Zeitoun Character Analysis

Recently, Zeitoun, the novel students read before taking AP Lang and Comp, has been surrounded by controversy. The main character of the novel, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, has recently been sentenced to 4 years in prison on the account of stalking his ex-wife Kathy. Zeitoun was also accused of attempted murder of Kathy and ordering a hit on her from prison. But in this novel Zeitoun, Mr. and Mrs. Zeitoun were portrayed as the perfect American couple that were hardworking and honest. Zeitoun was especially exaggerated as an amazing person, being depicted as a loving father and husband with tremendous integrity. Now people are wondering: Are the Zeitouns really who they seem to be from the book? And if they aren’t, should we be teaching the novel in schools? I think that even though the novel Zeitoun may be taught differently due to the new information about its main character, we should still use it as a way to educate students at Mills about discrimination and critical thinking.
Primarily, Zeitoun’s purpose is to inform its audience about the discrimination against Muslims in America after 9/11. Zeitoun is subjected to …show more content…
As a teenager living in the 21st century, I am exposed to a flood of information from social media every day. I’ve become accustomed to just accepting facts at face value. But learning about Zeitoun’s true character after reading the book was a valuable lesson that not everything I read is true. This generation has been called the “age of misinformation” for a good reason, and knowing how to discern between the good and the bad sources is a skill that I will need to use for the rest of my life. After realizing that Eggers, the author of Zeitoun, may not be trustworthy, I can start being more aware of faulty material being put in front of