Zeitoun

Zeitoun

by

Dave Eggers

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Zeitoun makes teaching easy.
Zeitoun’s older brother, and the first sibling to leave Jableh to become a sailor and then ship captain. He later hired Zeitoun and they traveled the world together. Ahmad now lives in Spain with his family. He loves photographs and is eager to keep in touch with his entire family, and he is in constant contact with Kathy as they try to determine what has happened to Zeitoun.
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Zeitoun PDF

Ahmad Zeitoun Character Timeline in Zeitoun

The timeline below shows where the character Ahmad Zeitoun appears in Zeitoun. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Friday August 26
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
...sardines to their rods. This only took place on moonless nights, as Abdulrahman’s older brother Ahmad told him, so that the fishermen could control the amount of light with their own... (full context)
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
Human vs. Natural Tragedy Theme Icon
Zeitoun gets a call from his brother Ahmad in Spain, who is worrying about the approaching storm. Ahmad had been a ship captain... (full context)
Part 1: Tuesday August 30
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
...brothers would chase chickens and scare seagulls around the island’s perimeter. He and his brother Ahmad would wave at the sailors docked at port. (full context)
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Ahmad always knew he would be a sailor, though he kept this hidden from his father.... (full context)
Part 2: Friday September 2
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
...to a photo of himself his first year at sea aboard a ship captained by Ahmad. Ahmad had left home after their father’s death. He first went to Turkey to study... (full context)
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Ahmad is the family member who takes the most pictures, and there are more of him... (full context)
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
Initially Ahmad treated Zeitoun more harshly than the others, probably to counter suspicions of favoritism, but Zeitoun... (full context)
Part 2: Saturday September 3
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
...been helped in time. When he reaches Claiborne, the phone is ringing: it’s Zeitoun’s brother Ahmad, who says he wishes Zeitoun would leave the city. The kids are worried about him,... (full context)
Part 2: Sunday September 4
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
Once, Ahmad had roped Zeitoun into contributing to a pigeon-grooming operation, holding birds in a cage made... (full context)
Part 2: Tuesday September 6
Crime, Justice, and Injustice Theme Icon
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
Human vs. Natural Tragedy Theme Icon
...feels like his shower is a miracle. He calls his brother in Spain again, and Ahmad again tries to convince him to leave, telling him about media reports warning of wild... (full context)
Part 3: Wednesday September 7
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
...called her the day before, but Yuko tells her not to worry. At 9 a.m., Ahmad calls from Spain, and tells her that he talked to Zeitoun the day before. He... (full context)
Part 3: Thursday September 8
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Ahmad calls Kathy, and he’s worried now, too. He says he’ll try to contact the missing... (full context)
Part 3: Friday September 9
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
Human vs. Natural Tragedy Theme Icon
...Mayor Nagin thinks it may climb into the thousands. Checking her email, she sees that Ahmad has included her in a message to another aid agency. Kathy calls the Claiborne house... (full context)
Part 3: Sunday September 11
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Human vs. Natural Tragedy Theme Icon
Kathy sees another email from Ahmad to the TV station that had interviewed Zeitoun, asking for information. Kathy finds a website... (full context)
Part 3: Tuesday September 13
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Ahmad keeps calling from Spain, and even looks into flights to New Orleans to look for... (full context)
Part 3: Saturday September 17
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
Another email from Ahmad has attached a number of pictures from the family’s visit to Málaga, Spain the year... (full context)
Part 4: Tuesday September 6
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
...much left to see, and he misses his family. As he’s talking to his brother Ahmad in Spain, Nasser calls to him about some men on the porch. (full context)
Part 4: Monday September 19
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
...traffic tickets to criminal defense. There’s no answer, so she leaves a message. Kathy calls Ahmad in Spain and cries that Zeitoun is alive. Ahmaad is thrilled, but grows somber when... (full context)
Part 4: Tuesday September 20
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Crime, Justice, and Injustice Theme Icon
Islam and Islamophobia Theme Icon
In the morning Ahmad calls back and tells Kathy not to tell the other siblings that Zeitoun is in... (full context)
Part 4: Thursday September 22
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
Crime, Justice, and Injustice Theme Icon
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity Theme Icon
...that he’s been to Hunt, and they’ve confirmed that Zeitoun is there. When Kathy calls Ahmad, he says she has to go herself, since no one has actually seen Zeitoun. Ahmad... (full context)
Part 4: Thursday September 29
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
...quickly as possible, not trusting that the officers won’t change their minds. Ten minutes later, Ahmad calls Kathy’s phone and she tells him the good news, passing the phone to Zeitoun.... (full context)
Part 5: Fall 2008
Family, Community, and Home Theme Icon
...Subway restaurants, and Safiya and Aisha are still young and happy-go-lucky. Now there is also Ahmad, who was born in November 2006. Zeitoun’s brother Ahmad, the namesake, still lives in Spain.... (full context)