Quotes and Literary Terms

"You really think hey consider us terrorists?" Nasser asked.
Todd rolled his eyes. "why else would we be alone in this cell while everyone else in crammed together? We're the big fish here. We're the big catch" (228)

Simile - The city looked like it had been abandoned for decades. The cars, their colors washed grey from the toxic water, were strewn about like playthings.

Irony - "Why are we here?" he asked a passing soldier
"You guys are al Qaeda" the soldeir said.
Todd laughed derisively, but Zeitoun was startled. He could not have heard right.

Motif's - Both the Qur'an and water could be classified as motif's. The Qur'an is continually reffered to ever since Zeitoun's family was seperated from him. The water is also continually in the book. From the first chapters where Zeitoun's brothers were fishing in Syria, to when Zeitoun's fathers stories about conquering the sea were told, and throughout the Hurricane.

Simile - Todd steered the boat like he was captaining a great yacht (152)

Climax - The climax of Zeitoun is when the main character (Abdulrahman Zeitoun) and his friend Todd are arrested for supposedly being part of Al-Queda. The men enter where Zeitoun was staying and handcuff both him and Todd. The reader is unsure of what will happen next and this section is full of suspense.

Tone - For the majority of the novel, the tone is sad, dark, and dreary. This is not only because because of the terrible hurricane, but because of the fact that Abdulrahman Zeitoun is separated from his family and his existance is unknown about for a long period as well. "Zeitoun could hear how worried she was" (124).

Imagery - "And this was different from the murky rainwater of the day before. This water was green and clear. This was lake water" (85)

Pleonasm - "Build" he thinks. "Build, build, build" (323)

Alliteration - "grey gusts" (15)
"anything to anyone" (11)
"waiting and watching" (6)