Staying Strong

        Having values instilled in a person creates a strong individual.  In the book Zeitoun, Zeitoun was raised in Syria where his family instilled strong values in him. He had a strong work ethic, he took care of the ones he loved and he was ethical and moral. Those strong values turned out to be the cause of problems for Zeitoun during Hurricane Katrina.  Instead of leaving with his family when the hurricane approached New Orleans, Zeitoun believed it was his duty to stay behind to help others and those he cared about. He also believed it was his duty to make sure nothing happened to his business or his property that he had worked very hard to build.

    

        Unfortunately, because he stayed behind Zeitoun was subjected to terrible things because he was a Muslim and ventured out to help others. The soldiers in charge viewed his Middle Eastern background and the fact he was ventured out to the homes of others as a bad thing. They charged him with a crime he did not commit and placed him in a holding cell meant for an animal. Zeitoun did not let this behavior by others break him as a person; he remained true to those he cared about. He held on to his moral beliefs in a higher being to save him from his captures so he could see his family again and help those in New Orleans. After he was finally released from the prison, for a crime he did not commit, he returned to New Orleans with his family. He continues to help those he cared about rebuild their homes and their lives. Even when his country failed him, Zeitoun did not fail his country.