeitoun’s religious faith in the narrative. How is it portrayed or defined?
Discuss Kathy’s conversion to Islam. What led to her conversion? What are the differences between Islam as she understood it before she converted, and after?
How does Kathy subvert both gender and religious stereotypes?
What is the significance of Zeitoun’s canoe? How does it connect him to his past, and how does it define him after the storm?
What symbolism can be found in Zeitoun’s routine of feeding the abandoned dogs? Why might this seemingly innocuous action be important thematically?
Discuss the mentally-disabled man who is pepper-sprayed at Camp Greyhound. What significance does his presence and treatment hold in the narrative? What symbolism can be found in his plight?
What is the purpose of the photographs that are mentioned throughout the narrative?
What is the function of the flashbacks to Syria, and other places, that appear throughout the narrative?
Discuss Kathy’s memory loss at the end of the narrative. How does it relate to the narrative’s larger themes?
When Zeitoun is released from prison, he’s described as a “broken man.” By the narrative’s end, do you agree that Zeitoun is a broken man? Was he really broken as a result of his ordeal?
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